WYDaily sent an identical questionnaire to each candidate running for the York County School Board.
Michael Anderson, a 55-year-old senior systems engineer at HARPE Engineering Solutions, Inc., is an independent candidate for district two of the York County School Board.
Anderson’s answers are unedited and presented below.
The election takes place Nov. 7.
Read a completed questionnaire from the other candidate for district two, Nathan Kaw-uh.
What do you feel are the three major issues facing the school district right now? What are your ideas on how to address those issues?
The three major issues I feel YCSD is facing right now are the lack of special education teachers to meet the educational demands for certain socio-economic classes, later start times for high schools, and traditional economic and budgetary challenges.
Lack of Special Education Teachers
While the school district had all 19 schools reach accreditation, the BOE Strategic Plan notes that the York county school division as a whole did not meet the state mandated target for English for students with disabilities. On a more micro level, three elementary and one high school did not meet the target for Math for students with disabilities, and one middle school missed the target for math for African-American students and students with disabilities. Two elementary schools did not meet the target for English for students with disabilities, students with limited English proficiency, economically disadvantaged, and African-American students.
I attribute this to YCSD’s lack of qualified teachers for these areas; this is really something the school district doesn’t have a lot of control over. YCSD is, according to the latest figures, nine special ed teachers short to meet the student demands. YCSD currently has budgeted for an additional 6 immediate hires, but the school district is competing with surrounding districts for the same teachers; all districts have shortages of these teachers. Being a former university professor, I know firsthand what happens when unqualified teachers teach in areas where there are instructional gaps: students suffer, their quality of life suffers, the academic processes created to help these students suffer, all stakeholders suffer to some degree.
So until we have enough teachers to meet the educational demands for these socio-economic classes, students within these classes will continue to fall further behind, impeding their hopes to live some semblance of a normal life.
Later Start Times for High Schools
The YCSD has been receiving comments and reviewing later start times for almost four years now. I feel the YCSD owes the constituents some sort of answer instead of continuing to string them along. The board needs to come out and say whether this is a priority or it isn’t.
As for me, I am a proponent for later start times, but my research shows it will cost upwards of $500,000 to change. If elected, I will work with the other board members to determine where, exactly, YCSD stands on this issue, take into consideration all pros and cons from stakeholders, and press the members of the board to make a decision one way or the other. Because budgetary discussions for FY 18/19 are under way, I would propose a tabling of this issue until after the 2019 term elections and press to make it a priority for budgetary consideration for the FY 19/20 budget.
The YCSD school division pays starting-bus drivers less than the national median pay, and less than other school divisions such as Williamsburg-James City County and Newport News. Would you support a pay increase for school bus drivers, and how would you convince county officials the raise is necessary?
I don’t feel comparing bus driver pay in York County to the national median is fair in and of itself. Instead, I prefer to compare it to what YCSD refers to as the “Hampton Roads Comparator Group” since this is what they use when comparing teacher salaries, graduation rates, etc.
Bus drivers typically live in the area in which they drive, thus I compared York County bus driver salaries to those in Hampton, Newport News, Suffolk, and Williamsburg-James City County (WJCC). I did not compare them to any wages from Southside districts because a local school bus driver is unlikely to leave Yorktown to go drive in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, etc.
According to the YCSD employment page, starting rate for a substitute bus driver is $12.25/hr. Rates for the localities listed above are $13.01 (approximate average) in Hampton, $12.20 (approximate average) in Newport News, $11.20 in Suffolk, and $13.10 in WJCC. If listed in order of highest to lowest, York County Bus driver wages fall in the middle of these figures.
For FY17 YCSD budgeted a 5.42% increase over FY16 figures in overall compensation packages for bus drivers, and have budgeted a 4.7% increase in FY18 over FY17 budgeted figures. While applying those figures, or even a 1-2% cost of living increase included in the overall compensation package, doesn’t put YCSD driver wages at the top, it does allow the pay for the York County bus drivers to remain in the top 3 of comparator group school districts. Finally, in the FY18 budget YCSD included and upgrade to the bus driver/dispatcher scale from Grade 10 to Grade 11 at a cost of $133,000. So I wouldn’t have to do a lot of convincing to county officials as it seems they have already recognized the need for increased bus driver salary.
What budget items do you want to ensure are fully funded for the next fiscal year? Why are those budget items important?
YCSD has an approved budget for the next fiscal year, and discussions/public forums for FY19 are currently in progress. With that in mind, I would like to see full, continued funding for special education teachers and resources. When discussing quality of life and academic processes with constituents, this is by far one of their top concerns, especially those parents who have special needs children or children in an underserved socio-economic class. I would also like to see lighting installed on the Grafton complex athletic fields, and a feasibility study of allowing home schooled or home bound students the ability to attend classes on a part-time, as needed basis given the current student population and budgetary restrictions.
Which school improvement projects do you think need to be priority items for the school division? Why?
For FY18, the school board requested, and the Board of Supervisors approved in full, $9.0 million in capital improvements. Those improvements include $1.2 million for a metal roof replacement at Coventry Elementary, $.7 million HVAC for a portion of Coventry Elementary, $.6 million for windows and doors replacements at Tabb Elementary, $1.05 million for the metal roof replacement at Tabb Elementary, and $3.5 million to replace HVAC equipment at the Grafton complex. YCSD has deemed these and other capital improvement projects a priority. I support these improvements.
Bullying has been a rising issue at school divisions nationwide, do you think YCSD schools are doing enough to prevent bullying in all its forms? What sort of actions would you take as a member of the school board to reduce the amount of bullying in schools?
I do think YCSD is doing enough to help combat and prevent bullying. Students, parents, and the community can report bullying through normal channels, but they can also report bullying anonymously in the Student Safety & Wellness section of the division’s website, yorkcountyschools.org, or by placing a call to the division’s Hotline at 890-5000. However, an area of improvement for YCSD’s bullying prevention initiative is not just be concerned with levying a particular level of punishment, but work with the students and parents to get to the root cause of the issue, which may or may not include professional counseling or therapy in extreme cases.
If I am elected, I would push for continuing education for parents, students, teachers, staff, and the community on bullying issues. While I am aware of YCSD policy on bullying, as a parent, I am not aware of the process schools use to identify and handle bullying reports. Making those processes public and keeping the stakeholders informed through communication and continuing education is paramount to maintaining a bullying-free environment.
Some of the ways I would look at incorporating in this continuing education program is implementing bullying education across the curriculum for students such as Internet or library research, presentations, creative writing, or artistic works regarding peer relations, respect for others, or the effects of bullying.
For staff, continuing education on the latest research regarding bullying, continuing ways of identifying bullying, education on YCSD policies and rules and how to enforce them. This can be done through a series of staff meetings, training sessions, and modeling preferred behavior. Granted, these initiatives would be based on available funding, time, and staff resources, but I would push for it as a school board member as it can improve the quality of life for all of those involved.
Talk about the achievement gap in YCSD Schools. Are the current strategies to close the gap working? Why or why not? What are your ideas to help progress in this area?
In the latest YCSD Strategic Plan, it identified three “Gap Groups” (GG) when addressing closing achievement gaps in Math, English and the Federal Graduation Index: GG1 – Students with Disabilities, Limited English Proficient & Economically Disadvantaged, GG2 – Black Students, and GG3 – Hispanic Students. I stated earlier regarding YCSD’s shortcomings in regards to these gap groups, so I don’t feel the need to re-iterate the need for licensed educators to teach English and Math to these socio-economic classes.
However, I don’t feel the current strategies to close these gaps are working because not only are some schools repeat offenders in missing mandated targets, no one seems to addressing these questions: Why and how did this happen? What is being done to reach those targets and close those gaps? And most importantly, don’t the students in these socio-economic classes deserve the same opportunities as other students? Don’t they deserve our best? I believe they do. Thus…
When elected, I will work with all educational process stakeholders in reviewing our standards in these areas, and I will work with current board members, Dr. Shandor, and his staff to not only try to improve upon current efficiencies, but also see where we can promote proven and effective policies and methods that improve academic processes and the quality of life for these students. By doing this, we will provide our children with the best opportunities for success in school, higher education, and in life.
How would you describe the working relationship between the school board and the Board of Supervisors? What can the school board do to improve or enhance this relationship?
I am not privy to the daily interactions between the school board and board of supervisors, so I don’t have an intelligent comment on the working relationship. However, I firmly believe that no matter your lot in life, no matter what your position is, what your title is, how much money you make, where you grew up, one’s ability to create, foster, and maintain functional relationships is the key to one’s success.
So I don’t feel that YCSD and York County as a whole could have the kind of success it has had if the two governing bodies were not able to “get along.” There will always be contention in any relationship, at any given time. But the ability of the members of both boards to put that behind them and come together in the end for the greater good of York County speaks volumes to their integrity and character as people. Their ability to unify their efforts to make York County a great place to live and a great place to educate our children is something I want to be a part of and, hopefully, add value to.
I look forward to possibly working with each member of each board, build relationships, and learn all I can from them in regards to governing our great county and school district. Being a member of the school board, helping to maintain those characteristics that make our county awesome through my realtionships with both boards is something I value and look forward to.
How well do you feel the school board members work together? What do you feel you can bring to the school board’s dynamic?
While, again, I am not privy to working relations between boards members, as a constituent I feel they work extremely well together. The results speak for themselves: full accreditation for all schools, two prestigious budget awards, 11 Energy management awards and recognitions between 2008 and 2016, two division-wide financial reporting awards, a number one ranking in both English and Math SOL scores (when compared to the Hampton Roads Comparator Group districts), and a number one ranking in graduation rates. This, while ranking 9th in per pupil expenditures. This means YCSD is literally doing more with less. An organization cannot achieve these kinds of results and awards without a functional team of people who work well together and putting the best interests of the division ahead of their own.
I would bring educational experience, leadership and an eagerness to learn to this already great dynamic. I would bring a focus on fiscal accountability and on improving academic processes so that our approach to teaching remains cutting edge and at the forefront of every student’s academic endeavor. I am ready to roll up my sleeves, listen to and work with others, and help our schools and students reach the highest levels of achievement.
Are you a member of any political organizations? Which political organizations are you a member of and what have they taught you?
I am not a member of any political organizations.
Will you be participating in any forums or public debates? When and where?
I am hosting a community forum Thursday, November 2 at the Tabb Meeting Room at Tabb library. This forum will be from 7 pm – 8:45 pm and will be focused on school start times. This will give citizens a chance to speak their piece in a public forum vice social media platform.
What is a question you wish we had asked?
The questions I wished you asked are “Why are you running for the school board, and what do you feel your qualifications are?”
What is the answer?
The answers to those are simple:
I am running for the school board because I feel it’s time WE put the “public” back into York County schools. I have talked to teachers, parents, and county administrators, and we all have one thing in common: an unbridled commitment to public education that supports the full development of all children.
My family and I have been residents of York County and District 2 for 18+ years, thus making me a school district parent; my son is currently a freshman at Grafton High School. I am a PTSA member and volunteer, former Coventry HOA Board Member, USAF veteran and former university professor with PhD work in Business Leadership. I currently work as a government contractor supporting and administering the Army’s distance learning program. This has allowed me to stay in some facet of higher education for 20+ years now.
Having been a university professor and administrator, I gained unique cultural diversity insight with an eclectic staff from all over the world, and a cornucopia of students from all social classes, genders, races, sexual identities, special needs, and IQ levels. But more importantly, I gained valuable insight into both organizational and personal educational priorities and achievements, and I had a front row seat as to how prepared, or not, our newly graduated students were for college level work.
Knowing that the only special interest I will serve is our children, being elected to the York County School Board will afford me the opportunity to leverage my vast educational experience and leadership in order to work with all stakeholders and help more of our students achieve their academic goals and dreams. We, as parents, can’t afford to place the educational future of our children into the hands of inexperience.
