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New Board Members Discuss Pressing Issues

Interview with Dave Weiss:

Q. How do you feel about the current status of Madison County Schools?

I believe that overall Madison County Schools provide an excellent educational product for our students and do well to prepare them for the rigors of college or the work-force.  However, we must always be looking for ways and means to improve and increase educational offerings for our students.

Q. What changes would you like to address concerning Madison County Schools?

I think it is important that I take time to review and assess where we are as a system before I can definitively determine what changes or improvements are needed.  We are a very large, diverse, and dynamic school system and what works for one district might not work everywhere.   However, I do know that better communication between stakeholders and representatives is necessary and I plan to make this improvement.

Q. Why did you run for a school board position?

I ran because I saw a need for attentive representation, particularly within my district, and to bring strong leadership to the board.  That doesn’t mean that those on the board were doing a bad job, but I felt that I had the skill set, including leadership and communication skills, to guide the board of education to a more effective level of productivity for our school system.  

I have been involved in our schools since moving to Madison County in 2006 and while I saw some great things happening, I believed that even more could be done. I felt that we were getting bogged down and that we had lost our competitive edge compared to our sister school systems, Huntsville and Madison City.  Our school system has great potential and I want to help move us on to the next levels of excellence.

Q. What do you hope to accomplish as a school board member?

I will focus on just a few areas but I want to see Madison County Schools be THE school system of choice for families moving into Madison County.  

Short term, I want to get to know my district:  its schools, students, and parents.

I want to be the best advocate for our students and to ensure that they have the necessary resources, in funding and tools, to be successful and to reach their potential.  

I plan to establish a Community Advisory Committee comprised of parents, business leaders and others to help me plan and plot a course for our schools.  Their input is essential to the success of our school district.  I’d like to see this as a model for something greater, something that the entire board could adopt moving forward.  

To work with our local and state lawmakers to determine how best to move our system beyond where we are today.  

Long-term: to make the Madison County School System a more competitive system in and out of the classroom.  

Q. Recently, Gov. Bentley said public education in Alabama “sucks”. What do you think of these comments and the current status of public education in Alabama?

I was disheartened to hear our Governor address the state of our, and for that matter the nations, public education system in such a manner. I think he could have used a different tone in his description.

I would hope that his remarks were less an indictment of the hard-working teachers who

do so much to help provide a quality education to our children, and more his opinion about the state of public education in general.

That being said, he is responsible for the public education in this state and if the public education in this state “sucks”, as he put it, then he bears the full weight and responsibility for it; and maybe it is time that we, as a state, have a solid discussion as to what we are going to do to improve our public education system.  Generally, I believe that you shouldn’t raise an issue, or criticize something without being prepared to provide a solution and a solid plan to make it better, neither of which I have heard from the governor to date.

Q. The new Monrovia High School is still a tough topic. What is your stance on this and why?


My position on the building of a new high school in our district has not wavered since before the decision to build that school was made.  I believe that you build schools based on need and defined requirement; neither of which was established by the previous board.  

   

Additionally, we are leaving many major capital projects that need our attention now on the table for years to come.  Many of these capital needs could have been met with some of the BRAC funds.  Our ability to upgrade, modernize, and maintain what we have will be greatly impeded based on our debt service and lack of revenue from local sources, chiefly taxes.  

Q. Sparkman High is focused on improving writing scores this year. How do you plan to help the SHS administration in raising these scores?

This is not something that I am familiar with at this time, so I will have to research this before I can provide an articulate response to this question.  I will tell you that writing skills are essential to being successful regardless of whether one moves on to college or into the work-force so ensuring that our students can communicate effectively through writtenword is certainly a priority.  

Q. Standardized testing has always been a sensitive subject. What do you think about judging schools and teachers through testing scores?

There needs to be some metric to evaluate the productivity of our schools. Standardized Testing, for all of its failings, is the best way to do that and unfortunately, right now it is the method required of us.

Q. Do you have children in the system? If so, ages, grade, and school?

My wife and I have 3 sons all of whom have graduated from Sparkman High School.  We are very proud of what they have accomplished while in the Madison County School System and after graduating. I am very satisfied with the education that they received at all levels, Elementary, Middle and High school.  

Q. You represent the Sparkman High district. What comes to mind when you think of Sparkman?

Sparkman is a great high school. The administration, faculty, and staff at both the Ninth Grade Academy and the Sparkman High School are second to none.  There is a sincere desire at both schools to ensure the success of the students and to reach even higher levels of excellence.  It is said that success breeds success and I see even greater things for Sparkman in the future.  

Let me also say that all of the schools that feed into Sparkman HS: Sparkman MS, Monrovia MS, Endeavor ES, Legacy ES, Monrovia ES, Harvest ES, and Madison Cross Roads Elementary all have exciting programs and activities in place to increase student learning and educational excellence. I know that the increased interaction between Sparkman HS and these schools is sparking interest in students to excel!

Q. How do you plan on working with Supt. Matt Massey?  

The Superintendent and board must work together to make decisions as well as develop and implement policies that will enhance and further the education of the students in this school system.  I will work with the superintendent to ensure that the policiesand goals he sees as essential to the success of the district benefit not just District 4, but the entire school system.  

 

 

Interview with Shere Rucker:

Q. How do you feel about the current status ofMadison County Schools?

As a parent, I have been very pleased with Madison County Schools.  I believe that the teachers and administrators in our school system are, by and large, devoted to educating and caring for our students and that they strive for excellence.  

 

Q. What changes would you like to address concerning Madison County Schools?

 

As with any organization, there is always room for growth and improvement.   As a school board member, my goal is to closely evaluate the many aspects of the school system, and to challenge those who are responsible for its day to day operations to continually raise the bar of achievement.

I am not advocating for any specific changes as I begin my tenure on the School Board.  I think it is first prudent to talk with all of the parties responsible for the areas that would be impacted by those changes and fully vet the logistical and financial implications of any such changes.    

However, here are a few items for consideration:  

  1. Foreign language classes in middle school,
  2. Implementing Mathcounts in the middle schools (Mathcounts is competition math program for middle schoolers),
  3. Expanding Career Tech classes,
  4. Implementing consistent communication with students and parents regarding accessing the online resources that accompany student’s textbooks,
  5. More consistent and stringent reading requirements using the Accelerated Reader system from elementary thru 8th grade,
  6. Improvement in and consistency across the District regarding fieldtrips for elementary students. Fieldtrips are particularly important to those children from low income families, as these opportunities may be some of the only ones that they will experience.

 

Q. Why did you run for a school board position?

 

There are several reasons that I ran for the School Board.  One reason is because I believe that I have a skill set that is needed on the School Board.  I graduated summa cum laude in 1987 from the University of Alabama with an accounting degree.  I started out as an auditor and then moved into corporate accounting, and worked for a total of nineteen years, 15 of those years as a CPA.  My last position was the Manager of Accounting and Financial Reporting for Adtran.  

So, I want to take my work experience and apply my auditing and analytical skills to the School Board.  I will ask lots of questions, seek to gain a complete understanding of the issues before the School Board, and then communicate with and work with the other Board members and the Superintendent to make the best decisions for our students and our schools.  

Another reason I want to serve on the School Board is because I want to continue to give back to our schools and community.  I have been a stay at home mom for the past seven years, and have served on the Monrovia PTA, coached soccer and basketball and have been involved in many aspects of the Children’s Ministry at Mt. Zion Baptist Church.  As a stay at home mom, I will have the time and flexibility to meet with administrators, to visit the schools and to attend meetings at the Central Office.  I am committed to using my time, energy and talents to provide the leadership and vision our school system and community deserve.

Finally, I have a passion for education and a concern for our students.  I want to ensure that our students have the opportunity to receive the best preparation and training from their Pre-K year all the way through to their senior year in High School, within the financial constraints of our school system, so that our students can reach their full potential and be independent and contributing members of our society.   

 

Q. What do you hope to accomplish as a school board member?

 

I have three short term goals.  The first is to oversee the task of building a new high school in Monrovia.  This process will include zoning, Department of Justice negotiations, management of capital funds, and logistics for operation and staffing.

The second, is to provide leadership to the School Board so as to improve communication between the School Board and the Superintendent and the community, in order that decisions can be discussed timely and candidly and that the governing body can work more effectively.

The third is to support and facilitate the efforts of the Madison County School Board to secure funding for our schools.

 

Q. Recently, Gov. Bentley said public education in Alabama “sucks”.  What do you think of these comments and the current status of public education in Alabama?

 

I believe Gov. Bentley’s comments were completely inappropriate and hypocritical.  As the President of the State of Alabama School Board and as the Governor, he has had the power and position to make needed improvements in education in our state.  I believe this is yet another very disturbing and disappointing revelation from Governor Bentley.

Having said that, we do need to improve public education in Alabama. Poverty is a very large factor in the poor performance of our students and closing the gap in test scores between children in poverty and those who are not, is extremely challenging.

Additional funding for in-school intervention, after-school tutors and summer enrichment would help to mitigate this gap.

 

Q. The new high school in Monrovia is still a tough topic.  What is your stance on this and why?

 

I fully support building a new high school in Monrovia.  

Sparkman High School is the third largest high school in the state of Alabama, with graduating class sizes in excess of 600 students.  I believe that while there are pros and cons to very large high schools, a graduating class size of 300 will allow students to form more meaningful relationships with their peers, teachers and administrators and a greater portion of the student body will feel connected and engaged.

Having said that, I appreciate the pain that will be felt as programs, in particular the band, but there are others as well, experience the division into two schools.  While the pain will be real, I believe we will need to focus on rooting and growing new programs at each school.  

 

Q. Sparkman High is focused on improving writing scores this year.  How do you plan to help the SHS administration in raising these scores?

 

Improvement in writing is needed across the district and in all grades.  I will need to gain an understanding of the plan from Central Office for addressing this issue before really being able to answer your question specifically.    In general however, I believe that a person must be a good reader in order to be a good writer.  In addition to reading, a person must master grammar and organizational skills.  Thus, writing is a culmination of several skill sets.  I would hope that the plan to enhance writing will encompass new reading, grammar and organization emphases as well.

 

Q. Standardized testing has always be a sensitive subject.  What do you think about judging schools and teachers through testing scores?

 

I believe testing scores are a good indicator of a given student’s progress and his or her likelihood of success in college, without remediation.  And, testing scores can be a part of the criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of schools and teachers.  I do not believe that assigning a letter grade to a school based on testing scores is prudent.   There are many more parameters that impact a school than can be captured with just test scores.  Likewise, while I believe test scores can be one indicator of the effectiveness of a teacher, there are many other factors that should be considered as well.

 

Q. Do you have children in the system?  If so, ages, grade and school?

 

My husband and I have two daughters.  Katie is 12 and in the 7th grade and Hannah is 11 in the 6th grade.  The girls both attend Monrovia Middle School and went to Monrovia Elementary School for K thru 5.

 

Q. You represent the Sparkman High district.  What comes to mind when you think of Sparkman?

 

I have a very favorable impression of Sparkman High School.  While we have not yet had children to go through Sparkman, I have had the opportunity to visit on a couple of occasions.  My impression is that Sparkman is a very large school, with lots of good programs and many teachers who go the extra mile to invest their time and talents into the lives of the students.     

 

Q. How do you plan on working with Supt. Matt Massey?

 

I plan to work with Mr. Massey and the other board members by being prepared, carefully researching the issues at hand, clearly communicating my viewpoint, carefully listening to others, and treating all with respect.  

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