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The Courier speaks to Flint Community School Board candidates before all-important election

In this all-important election, the city of Flint clerk’s office has certified 15 candidates all vying to fill seats opening up this fall on the Flint Community School Board. Those seats include three seats with a six-year term that will expire December 31, 2028, one partial four-year seat that will expire December 31, 2026 and one two-year partial seat that will expire December 31, 2024.

The Flint Courier News reached out to each of the 15 candidates for their responses to our questions prior to the November 8, 2022 general election.

Below are the responses the candidates submitted exactly as the candidates gave them to us.

Lakeisha Tureaud-candidate for a six-year term

Lakeisha Tureaud
  1. Please tell us a little about yourself and why you are running for Flint Community School Board.

Hello! I am a parent of two boys, one of whom is a graduate of FCS. I am a vested member of the Flint community. I own and operate a supportive housing business that provides housing to folks that have a diagnosed disability. I am currently a board member serving on the board of Catholic Charities, so I have a strong background in board policy and procedure. I bring common sense measures and strong analytical abilities to simplify problems with solutions. I am a former employee of FCS. I worked as a secretary part-time and a full-time librarian that worked hands-on with students at Summerfield School. I am a no-nonsense negotiator that cares about my community enough to be a voice.

  1. What will be your top three priorities on the school board?

Top three priorities include

ensuring parental rights in education, transparency in education,

ensuring a safe and healthy learning environment for all scholars in FCS and

fiscal accountability and responsibility for FCS to help maintain special programs that benefit students in a struggling community such as Flint.

We need to address declining enrollment.

  1. How do you think that the school board can partner with the community to build a safer, more sustainable school system?  

The school board, through community partnership agreements, will work with community individuals and organizations to ensure we as a community is utilizing all available resources to assist with FCS mission to teach the whole child.

  1. Why should people vote for you?

I am hoping to gain the community’s trust, not just a vote. I want to be the face for FCS that says she really cares about our children and about our community in its totality. I believe this trust will help us gain the confidence that FCS is really the best choice, and we will begin to see an increase in enrollment. I hope people will vote for honesty, transparency and progress. I believe I embody all these traits. So, I’m asking not just for your vote but for your trust. Thank you!

Linda K. Boose-candidate for a six-year seat

Linda K. Boose
  1. Please tell us a little about yourself and why you are running for Flint Community School Board.

I was born and raised in the city of Flint, attended Flint Schools and graduated from Flint Northern. I am the oldest of eight siblings, who all graduated from Flint Schools. I am married with four children, whom all attended Flint Schools. My parental involvement in the Flint Schools included chairing talent shows to raise funds for 6th-grade graduation activities, being an active member of the Title I Parent committee and being a parent volunteer.

Working with youth has always been an interest of mine.  My experience includes working as a substitute/ guest teacher for the Flint Schools between 1983-2004. During the early 2000s, I taught the Michigan Teen Outreach Program, through which a curriculum was designed to encourage youth to obtain from alcohol, tobacco, drugs, sex and violence.

Currently, I serve on the Motherly Intercession Board as vice-president, which offers programs and services to youth of incarcerated parents.  I represent the 3rd Ward as a member of the Ethics and Accountability Board.  I retired from the State of Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) in January 2022.

The reason why I am running as a Flint Community School Board member, is not just because I care about the future of our children, but to provide experience and knowledge to make crucial decisions that will guide the future of our youth.  I have played an active role in my community for years.  I support the vision and mission of the Flint Community School to develop a community of learners.

2. What will be your top three priorities on the school board?

  1. focus on student achievement, academics and student retention.
  2. providing teachers with the necessary tools/work environment to teach.
  3. renovation of school buildings occupied by students and staff, taking care of vacant buildings/properties and sale school buildings.

3. How do you think that the school board can partner with the community to build a safer, more sustainable school system?

Community partners add additional expertise outside the classroom instruction.  Partners often invest in the community they love and live in.  Establishing diverse community partnerships can also provide financial support to assist the school district with funding major developments. These individuals or organizations are usually well-respected in the community. They are committed to building up the community in which they live in.  Based upon how schools are currently funded, building relationships with the community partners will help schools provide a safer, sustainable school district.   Public schools are a vital institution in any community.

  1. Why should people vote for you?

On March 16, 2022, I was interviewed and appointed by the Flint Community School Board members.  My experience includes board member leadership; team building, decision- making skills and self-control.   Focusing on the needs of the students (referred to as scholars) in the Flint Community School District will be my primary concern.

Dylan Luna-candidate for a six-year seat

Dylan Luna
  1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself and why you are running for Flint Community School Board?

As a proud Flintstone and former teacher, I know first-hand the limitless potential of our K-12 scholars. I am running for the Flint Board of Education because we need trustees who understand the challenges our students face, as well as the opportunities that await them.

I began my career as a high school teacher on the Southside of Chicago. I later taught Spanish to students in Detroit before returning to Flint to teach all subjects as an elementary teacher. I felt it was important to be on the ground in the classroom and in the community before I went on to work in educational policy. In this space, I worked with state legislators and other key stakeholders to advocate for educational equity, fair funding and common-sense solutions to improve opportunities for students across multiple states, including Michigan.

In my current role as a business development manager for the Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance, I collaborate with key government, business and civic partners to advance economic prosperity, investment and jobs for Flint and Genesee County. I understand that a robust economy is vital to a strong education system that provides all students with opportunities to succeed in school and life.

In my community, I often volunteer at the Martus-Luna Food Pantry and have coached track and cross country in Flint Community Schools. I currently serve as the treasurer of the Board of Directors for 100K Ideas and am a member of the Hurley Health Advisory Council and the Board of Directors for the Friends of the Alley.

2. What will be your top three priorities on the school board?

My overarching priority is to rebuild trust with a student-driven, forward-thinking governing majority on the Flint Board of Education. Creating a culture that is of trust and student-centered will allow the Board to deliver on priorities. From there, my top three priorities include:

  • Creating safe and learning-centric facilities for our scholars and staff. This includes renovating existing school buildings, establishing a new high school and ensuring EVERY scholar is proud of the building they learn in and grow at.
  • Revitalizing blighted, vacant school properties into productive use for the betterment of scholars and the neighborhood where the properties are located. Any proceeds from the sale or lease will be invested directly into the classroom to the benefit of scholars.
  • Cultivating a robust curriculum that includes both the “traditional” core subjects and ample opportunities to immerse in the fine arts, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), skilled trades, foreign languages and business/financial literacy subjects.

3. How do you think that the school board can partner with the community to build a safer, more sustainable school system?

Schools are not just a place of learning but are also critical to thriving communities and the quality of life for families. While the community-school model is a time-tested concept, there is room for improvement, collaboration and innovation. Flint Community Schools should be a vibrant ecosystem of services, programs and initiatives that educates the whole child and strengthens neighborhoods. Wraparound services – such as mental health resources, job-training opportunities, after-school activities, health and wellness programs, and family-oriented events – directly contribute towards a robust education.

I will work to ensure:

  • the community-school model is implemented with fidelity by district staff and civic partners in a manner that engages parents, students, teachers and community members alike.
  • wraparound services positively impact student learning, build community and engage parents.
  • community members, civic partners, families, staff and parents have opportunities to positively impact student learning outside of the classroom.

4. Why should people vote for you?

Voters should elect me to the Flint Board of Education because I have the experience in the classroom, in education policy and in advocacy to build a coalition to get things accomplished for our scholars. I am bold enough to offer new solutions and, yes, make hard decisions for the benefit of our scholars.

Emily Doerr -candidate for a six-year seat

Emily Doerr 
  1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself and why you are running for Flint Community School Board?

I was born in Flint and lived here during my childhood and moved back in 2016 to work in City Hall during the Water Crisis. Since the end of 2020, I have served as executive director of the State Land Bank Authority, overseeing 50+ land redevelopment projects/partnerships across the state. I have managed grant and real estate proposals, programmatic and budget structuring, data evaluation, expenditure monitoring and fiscal reporting of over $100,000 cumulatively in my 15 years working in local, county and statewide sector roles. Additionally, I served for four years on the board of Woodland Park Academy in the role of secretary and Governance Committee chair. I am ready to bring these skills to serve the Flint School Board.

  1. What will be your top three priorities on the school board?

First, I want to prioritize repair of community partnerships and rebuilding trust with parents to help stabilize the district’s attendee numbers.

Second, I want to serve the community with my real estate development and property redevelopment skills to help eliminate blight by selling or demolishing vacant properties, maintaining current schools and building new schools.

Finally, I want to increase student access to skilled trades training, arts/foreign language, sports and life building.

 3. How do you think that the school board can partner with the community to build a safer, more sustainable school system?

The Flint Board of Education has the ability to be a better partner with the community in the short term and the long term.

In the short term, it involves a focus on:

supporting teachers and paraprofessionals in the classroom with better teaching environments (first is more school supplies, second is better technology and third is more paid professional development);

supporting students with continued wrap-around services and interventionalists to help get them up to speed on reading and math, as well as mental health, to decrease fighting in-between students; and

decreasing blight through the maintenance of current schools and demolition of vacant schools that are beyond repair for repurposing.

In the long term, it involves a focus on:

building trust with parents that their children will be prepared to thrive in the 21st-century economy-prepared for jobs, housing, financial literacy and personal health;

building new schools and redeveloping vacant properties that can be rebuilt ; and

increasing community trust for ongoing philanthropic support.

  1. Why should people vote for you?

The opportunity right now to run with a slate of five candidates who are United for Change truly is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change the board governance from its current toxic stalemate status to one that prioritizes repair of community partnerships and rebuilding trust with parents to help stabilize the district’s attendee numbers. I want to serve the community with my real estate development and property redevelopment skills to eliminate blight by selling or demolishing vacant properties (and using the buildings/land as community assets), maintaining current schools and building new schools.

Vote for all five members of the slate: Emily Doerr, Dylan Luna, Melody Relerford, Michael Clack and Terae King!!!

Terae Kingcandidate for partial term ending 12-31-26

Terae King Jr.
  1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself and why you are running for Flint Community School Board?

I am a lifelong resident of Flint. I am in my senior year at the University of Michigan-Flint. Also, I am the youngest general manager of McDonald’s in the surrounding area. I chose to run for the school board because as a recent high school graduate and a current college student, I understand the unique challenges our scholars are facing inside and outside the classroom. From my time as a student and later on becoming a substitute teacher, I see fully that our scholars need positive leadership that will be exemplary role models on the board.

  1. What will be your top three priorities on the school board?

My top three priorities will be…

Provide professional leadership

Increase enrollment

Retain and Recruit Educators

3. How do you think that the school board can partner with the community to build a safer, more sustainable school system?

First, I think we must regain the trust of the community. At the moment, parents do not trust Flint Schools and we can see that by the decrease of enrollment. Without trust, we forfeit community partnership. As a board, we need to stay active in the community and listen to concerns and ideas. The school board must provide a positive environment that empowers the superintendent and his team to take our schools forward by building those needed relationships with community organizations to provide opportunities for all students.

  1. Why should people vote for you?

I am the only candidate that has recently been a student in the modern K-12 educational system. I understand the unique challenges students are experiencing inside and outside of the classroom. I am a substitute teacher, so I am able to see the educator’s perspective as well.  I am familiar with parliamentary rules from my time as the vice-chair of Senate in the U of M-Flint Student Government. I will be a leader that will listen, compromise and unify. I am eager and equipped to do the necessary work for good service.

Donyele Darrough-candidate for partial term ending 12-31-26

  1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself and why you are running for the Flint Community School Board?

I am a mother of three adult children, born and raised in the city of Flint, and a graduate of Flint Northern High School. A first-generation college graduate, I graduated from the University of Michigan – Flint with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics; then attended Wayne State University obtaining a Master of Library and Information Science and culminating at Cooley Law School, obtaining a Juris Doctor degree. I am currently a licensed attorney in the state of Michigan.

I want to join the FCS School board to utilize my skills and experience in law and literacy to improve the quality of education for every student, modernize school facilities that meet the needs in the 21 Century and restore trust, transparency and accountability to the school system to move us forward, together.

  1. What will be your top three priorities on the School Board?
  • Financial security of the district by addressing shuttered buildings and current operating costs.
  • Trust, transparency and accountability to FCS
  • Attracting and retaining scholars, educators and staff.
  1. How do you think that the school board can partner with the community to build a safer, more sustainable school system?
  • Collaboration and Communication- Community must feel they have a voice and that their concerns are being heard.
  • Partner with colleges, nonprofits and companies to support a variety of academic and extracurricular programs.
  • Partner with local businesses to provide students with work opportunities
  • Partner with nonprofits to bridge gaps in after-school care, and community tutoring programs and provide a safe place for students.
  1.     Why should people vote for you?

My purpose for seeking a seat on the Flint Board of Education is to extend trust, transparency and accountability, so that we can move forward together. I am running to ensure future generations of scholars will have the tools and resources needed to succeed. My priorities will be to address ongoing issues plaguing the board and school system.

Kasey Calvert-Candidate for partial term ending 12-31-24

Kasey Calvert
  1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself and why you are running for Flint Community School Board?

Greetings! I am Mr. Kasey Calvert, resident of the city of Flint and proud graduate of OUR beloved Flint Community Schools (Flint Northern High School Class of 2006). I am running for a seat on the school board because I want to make a realistic difference in our school district. I believe I can be an advocate for our students, staff and community. As a board member, I will act as a voice for the least, left out and underserved. Our scholars and staff deserve the best FCS that we can afford, and I will give my very best effort to help the school board achieve the goals that will move us forward as a district.

 2. What will be your top three priorities on the school board?
(
1) Improving the self-image of the district.

– Impacting the morale of our school board in a positive way.

– Upgrading the school buildings that are actively being used and better managing the ones that are not.

– Exploring the idea of a brand new state-of-the-art educational facility for our scholars because they deserve the best!

(2) Student retention/recruitment.

– Once we improve the self-image of the district it will be easier for us to retain the students that we have, recruit new students and welcome those students back who have transferred out of the district.

(3) Teacher/staff retention and recruitment.

Ensuring that our teachers/staff are happy and feel appreciated and that they are paid the wages they deserve.

  1. How do you think that the school board can partner with the community to build a safer, more sustainable school system?

The FCS currently has several very valuable partnerships with community organizations. Crim Community School Directors(CSD), YouthQuest, Flint Community Education Initiative, Hamilton Community Health Workers(CHW) and more. I will ensure that these partnerships remain healthy and strong so that we can not only continue to build a safer and sustainable school system but also continue to provide our scholars and their families the much-needed support and resources that they deserve.

  1. Why should people vote for you?

 People should vote for me because I am active in my community and intend to be an active board member, meaning that I want to be visible in our schools and district-related functions, interacting positively with staff, students, families and community partners. It is not enough to just show up to school board meetings and photo opportunities. School board members should be visible and active in the communities that they were elected to serve. I intend to keep an open line of communication via email and telephone for effective communication.

I have already started the process of becoming familiar with the Michigan Education Association (MEA), and I look forward to receiving all of the training available to me by the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB) to make not only myself a better school board member, but to get the skills and the tools needed to ensure that our school board operates at it’s very best.

On November 8, 2022, I am asking that you help me move our school district forward. I believe in my heart that we can take our school district from surviving to thriving to become not only the best school district in the community but the best school district FOR our community. Thank you, God Bless the city of Flint, and God bless our beloved Flint Community School District.

The Courier contacted all the Flint School Board candidates. But some were not able to respond by press time. Other candidates include:

Candidates for six-year seats expiring December 31, 2028

  • Claudia Perkins
  • Melody Relerford
  • Carol McIntosh
  • Chris Del Morone
  • Audrey Young

Candidates for the partial two-year seat expiring December 31, 2024

  • Michael Clack
  • Allen Gilbert
  • Leslie Haney

 

 

 

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