Kermode, Kelly - Forest Hills Public Schools
Are you an incumbent?
No
Brief Intro of Candidate
What motivates me to be a board member is simple: our kids and our community. We face challenging times as an organization, and after years of working with large enterprise companies and local small businesses, as well as collaborating and working with teachers throughout the FHPS district, I am prepared to serve on our school board.
My teaching career started in Grand Rapids Public Schools, where I taught special education and coached softball. My time there was very special to me, as I learned how to adapt what I was doing day in and day out to the ever-changing needs and circumstances of my students.
From there I spent time teaching in Grandville Public Schools, as well as Northview Public schools, and throughout each change in location - the change in geography only reaffirmed the belief that all students deserve to have an amazing educational experience.
As a self-professed insatiable learner, former educator, and business owner throughout my life, I have leaned into problem-solving the needs in our world.
I own two businesses - one in the arts industry, and one in technology.
In 2018, Pottery Lane, a pottery studio for our community, came to fruition because I realized all people could benefit from a creative space where they could learn and grow their thinking and risk-taking.
As a cloud technology architect and consultant, I love to equip teams with growth and skill development. After 20+ years of experience with corporate clients in major industries, including healthcare, banking, retail, automotive, technology, education, and transportation, I offer a unique lens as a board candidate.
I am the proud mother to two children, who as of this year are both high schoolers.
After decades of coaching, teaching, leading, and consulting, my experience lends itself to being of service in a school board role.
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Website and social media links
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How would you engage and include parents, caregivers, community members and students in decision-making in your district around things like curriculum, budgeting and district policy?
By providing avenues for round tables, committees, as well as asynchronous feedback (surveys, feedback forms, etc.), we can ensure that all stakeholders in our school system have ways for their input to have an effect on decisions around curriculum and policy and budgeting.
When previewing materials for possible adoption and purchasing, our district should form a committee to review the materials, and have participants be able to provide feedback. We cannot possibly pretend to know all the various lenses through which students and families are seeing our curriculum materials.
It is important to remember with any roundtable or feedback forum - especially in a large district - that many people think just like we do. We get stuck in echo chambers and some individuals are louder than others. The reality is districts have a responsibility to make sure all voices have a chance to be heard, and then make the best decision with all the information. Not everyone is going to be happy with a district’s decisions 100% of the time. But if we make decisions responsibly by taking input from all stakeholders then we can continue our legacy of being one of the strongest educational institutions in the state of Michigan. We remain one of the leading school systems, not because we choose to follow one view or set of values, but because we embrace cultural differences, allow for voices to be heard, and consistently strive to meet the needs of our kids.
What are your thoughts on school discipline and the way it is exercised in your school district? What are your thoughts on restorative practices?
Over the past 30 years, our school district has continued to evolve and share common guidelines and policies around discipline. I’ve witnessed the evolution of our school handbooks to become consistent across the district, providing common policies and expectations from school to school. Behavioral expectations and disciplinary actions are clearly spelled out prior to any infractions taking place. Parents and students have to acknowledge receipt of the handbook (in digital form) so everyone starts the year aware of the common expectations.
I am a supporter of restorative practices. It is beneficial to conflict resolution, and making sure all voices have a chance to be heard. It also allows various parties involved in the conflict to come together and resolve differences without fear or shame. I’ve witnessed this in action with students in our district, and how powerful restorative practices can be to face underlying assumptions about others and build bridges between peers.
As a mother and former educator, I will add that having clear expectations and limits as to what is accepted, does allow for proper actions to be taken if restorative actions are unsuccessful. Restorative practices work if all parties agree to do the work. At some point, improper behavior - without effort to remediate - may necessitate further disciplinary action. We have a responsibility to make sure our students and staff are safe from bullying and harm.
What are your thoughts on how to improve student mental health
Mental health is a topic that has so many facets to it. As a board member, I would want to ensure we have the proper professionals evaluating current practices and environments to determine how and where improvements should and could be made.
I also believe that there is something to be said for development of grit and resilience that can positively benefit a person’s mental health. Humans are made to overcome challenges and work together for common good. I look forward to supporting educational endeavors that give our students opportunities to develop grit, grow their resilience, as well as foster collegial relationships with their peers.
What are your thoughts on ways to improve Black student achievement in your district and in Michigan schools overall?
We need to make sure our curriculum and learning materials are written in ways where the contextual information meets the needs of all learners. Too many times the questions asked and material presented (i.e. math story problems or short stories) is based on a lens from one person’s lifestyle, and doesn’t offer a fair playing ground to students from various backgrounds.
Teachers also need to be able to pivot and make adjustments to their classroom learning when it will benefit the students in the classroom. Teachers are on the front line day-to-day and can recognize if something won’t sit right with a student or students. Some students require changes in pedagogical approaches to meet the needs of those learners. We need to trust our teachers to make adjustments so all learners can achieve their individual potential.
What are your thoughts on how to ensure that all students and their families, regardless of race, gender identity, sexuality, disability, religion, income status, etc., feel safe and included in your district?
Societies throughout time have always thrived when there has been a constituency made up of various backgrounds, religions, cultures, and opinions. Teams are more successful when they are composed of members with different strengths, characteristics, prior experiences, and thought patterns.
We need to make sure our community forums have representation from all families, and not just a few. We need to continue to take into account the needs of all of our students, and provide avenues for each student to be able to grow within.
We also just need to provide space for people to just be - without reaction. If someone honors a different religion, dresses differently, thinks differently, we do not need to react or get volatile at our differences. We need to foster a culture of coexistence without inflammatory judgment, especially in our schools - where students are constantly growing and changing and developing.
What are your thoughts on how to recruit and retain staff, particularly staff of color, in your district with regard to pay, benefits, and working conditions?
In the past couple of years, our local teachers union has advocated for an increase in base pay for teachers. The reality is - we are facing challenging times in regards to compensation, not just for teachers and staff of color, but for everyone.
I believe we need to be proactive with our approach to hiring practices, to training our teams (from teachers to food service workers to bus drivers), to fostering positive working conditions. Anyone who is working in a school district has an impact on our kids, and we need to do our best to make sure they are taken care of.
Part of the reality is… we simply need more public funds (at a state and federal level) allocated toward our schools. The cost of living and operations keeps rising, and the school budget allocations are not keeping up.