001okay hello everybody please hi um to start off this evening of the candidates Forum if we may please all rise and do the Pledge of Allegiance and let's pick this one in the back there's four of them so we'll pick this one I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible liberty and justice for all hello and welcome to the 2023 Sycamore Community Schools Board of Education candidates Forum this event is presented the PTO president's Council your leaders from each of the pto's at Sycamore schools my name is Victoria margam and I serve as a Sycamore Junior High PTO president while you will not hear from the other presidents this evening know that their hard work has made this event
002possible when you see them next please thank Brian llin Sycamore High School Christopher Johnston and harshana Patel from the Green School uni Kaiser and Alex retop from blue as Elementary Amanda Middleton mcgomery Elementary Marie rela from Mapledale Elementary and Aaron Mets from Sims Elementary in addition of parents staff and the community for the betterment of our schools our members host a forum like this Whenever there are contested seats for the Board of Education our goal is to bring all the candidates together at one time to answer questions and help inform voters our organization is nonpartisan and will not intervene on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate this is an important election for our district if you need more information about any of these candidates we encourage you to reach out to them this
003forum will consist of three parts first each candidate will be given three minutes to make an opening statement next our moderator will ask the candidates a series of questions candidates will answer the first question in alphabetical order subsequent questions will be answered first by the next candidate and Dr boat will pick the order to ask the question by rotating the order each candidate has an equal opport opportunity to answer first collectively the candidates have decided that one and a half minutes will be given to answer the first question and the four subsequent answers will have one minute to answer finally each candidate will have an opportunity to give a closing statement which will be three minutes and the um opening remarks like I said will go in alphabetical order the closing statements will go in
004reverse alphabetical order questions for this forum have been drawn from questions submitted by different voters similar questions were combined and the most common topic and concern will be put to the candidates tonight we are fortunate to have Dr Mary boat moderating our Forum Dr boat and her husband moved to mcgomery 22 years ago when she joined the faculty in the College of Education at the University of Cincinnati go Bearcats they have raised two wonderful sons in this amazing Community Dr boot is a former special education teacher longtime teacher educator educational researcher and higher education administrator he has served more than nine years as director for the school of education at UC we are very lucky to have her as our moderator please remember to be respectful during the Forum thank you I will now hand
005off everything to Dr Bo we'll begin with the opening statement Mr pleas begin thank you Dr Bo hello my name is Brad kford I want to start by thanking the PTO leaders who organize tonight's event having a quality candidate forum is so important for our community and I'm grateful for all the time and energy that has been put in to making this evening possible so let me start with a little bit about me My Wife Tammy and I have lived in the community for 24 years like many we moved to the district specifically because of Sycamore schools it is a destination District because of its academic excellence and the breadth of opportunities that it provides for all students we couldn't be happier with that decision this is why I decided to run for the school
006board in 2019 when my youngest daughter graduated and again this year I seek the opportunity to give back in and serve I believe that strong schools make strong communities and I'm invested in both professionally I have worked for Proctor and Gamble for 28 years I am currently a vice president in the global Business Services organization and lead the Next Generation services and automation Coe I have experienced managing multi-million dollar budgets and leading large organizations with objectives goals strategies and measures I bring skills in it Finance supply chain purchasing and project management which have all proven valuable on the school board I hold two degrees from Stanford University a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering and a master of science degree in engineering economic systems since being elected in 2019 I have served on the
007board in several specific roles I have been the board representative for the Sycamore advisory commission for two years and I have served on both the policy and audit committees additionally I was chosen by my peers to be board vice president for the past two years our three daughters are proud Aviator alumni Meredith graduated from Sycamore in 2013 and works as a designer for Market Vision research in Blue Ash Morgan graduated from Sycamore in 2017 and is now a CPA working as a tax accountant at Grant Thorton in Rookwood mallerie my youngest graduated from Sycamore in 2019 and is now a special educ ation teacher Dr Bo you has that in common with you in Greenville South Carolina all three of my daughters were exceptionally well prepared by their Sycamore education I am so appreciative of
008the education that Sycamore has provided to my family I believe in the importance of a quality education for our children and the value it brings to our community I'm a positive person by nature and I'm grateful to share the stage tonight with my fellow candidates we are so very fortunate that we have five great candidates to choose from Harris are we on uh before I begin I would like to thank all the PTO presidents for their hard work in hosting this forum and thank everyone for coming tonight and all of you people watching online your involvement demonstrates your commitment making sure that you have the best possible candidates for the Board of Education I'd like to also thank all my fellow candidates for the time that they are put into their candidacy and the quality
009of their character regardless of the outcome all of you should be commended on your hard work my name is Victor Harris and I'm a candidate for the Sycamore Board of Education this past June I retired after teaching 33 years at Sycamore Junior High I'm running for the board because I feel that classroom educate on our boards of Education give that organization an all-encompassing view of the educational system that it manages Educators know education and qualified Educators should serve on every Board of Education they see firsthand how policies that are enacted really affect the children in our classroom we need diverse opinions from all of our stakeholders to be effective representatives of the communities in which we serve a little bit about myself most of my life experience has been shaped by teaching I come from
010a family of teachers including my mom she taught in Columbus City School my original career path was in law but in college I changed I realized my destiny was become a classroom teacher while attending Miami University where I see both my masters and undergrad I changed my career path and decided to study education my methods Professor made the faithful decision to send me to Sycamore to student teach and I've really never left I've been here ever since I actually met my wife Megan at Sycamore after I was teaching s and after we had children we made the decision that many of you did to move our children to Sycamore so our children could experience a Sycamore Education everyone in my home is either a graduate of Sycamore High School my wife is a class is
011member of the class of 1992 my son is a member of the class of 2022 and hopefully my daughter paig will be a graduate in the member in the class of 2024 I'm a very proud Sycamore parents seen firsthand the value of a Sycamore education and I've W witnessed how teachers and staff at Sycamore have shaped and guided my children and prepared them to be sesal adults as a teacher at the junior high I served the following capacities I've served on various District committees negotiations evaluations steering committee Safety Committee and many of you may also know me as the pie in the face guy and the dunking booth guy at the Sycamore Junior High Flight Fest those are the Two achievements my daughter is most proud of I think that my involvement as a sycore
012parent teacher and Coach make me an ideal board candidate thank you Dr James good evening everyone one and thank you PTO president and Dr boat for this evening's event by husband Larry and I have lived in the Sycamore Community for 16 years and are proud grandparents of five grandchildren four of them are aviators and their devoted parents are volunteers in this District always eager to help the staff and our children I'm extremely proud of my family so why would I want to come out of retirement to serve on the board the answer is simple I am running for the board because I still care about this district and frankly as you heard I have invested in it continued success in addition I am passionate about providing high quality education for our you to ensure that
013every student is prepared for their future I have spent most of my career dedicated to serving Sycamore schools and have done so with Grace with careful and thoughtful consideration about the needs of our students our staff and Community I am running for the board committed to continuing strong financial management that currently exists spending taxpayer dollars wisely and seeking clust savy measures to stretch our funds I am running for the board because I understand the power of communication and collaboration my unique and unparalleled experiences have prepared me well for board work I have served this District as a teacher a building principal and central office administrator in 2006 I was proud to be named The District's superintendent and remained in that role for nine years before retiring I am reminded of how much the community appreciated
014my work as I talk with former parents students and staff it is humbling to be supported by so many who remember the genuine care and kindness I gave to everyone over the years my experiences have allowed me to witness effective board work and to build lifetime relationships with our defer population one of my greatest strengths is creating an environment where people feel supported and assured that every decision I make as our students welfare foremost in my mind that will never change I am ready to return to Sycamore to share my knowledge with the team I believe that my experiences and insights will add value to the discussions and decisions that the board must take make we'll be honored to serve the Sycamore family once again again this time as a board member I look forward
015to sharing my thoughts with you tonight thank you I think I am the only colorful here tonight so you will see me very well here um good evening one thank you to the tto for organizing this event we truly appreciate your work and uh thank you for all of you that are here tonight and those of you that are joining us virtually I am so to the four candidates that are joining me here tonight um because as it was said before you all are doing wonderful work I those the qualifications and the passion to be on the board I care deeply for our children our community and our Rich diversity I believe that education is neither democrat or republican I am independent this to be a great servant leader for our community I can and
016you may have seen my signs my yard signs and wonder what does that mean s stands for safety security and stewardship deliver on four fundamentals maintain the Financial Health and use the school funds tely e stands for empathy up all the values of our community we need to be working together instead of creating division there is enormous well of insights in our community I will always act in the best interest of the entire community and the final e is for Exile continue elevating the standards of our district modernize to keep the pace of the digital Evolution I will work to improve communication access ability and incorporate different opinions from all stakeholders teachers Seamore students seore residents parents and staff very much speaking with people I will leverage my experience to analyze problems and assess Solutions
017seeking to compromise finding the Third Way I'm a pro executive finance and Human Resources leader with a broad experience in the community and a multicultural background I'm asking for your vote to serve you and to continue elevating the standards of our excellent School District I have the qualifications to see and grow further Dr Pasha first of all I want to thank everyone all the P president all the family sitting here and also who are joining us uh online I I know that is a commitment and I really value that one and that's why I'm here as well because I'm also a parent we raise our two kids from blue as Elementary all the way s high school before I go further in that one I want to make a disclosure here I'm Asian-American running for
018the first time in the history of seur school district and I have asked so if you don't hear anything just ask me um so I I want to start by thanking my mother who's a school teacher she served 54 years in Academia he don't raise us six siblings but she also volunteer our neighbor uh Tau them so they can have a successful feach and I'm very thankful among those this pH in logistics from Norway my brother has a PHD in it from Paris so education runs in our blood and I currently teach in undergrad grad courses in the US reputable University I serve on the uh curriculum development committee uh I do serve on for evaluation committee and I'm International rual for uh doctoral desertation uh evaluation for the candidates who are uh prone to
019graduate as a doctoral candidate uh a little about myself I'm I'm a physician by training um I have a PhD in molecular biology I have two masters master in public health master in health administration from University of Chicago and I am a subject matter expert for process Improvement uh which is lean Sigma blackb bu uh certification that put you in a different spot and all these skills which I am bringing is a unique skills and a DI skills that is needed for seamos to go forward because if we look I currently serve on four four boards and that shows waving commitment for four cities for those people who live in blue as I do serve on the Blue Ash Board of zoning and arrangement for those who live in Montgomery I serve on their environmental
020advisory commission board for those who live either on blue as or Montgomery but work in Cincinnati I serve on City of Cincinnati uh mental and Behavioral Health Board and that's where I am bringing a integration of mental and Behavioral Health for our children best outcome because we are living in an area where this is this is the real need for our children uh which are getting impacted by the mental and Behavioral Health our teachers who are putting such an effort to bring them up to the speed and uh asking them to do whatever they want to do and bring the full potential so I'm thankful that I'm here with all my qualified candidates thank you um so please remember to speak into the microphone I think they have to be a little closer to us
021perhaps yeah um and can we move the signal to the middle now and I think we can correct Okay so we'll leave that there and we'll begin the questions so we'll start with Dr James in the middle and we'll go alphabetically around and just start with each person subsequently um and first of all I want to thank the community for these questions I know that we can't possibly get to all of them so we've tried to create a broad section um and they're wonderful questions um how does a school board balance ensuring high quality education for all students and fair compensation for employees with the needs to be the need to be fiscally responsible to its taxpayers thank you for the question so when you ask how do we balance having high quality education and
022comp uh compensating our staff fairly and it's something that I think Sycamore has done very well we spend about uh close to 83% of our budget on salaries staff and benefits it's pretty typical for an organization and it's very important to compensate our staff well they are phenomenal they are our heroes we know that it is important to be competitive with our salaries so that we are able to attract high quality staff members and we do that we always have uh people who are waiting and applying to be here uh in our school district so we understand the value the importance of providing highquality staff members and I think we do that well thank you thank you Miss men thank you you do that with a combination of talent and skills and the work of
023the board and the treasurer to work on the fiveyear forecast plan for for our district the combination of having the right expertise working together to benefit and maximize the talent of the teachers and the staff in the school together with having the right um position in governance and stewardship in balancing the budgets is what enables us to be able to balance both in the right thank you Dr Pasha thank you I think that's really great question uh it is it is the combination of both operational Effectiveness and efficiency is critical to lead those efforts we need to have that defined goals for operationally and also strategically as well looking at the needs of our kids and children and the evolving needs how we are spending money on that one how how much responsible we are
024and if we look and set up those goals not only the yearly goals but on monthly basis and how we are achieving them on a uh monthly basis it will give us much more sustainable uh budget as well as we would be in a more productive way to invest in our dollars where it has a bigger impact thank you Mr come two of the most important things to most people are their children and their money and the school boards entrusted with both it's really important that they work hand inand 70% of our taxpayers do not have a child in the schools so it's really important that we demonstrate that we're managing the money like we would our own money if we do that well then the operating levies will pass male if we don't do
025that well then the operating levies will not pass and that's a bad outcome for the district you might think that has never happened before but in 2003 I'm old enough to remember I had two children in the district the district did not pass our operating Levy when our operating expenses grew out of control it's really important so that we can fund the great quality Educators that we have by making sure we have the fiscal stewardship in hand Mr Harris um our Treasurer Bears a fiveyear forecast and included in that five-year forecast is they make estimates because that's pretty much all you can do about how much things are going to rise now we all know everything has gone up the cost of gas to the cost of bread okay one of the things that we
026have to Jud to balance that with though that fiscal responsibility of maintaining that promise that we made to the community to be fiscally responsible is the issue of teacher compensation one of the things that you keep reading about in these days is a teacher shortage okay schools of Education are closing down across the country because no one wants to be a teacher anymore it's hard it's hard to raise a family on a teacher salary in a lot of places if we want to continue that trend of Excellence that Sycamore is known for we must make sure that budget within those budget constraints that we fairly compensate teachers so we can attract Talent thank you okay we'll begin the next question with Miss Mendes Pas great weight has been placed on student performance on test standardized
027tests as measures of District success Beyond student test scores what do you consider to be important measures or indicators of District success he first and foremost the scores that you are referencing on that question are only one variable of many variables of performance of our students and our district so I I have invited people to think much more broadly about this particular topic because it is my understanding and my experience as having a child in syamore that our teachers do a lot more than just looking at standard scores as an evaluation of performance they have a wide array of um assets at their disposal and they have the experience to look at kids in various ways and really work to maximize their tent I obviously that standardized testing is important that is how we get
028sport in Ohio but goes beyond that in the sense of the progress and the environment that we activate in within our buildings to really um understand and C categorize with excellence in my opinion this is School District I came to syamore obviously because it is a great school but I also came because of its Rich diversity because of its values because of his community thank you Dr Pasha thank you um for me uh we have been overly focusing on those testing uh in in addition to that one I think interpersonal skills are really important and we need to teach our students how to live a better life how they can communicate very basic things are really needed because they have have to live the way and have to be very successful in the community they
029have to understand like how to better or effectively communicate just writing a simple email how you can bring a product to the market what are the strategies they have to do and not only just focusing because our children are not only they have to go either in business Traditional School vocational school not all are perfect for just going to the college so we need to prepare them on their individual needs what they individual strengths are prepare them what's coming next to them because they that's the place where the parents are falling behind that's the where we are spending so much time thank you Mr comford thank you of course I'm very proud of the results of our um academic results but on top of that probably the most important thing and maybe even more important
030is the health and well-being of our students coming off of the pandemic this has been one of those things that's been critically important one of the things we discussed as a board and put in place for the first time is a community and culture survey in um January and February of this year while it was not perfect it was really because of the intention of understanding how is the culture and climate in our schools that's critically important for us to understand because that's the only way we can make Improvement to the process we learned a few things that we that um are really acute in that the epidemic of vaping it was very pronounced uh in this survey but I will say the overall climate um was positive while there is room for improvement it
031was encouraging to see the the climate and culture survey results Mr Harris in the Sycamore strategic plan uh we have something called portra of a graduate okay and that is what a sycamore graduate should know when they graduate from Sycamore High School so that's a plan for their 13 years of education um testing is important but it's one data point we're a great District when it comes to testing but one of the things that we emphasize is when these kids leave is we want them to be able to graduate with skills like critical thinking the ability to collaborate and my favorite since I'm a social studies teacher is to be a respectful Global citizen these are the skills that will help them be successful in whatever they do these are the skills that will help
032them in the workforce we'll help them at College we'll help them if they're in military service all of those things that are post high school so while testing's important I think those critical thinking those collaboration those global citizen skills are the true measure of a sycamore graduate thank you James I to agree that standardized test results are one indicator of how we are doing but there is so much more to take a look at first of all when you think about it school districts that can attract others and uh because of their offerings that they are providing for our community that's a really good indication that we are doing something well in addition having a strong culture of uh appreciation and being able to be together work together are also indicators of being a good
033school district we have a variety of programs and opportunities for our students it's very important we are not just focusing on academics but we are focusing on the whole ch we'll begin the next question with Dr Pasha over the last few years we have seen a steep rise in challenging behaviors and mental health concerns in our student body what is your plan to address not only our academic needs this is the order um of our students but also their social emotional and mental help thank you it's a great because it's it's near my it's very dear to my heart I currently Ser on Cincinnati uh mental and Behavioral Health where we serve our 90 to 95% of economically disadvantaged communities is is very critical and important for the outcomes for our children that we have
034early intervention identification of those risk behaviors of mental health needs on so the parents have ample time so we can have early identification intervention uh rather late Discovery so by addressing those things Early Childhood we are doing two more things one we are saving the cost for a long term like how much the struggle the parents do and second we are providing them the tools to make them more successful candidates and the citizen after they graduate and where the parents struggle when they have the children who have special needs they graduate from school and here we we we I think we have to heavily invest in that one and as a board candidate I want to uphold that one that I would find different ways to fund that one as well thank you Mr Comer
035thank you as mentioned before health and wellbeing is critically important the um one of the things I'd like to add to what we're doing at Sycamore right now is we have Partners at the University of Cincinnati who come in with the Specialists um that are um have the training to accompany our counselors to provide the assistance for the students that actually truly need it all I mean all means all and we say that a lot on the within the the school district and we need to make sure we're serving all students and that means everyone um needs to have an opportunity to be well and to learn and to grow we are approaching a mental health crisis in our country due to a lot of things one in five children in the United States live
036with some sort of mental health issue suicide is now the second leading cause of death among young people ages 10 to 24 we need to include in our health education classes skills that help build resiliency self-care techniques and positive coping skills teachers and I can tell you that the children will have difficulty learning and behaving if their basic needs are not met and they feel like they can't manage their feelings social emotional skills taught in schools are based on Ohio social emotional learning standards in five competences self-awareness recognizing one's emotions self-management managing emotions social awareness empathy with others relationship skills developing Rel healthy relationships and responsible decision-making making constructive choices considering consequences and the well-being of others Dr James our students are human beings social creatures who need to know how to interact with one
037another for that reason it is extremely important that our staff understand how to meet the needs of our students their social emotional learning the state has created a model for schools to consider does not tell us how to do it but creates a model for making sure that the needs of our students are being met as Mr Harris mentioned those areas are self-awareness self-management social awareness relationship skills and decision making very important skills to learn we do have in our buildings counselors and we have assistance believe from Children's Hospital representatives from Children's Hospital to help our students as well thank you Miss Mendes pasos very supportive of the school's effort and investment on Mental Health there were two pieces of information that has been already shared here previously the first one is the four theme
038has to do with a student center culture and learning in which the wellness task force to study the comprehensive student health and well-being is at the core and second survey where 47% of 50% of the students in junior high and high school said that stress and anxiety is an issue and it's a concern for them I am very supportive with the steps that the board and the staff of our school have started to take to address these issues and as a board member I will be very supported on continuing acting on what I believe is core and Incredibly important to the success of our next question will go first to Mr comford school districts are facing an unprecedented number of Highly politicized challenges to their policies what approach will you take in addressing such challenges
039if possible please be specific in your response some of the examples that came in with questions of concerns were um increased Banning of books and events especially those highlighting diversity arming teachers in our schools and issues facing LGBT uh qia plus students in our schools thank you let me first say that thankfully we have not had had any conversations while I have served on the board for the last four years about banning books at all um I'm not in favor of banning books to quote Kurt vonet I hate it that Americans are taught to fear some books and ideas as though they were diseases really um that's fundamental to me now having said that I do think there are some books that need to be um considered as age appropriate we need to make sure
040that we have the right age level for the materials I have complete confidence that the state curriculum and our staff are following those because um and if they don't um those you know should um you know we should address those um I also believe that there is a state law or there's a law on the books on pornography and there is absolutely no reason that that should not be applied in our school district Mr Harris now we're done as a member of school board I will not be banning books um we have to trust that our teachers will assign reading material that has an academic value that is appropriate for their classroom instruction and at the appropriate level um as far as uh CRT CRT has become this great boogey man of all things bad
041in schools you know that is a highlevel uh sociological uh topic taught in graduate level classes at school um teachers are required to teach the Ohio content standards part of those are things like slavery Jim Crow laws um things like that that are unpleasant to hear but the reason why they teach those is not to make people feel bad is to make sure we don't repeat the lessons of the past diversity means everybody that means students that are LBG QT plus it means students that have disabilities it means students that have have exceptionalities all means all Dr James thank you I too am very worried about the politics that have entered into our school district our school districts in general it has not happened here yet but we do need to be prepared should it
042happen specifically in regards to Banning books I do feel that we have very highly qualified staff members who are selecting books that are age and content appropriate and for that reason I believe that we would not not be banning books there is a policy in place for this in this District where there is a process for suggesting a book be banned but I am not in favor of widespread Banning of books because we fear something additionally I feel that all of the uh other kinds of politics that are are creeping in to school districts are more Miss Mendes pasos in my opening remarks you heard me saying that education is neither Democrat or Republican and that's why I'm acting as independent the board is nonpartisan for a reason I believe that my child has grown
043in syamore to become a person that has learned to respect and empathized with a large number of people even if they don't look feel or love the way that she does I was very proud as I Was preparing for the board to read the many policies that we have in our school I encourage all of you to do that they are phenomenal there's an equity policy that I was very proud to read and it says very clearly that no one should be discriminated on the base of race sex and many other things I will not support the Banning of the books thank you Dr Pasha thank you um first of all as you know that we can't be a physician if we don't read the book can't be a PhD if we don't write or
044read different different books so obviously Banning books is out of question in a way that we already have teachers who are spending a lot of time recommending books for our children based on their age developing their critical thinking what is basically needed I currently serve on Project Review Committee for high school and I am glad and I'm very thankful for the teachers who are spending extra time to looking at their children needs and recommending the books so I enjoy that one serving as a volunteer on that one but at the same time I also support like we need to have different books like where they can learn more their capability for their full potential and explore their strength and weaknesses on that one and it also open up different avenue for them to go back
045to the teachers who are the subject matter expert to ask questions about those ones and whenever someone asks me hey what about this article thank you thank you start with that of Mr Harris we have seen a mass Exodus of Staff across the district in the last three years what do you believe is the root cause of so many experienced staff leaving our district what key change or changes would you like to see implemented to stop this trend um Co was a disaster for lots and lots of people in many many ways um that drove a lot of teachers over the edge that the burdens the um the stress of both teaching online or teaching hybrid classes or or things like that well maintaining some function of a home life and in some cases educating
046your children at home that drove a lot of teacher out um you know this is happening everywhere people are leaving the profession one is is I think compensation a lot of people leave because it it it's hard living in communities like this on a teacher salary especially if you're the sole bread winner for your family it's difficult so many people take the skills they learn from education and move those on to business where they will be compensated just a little bit more um I think too um one of the things that a job as a school board member is to govern the district and not manage the district so in other words we need to let the teach the people in those classrooms trust them give them the power to do their jobs try not
047to put so much more on their plate try not to come with up up with a new initiative every year that stresses the people out and keep them in their classroom teachers teach because they love children that's why they do that job that's why I did that job for 34 years and I'm still doing it now is because I love children I love being around children but we've got to make teaching the job of teaching a little bit easier thank you Dr James teaching is a hard profession there are many teachers who have become disenfranchised unhappy with where they are because it is such a hard job Co did not help people were having to work at home from home uh were fearful of what would happen to them if they came into school it's
048a lot nowadays there are a lot of mandates that are coming down from the state while the district is trying to create programs and Professional Training opportunities for their staff to do the things that we feel need to happen for for our students we are also having to add on to the plate professional development and training for because of mandates that are being sent our way it's a lot miss m pasos let me just invite us all to think about this a little different why are teachers leing I think that we need to understand the problem much deeper versus jumping immediately into conclusions AC all organizations we have seen a Max Exodus of employees organization that experienc the same thing but we are taking the time to understand why we know that employees in this
049case teachers should be valued for the work that they do are they being recognized for the work that they are doing they need to be inspired how are we inspiring them they need to be trained you heard Mr Carris and Dr James speaking about the many things that are coming their way what are we doing to train them Dr Pasha I think that's really important and very I'm very concerned on that one as well because if we don't have talented teachers in the school district I think we are putting our RIS children education at risk as well so I have a bigger heart for my teachers and how we can invest in them and also how we are developing their skills we need to have workshops where they can talk about best practices we need
050to have their mental and health Wellness Health Wellness well-being that who they should talk to if they are in that situation I know we are focusing on the children but we also have to think them as a human being as well they have their lives they have their own children they are parents they are working and they are going extra mild for a successful for our children's success so I think we need to think about that one the reason behind it and how we can address it we need to put certain kpis as a school district around that one and make sure we have the higher retention rate in our school district for the continuous growth of our school system thank you Mr Comerford thank you I actually appreciate all of your comments on this
051one the uh health and well-being is not just for the students it's also for the teachers this this conversation in the reference to coid reminded me of the time back in July of 2020 when we were having a long conversation on the school board about giving choices to families and children on going back to school and then it became acutely aware that we weren't talking about the choices that we should be giving to our teachers and so I'm proud that while on the board we raised that topic I specifically raised that topic saying that we should be giving our teachers the same choice that we're giving our families and we actually funded unique in all of Ohio a program where our teachers could could teach from a a specific building where they could have um
052support to teach remotely because teachers were struggling with the health cons everyone had specific health challenges and just like we give families the choice to be in class or be um in the room wanted to give it to the teachers we're back to Dr James Educators but they are advocates for their children how much influence should parents have on school decision making we cannot do this job alone so it is important for our parents to be involved in helping to educate our students I do believe that parents uh need to understand how they can help their students which means being able to um be in contact with the teacher finding out what needs to be taught Etc when you ask should parents have choice and be involved in their and in the um curriculum that
053the teachers are teaching I really believe we need to leave that those choices up to the professionals we have spent a lot of time searching and researching the factors that are very important for our students to learn so I do believe that there are parents who would would like to have more choice in their schools and that's okay choice for their child is different from making a choice for all children in the classroom been very involved in the school over the years as a parent I think that that opportunity that was given to me to be closer to my child is something that I will be forever grateful but I also did it with respect of who had the expertise in the class and in the building I never question a teacher curriculum or a
054teacher way of teaching my kids because they know better than I do when I was given the opportunity to respond to a survey or to participate in the school there I was I coach I did the cultural nights I did everything that I could I think parents should be involved in the school but should as they do that respect the expertise of teaching that resides within the school Dr Pasha I think teachers play a really instrumental role in the growth and development of our children across the school districts not only on cot but across Nations and uh and I think it's a collaborative effort between the parents and the teacher to understand the needs and what the gaps are so we we have to close those underlying opportunity and growth gaps by working collaboratively I
055know that both sides then I look at the teachers they are overwhelmed when I look down to the counselor they are overwhelmed uh we have so many single parenting happening in the in the district so there are a lot of mental and behavioral health issues that's going on which are impacting on the children's side also as well as on the teacher side but I I believe in the collaborative and team effort and I think no single person can do or achieve those goals individually and it's a we we have to come up together to devise an individual support plan for our children that make them more successful not inside the school but outside the school as well where they can enrich their lives as Mr comford thank you I I have a huge amount of
056respect for all teachers but specifically for the teachers at Sycamore I think they do their job exceedingly well um in this particular case I do think that um parents should have some say on specific topics and I want to use one um specific that's on the state law book um just as an example um per Ohio Revised Code um orc 3313 6011 veneral and disease and sex education is abstinence-based but upon parent and guardian request a student may be excused from that educ ation I think this is a classic example of where um and you may or may not agree with that law but it's important that the parents have input on what their children are being taught um at at the end of the day Mr Harris as a teacher and a parent this
057is a unique question for me because my children went to the schools where I taught in poor children I felt bad for them um I think it needs to be a collaborative effort of all people that are involved your teachers your administrators and your parents there is some parent choice the sex education law is a prime example of that parents can choose to opt their kids out of sex education that's very important that's a choice that parents can make I think they need to be educated when making that choice just like anything else I think in school teachers we try to be the experts in our fields we get training in pedagogy we get training in U mental health to some extent we know children okay it's our job I've taught 12 and 13 year
058olds for 33 years they're interesting that's a nice word okay but I think parents should have some opinions be active in your school participate on boards those kinds of things I'm back yes back to MOS um what do you envision Champion championing to maintain or change related to sycamore's current support services and accommodations for children with disabilities I believe you should never be satisfied with what you have in your facilities and your school for children with disabilities um our school is known by everyone in Cincinnati for being one of the first school districts in understanding and serving children with this done everything that we can do for them I don't think so believe that the state of Ohio very well too and as a school district we receive FS particularly to Aid children with disabilities
059within the master facilities plan children with disabilities and opportunity for all of them was crafted as part of the design and that will continue to happen I hear concerns relative to the number of teachers aiding children with disabilities do we have enough are we doing everything that we can for them that I believe will be and will it is and will continue to be a centered piece of conversation in the board thank you Dr Pasha I think I'll go with three C care compassion and also looking at to the creating opportunities so these are the three major areas that we need to focus when we have to address the children with disability because they have the unique needs and every individualized children have their own disability needs that we need to address clinically socially emotionally
060as well as so it cannot be a burden for their parents and that's what when I gave example before we need to identify those needs early in the childhood and we have to bring the intervention early in the childhood so the parents have ample time in a structured environment in our school system so they can prepare them when they graduate and then it is very minor things like how what type of cheer they need where is that cheer is causing pain to them can they would be comforted it's very basic because sometimes we have involuntary movements of the body parts right so some children have different skills some so we we have to come up and our special education Mr cumberford my daughter is in her first year of special education teaching and so in
061my conversations with her this has been a topic near and dear to my heart um she chose to go to school at Clemson University specifically because of their special education program they have a a title called learning is for everyone and that really resonated with me everyone should be having the capability to learn and grow I'm really proud to say that on my time in Sycamore School Board and I've looked up for the last 12 years this school board has approved every request for special education funding we are a destination district for special education families and I'm proud of that Mr Harris the reason why many of us moved to Sycamore was because of diverse student populations and people tend to think of diverse and they think of different cultures and they think of different
062religions but it also thinks of children with different abilities okay I think that diversity is what makes our district a great District we have a district Equity policy that states that students have the right to be in an environment that they will not be discriminated against based on their differences we have a moral and legal obligation to educate all students to the best of their abilities now here's what that thing means diversity means that we're just different and that's okay inclusion means everyone is welcome here and Equity means that what one person needs to be successful or feel welcome is different what another person might me might need those are the things that we need to think about when we educate our children if as simple as an a convenient entrance for kids to enter
063schools Dr James I am proud of how the district has handled students who have disabilities but that we we can always do better our facilities are well equipped to uh help students be Mobile in this in the schools we are inclusive and inviting to our students and it's very important that our parents sit with Administration to talk about the disabilities and the needs of their child all of the disabilities are very specific and need to be addressed individually thank you I think we have enough time for exactly two more questions so um start with Dr Pasha um do you feel it's important for the instructional staff to be representative of the student body and why are we not I think there are pros and cons on the those ones um if this is unbiased I
064would definitely support that one I think we as individual have some biases but if we can go on that aspect of unbias I I think it establish a trust between the instruction and the teachers U as well as the student body as well but I think there is a there is uh we have to set the goals and limitations and we don't see that as someone get benefited out of those uh uh I would say interactions and uh I think we need to unite the people around the children's success in particular and that's where we need to focus on that one and bring the positive environment for the growth of our children as well as our school district thank you Mr comford studies are very clear that students learn best when they have someone who
065looks like them teaching them that's super clear um we have classical training in this at PNG I have been talking with our superintendent about the disparity that we have we have a very rich diversity within our student population and it's not matched in our um Administration or within our staff and our teachers um the first step is understanding the situation and understanding if it's getting better or getting worse this is not about setting quotas but this is about looking at both the attraction and the retention of our um staff that that looks like our student body you Mr Harris I think it's extremely important that our staff looks like our student body but again that's not something that's easy it's easy to say it's very hard to do I've been involved in committees here at
066the district that go out and search for uh um teachers of different colors and things like that and it it's hard to find but it's something that we can't stop trying to do okay someone once said I never knew what I could be until I saw someone who look like me do that and that's important for all of our kids to see Dr James I do believe that is is extremely important for our students to be able to see their instructors who look like them extremely important data does show that students do progress better when they see that there is someone who looks like them in the building doesn't have to be necessarily their teacher but to see representation in the building it is a form of respect to our student body to search for
067for staff members who represent a variety of religions race cultures Miss Mendes pasos thank you I would say it definitely yes and not only for the instructional staff but also our board we need a board that also represents our student body the numbers 133% are Asian 80% are black 7.5% are Hispanic we don't have that representation in our structural staff and in our board that's why you are seeing so many Multicultural candidates here standing in front of you we need that representation our company as Brad mentioned is have working on this other candidates said the same thing it's not easy but that doesn't mean it shouldn't get done thank you okay this will be our final question and we'll start with Mr Comerford what do you see as the major issue or issues facing our
068school district and public education in general as I've been canvasing during this election the single biggest question I getting is with inflation going on what are you as a school board going to do to my taxes 70% of our population does not have a student in this District so why is that important to our school district and why is it important for our staff if we do not have the support of the community we cannot pass the tax levy and that's fundamentally um part of what we have to manage the the funds that we have been given and trusted by the district to make sure that we provide our outstanding staff the resources that they need to make a wage and to make um have the facilities and the resources in the classroom to do
069what the magic that they do so well I I I mentioned before what happened in 2003 when our operating expenses got out of control what I didn't have the chance to say at that point in time was the out outcome of that the outcome of that was there was a 10% cut overall we lost foreign language in the high school and the classroom size went up by five people on average so when I say this is important I mean it's important because it affects everyone involved it affects the students and the teachers Mr Harris school funding is going to be a major concern for our district and every school district in the state of Ohio 20 years ago the Supreme Court ruled that Ohio's school funding system was unconstitutional 20 years ago 20 years ago
070no changes have been made every school district is going to face this dilemma in the coming years everything's going up buildings need to be repaired books need to be bought technology needs to be improved all those things are issues that school districts have to face all school districts are going to have to figure out ways okay to successfully manage their budgets to keep on that Cutting Edge and to maintain the Excellence that each and every school district wants people move here and we have to en we have to reinforce with people in our community the 70% that Mr cumer said that don't have children in our schools that the reason the property values and their houses are worth so much money is because of the schools that they're located in Dr James I have had
071an opportunity to speak to a lot of our constituents and funding is critical in their consideration they are fearful that their property values have increased and that they will be asked to spend more money on their schools now there has been some movement in trying to supply a more fair funding law for our school districts we now receive $811 per student from the state private schools receive $955 per student there's some inequity there so we will need to be very forceful in our advocacy with our legislators Miss Mendes pasos I will not repeat what other candidates have said about funding I have also heard that I will add two other major challenges the first one is digital if any of you are living in a world where traditional learning or the way of doing your
072jobs is the same that you were doing 10 years ago I don't know where are you education needs to evolve and we need to be at the pace of the world modernizing our schools and modernizing education I see as a big big challenge the second one is keep politics out of the classroom I think that is incredibly important it's distracting and it shouldn't belong on education Dr Pasha uh I feel what other fellow candidates said I agre with them but um for me I think we have to focus more on mental and behavioral health because social media has so much negative impact currently to our children and which direction we are going it is is not creating a negative impact on our children but also also on the families we have to be prepared we
073cannot be reactive we have to be proactive and what resources we have to bring in to address those risks as well the second important piece which I want to say is that we we need to also look into the teacher retentions like we should have talented teachers that we should retain who can develop our skills also we have to look into the teachers who are overwhelmed we have to look on the counselors who are overwhelmed because we are I want to see a syamore school district excellent School District I want to see the whole school as a excellent school where the people go so I think now we'll move on to our closing statements each candidate will have three minutes and I think we'll need to move the I don't know what you call that
074down to Dr Pasha yeah and we'll go in reverse alphabetical order I start well thank you thank you everyone to be here to listen to our uh passion uh and thank you for all the qualified candidates uh you have an opportunity to learn from them firsthand and I also thanks all the families who are sitting late night taking time from them from their children and listening to our talk because all of you uh are committed for the success of our school district for our children for our families and I think that uh raised the bar for our school districts as well so here is here is my closing statement for you that um I am known as a oldfashioned doctor that walk in your neighborhood and come to your door to deliver I don't show
075up in your mailboxes I don't end up in your yart science because I want to have a establish onetoone connection with all of you because I know that as a physician as a doctoral degree in advanced sciences and as a as a person on a dayto day basis addressing the mental and behavioral health issues I have unique skills to deliver sucess to this school district and I raise the bar on every day and I teach my students if there is one thing you want to do in your life just get up wake up with one goal in your life do something something one thing per day that make a different other people life and then you can sleep like a baby I think it makes a lot of difference for all of us to work
076toward the success of our children for a community take take the politics out of that one we are all here as a family we moved here as a family we want to grow together and we want to see the success of our children together we want to be a grandparents in this area together and we want them to bring more businesses in this area together and I think this is the all commitment you all have shown here by being present here listening all of us and I and I if you look at my school board platform I already give you a very a coste effective reasonable platform that how we can raise the school bar it says cares it it tells you all the detail it is on the back of my flyer and I'm
077open to ask and dive deep with all of you individual usually if you want to learn more about it is I call it a road map road map for the continuous Improvement of our school districts and I can assure you that we would be the sikur school district of Excellence thank you Miss Mendes pasio this evening you were able to see the differences of five candidates to the board please let me encourage you to assess Us by looking at the skills our qualifications and what we bring each of us to strengthen the syamore school district please assess who can create an atmosphere where we build trust with one another and with our community community and who is able to recognize the value of each and everyone working in our school a good board member possesses
078strong problem solving skills and fully complies with the board's legal responsibilities I have solving very complex problems and you can reely on me to use the School funds wisely I have done this over 25 years of my career over my long career I have had many jobs with a stewardship responsibilities and I know how to think strategically in the short and also in the long term the board has no administrative function it enables the superintendent and the treasurer I will drive accountability I have many years of business and board experience in various Community leadership positions I graduate from leadership of Cincinnati class 42 and I am on the Board of Trustees of Cincinatti Shakespeare company I have been very involved in the community over many years I will be always interested in obtaining facts and
079I know that the reputation of the entire School District is reflected on my behaviors and attitudes in closing I am recognized for leadership and empathy I promise you people like me I am a Proctor and Gamble executive a finance and Human Resources leader with a broad experience in the community and will represent the rich diversity of our community I have the qualifications to see and grow her thank you Dr James thank you for this evening I have appreciated the opportunity to share my perspective on issues that concern our community I will continue to reflect on these questions knowing how important they are to you I am keenly aware of the ever growing distractions and challenges facing School boards and school systems today and the need for boards to remain steadfast and focused on helping our
080schools and our community to remain vibrant and desirable this will undoubtedly be very hard work nevertheless I would like to be part of the team responsible for making good things happen for our district I will do my part to lead with passion dignity and Grace I stand for your children and for this district for these reasons I ask for your vote to serve on the Sycamore Board of Education thank you Mr Harris every candidate up here tonight have talked in porches and living rooms maybe the occasional bar about and now we're here at Sycamore High School we' made statements and given opinions about why in each and every one of us would be the best choice to represent you on the school board now it's your turn time for the community to decide who they
081would like to represent them on the board of education this is a tremendously important decision that will affect our community from this day for you want a person who values empowerment of all stakeholders teachers students parents and community members you want a person who values transparency and collaboration in making decisions putting into effect policies that are student centered and in the best interest of the entire Sycamore Community does a community want a board member who prioritizes creating and maintaining a culture of success for all students and teachers that values their differences while working towards common goals and objectives does a community want someone who recognizes that strong P strong schools are the Lynch pin of strong communities and wants to continue and grow the Sycamore tradition of excellent schools if the answer is yes yes
082to these questions and you should vote for me for the Sycamore Board of Education a vote for me is a vote for an educator who cares about putting policies in place that will help ensure the success of our district a vote for me is for for someone who will represent all stakeholders in our school Community thank you for your time and thank you for listening Mr comford thank you again to the PTO leaders who organize tonight's event and thank you to everyone who has invested their time to listen to us tonight I would also like to thank my fellow candidates for their investment in this campaign having good candidates to choose from is a good thing for our district as I mentioned before people entrust a school board with two things they value greatly their
083children and their money Diane adamac shared this quote with me four years ago and it rings as true for me today as it did then for the past four years my priority has been to serve our district to the best of my ability always remembering what I have been entrusted to care for and oversee I bring a much-needed skill set to the board strong financial Acumen coupled with four years of proven board experience Sycamore has over 800 employees with a nearly $100 million of annual operating expenses and has been managing Capital expenditures of $1 127.5 million for the last for the master facility plan over the past four years I can leverage 28 years of PNG management experience to ensure the continued responsible use of these dollars I also bring the experience of working with
084a state auditor on sycamore's 2021 and 2022 audits last year Sycamore earned the Ohio Auditor of State Award with distinction which is the top honor that a district district can receive from the state auditor this is a direct reflection of the Fantastic leadership of Beth Weber and her entire team and I was is truly appreciative to partner with them on this work in simplest terms my objective is to ensure Sycamore has the resources needed to best serve our students and our staff and that Sycamore continues to deliver the standard of Excellence that our community expects I have demonstrated that I build Bridges trust transparency communication and collaboration are reflective of my character my peers on the board have described me as a critical thinker an active listener and a consensus Builder net I bring a
085proven track record I am proud that while I have served on the board Sycamore has received the five-star ranking on the Ohio Department of Education for the past two years this has been a true team effort from students teachers staff Administration and the district office in closing I'm so appreciative of the education that Sycamore has provided to my family I believe in the importance of a quality education for our children and the value it brings to our community I'm seeking reelection so that I continue to give back and serve and I would sincerely value and appreciate your support behalf of myself and my fellow presidents etto presidents I would like to thank Christian long and Christopher Johnson up there for handling our TCH this evening never know about technology like to thank Dr boat for
086moderating our forum and definitely all of the candidates attending here in person and Online The High School does ask that after the Forum no one goes through the building to see the new additions pass that on so have a good evening and please don't forget to vote thank you