Makled, Robbin - Dearborn
Are you an incumbent?
No
Brief Intro of Candidate
I am the mother of three children currently attending schools in Dearborn, and I have been actively involved in their schools as a PTA volunteer, including serving a four-year term as the PTA president at my children's middle school. During this time, I have written grants, chaired large community events, served on interview committees and worked with students in focused enrichment projects. I have worked very hard to build bridges between our schools and families, neighbors, and local businesses to build a great network of people who care about the education of our community' children. I run a very popular after-school garden club at my children's elementary school and I also manage the Dearborn Unified High School Figure Skating Team.
I am a graduate of Michigan State University with both a BA and MBA in Accounting and have worked in public and corporate accounting for over three decades. My work background has given me valuable experience in financial analysis and decision making, which will help me prioritize and direct financial resources effectively to students.
I am extremely proud of the work I've done in the schools. During my time on playgrounds and behind PTA tables, I've built trusting relationships with parents, teachers, and staff. I know how to listen with empathy and how to build consensus. I am prepared and passionate to serve my community and support our amazing schools to make them even stronger.
Endorsements
Not yet.
Top financials Contributors
Website and social media links
Small donors, including my family, parents of my children's classmates, and fellow PTA volunteers
robbinfordearborn.com Facebook: Robbin Makled for Dearborn School Board
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?
One very important thing we can do in our schools to help engage stakeholders is to make every building in our district a warm, welcoming environment where students feel safe and cared for and parents feel welcome. With that culture, you are more likely to get parents in to build a strong PTA and get involved in other ways they can give input. Inviting parents and other community stakeholders to take part in interview committees when hiring new administrators or teachers is a great way to ensure that candidates are chosen from a collaboration of different perspectives. Making the school welcoming can include things like inviting parents to the school for events like concerts, events, and curriculum nights. Posting colorful visual aids at school to direct visitors and having literature and communications available in multiple relevant languages are powerful signs to first generation families and English Language Learning families that they are wanted and welcome in their children’s school.
What are your thoughts on school discipline and the way it is exercised in your school district? What are your thoughts on restorative practices?
Although health, safety, and welfare of the students and staff must be paramount, I believe there are a great many situations where restorative practices are a positive way to solve conflict and handle discipline issues in a way that can actually improve relationships and repair harm through dialogue. I’ve seen restorative practices in action in our District, having spent lots of time in my childrens’ schools, and I think if you implement them consistently and appropriately, you can create a culture of mutual respect, prevent bullying, and reduce incidents of school violence. It doesn’t happen overnight, and we can’t ever tolerate a student or staff member feeling unsafe due to bullying, violence or harassment at school, but over time, I believe restorative practices have real ability to actually make schools safer and reduce behavioral issues. We can always do more in this area.
What are your thoughts on how to improve student mental health
Hiring an adequate amount of kind, empathetic teachers, social workers, counselors, and support staff, and ensuring they are well-trained and empowered to provide emotional health services to our students and prioritize psychological well-being is incredibly important. Outside organizations like Community in Schools are amazing resources (if they are available) to work with families to address obstacles that impact students’ mental well-being at school and at home such as food insecurity, chronic absenteeism, poverty, and trauma. Improving the mental health of students will have a direct positive effect on academic achievement.
What are your thoughts on ways to improve Black student achievement in your district and in Michigan schools overall?
It’s important to have a District and school culture that values data-driven policies and decision making to ensure no disparities exist between groups in the way discipline is conducted. Having policies and expectations that have been communicated to all students and following those policies consistently, whether it is a classroom teacher deciding to refer a student or a school administrator’s response to a referral is important to ensure equitable experiences.
Professional development that trains employees to recognize and acknowledge systemic conditions and obstacles black students face is important to having a hand in trying to remove or lessen those barriers and in giving students the tools to help overcome them as well. This includes learning to recognize and address microaggressions.
And on a positive note, I believe that black history and culture (as well as other cultures and backgrounds) should be honored and respected in the curriculum and classroom.
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?
First of all, policies that promptly address behavior that amounts to bullying or making a student feel unsafe or harassed are essential and should be consistently applied.
On a positive note though, modeling warm, welcoming, caring behaviors from our teachers, administrators, and staff is the best way to make students feel safe and included and will surely inspire students to extend that behavior to their classmates and teachers. I remember walking into my son’s middle school the day after a well-publicized shooting occurred at a school less than an hour’s drive away. There were many online rumors going around, predicting violence at more schools, and many students were (understandably) upset and fearful about walking back into our school. As I walked into the school I saw 15-20 teachers stationed in the entry hallways- just waving to the kids, smiling and chatting with them as they walked into school. Every single child was met with a smile and a good morning. Something so simple, yet so powerful that surely made each child feel safer. I love to be in this school at lunchtime as well and see the staff and administrators who are working lunch duty just walking around chatting with the kids in line and at their tables- asking about their weekends, their siblings, or their art class. When children feel valued by kind, caring adults, they are enabled to see value in themselves.
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?
The first obvious answer is that we need to advocate for adequate funding so that we can recruit and retain great candidates. Interview questions should be designed to allow candidates to highlight aspects of their background and experiences that will demonstrate their ability to find common ground with students in the population with similar backgrounds and experiences. Having parents and community members serve on interview panels is a great way to get unique and relevant perspectives involved in hiring decisions as well.
And just like our students, staff need to feel safe and healthy in their work environments. A great workplace culture starts with administrators who respect and support their staff and consistently communicate and apply established policies. District policies should as much as possible support staff to have quality work-life balance and support and take care of their own families, so that when they are in the classroom they can devote their full attention and energy to their students.