Richard (Ri-Shard), Kyle - Lansing School District
Are you an incumbent?
No
Brief Intro of Candidate
My name is Kyle, I'm 30 years old, from September 2016 to December 2018 I worked as a middle and high school social studies teacher at J.W. Sexton High School in Lansing.
Since then I've worked in the Arts and Electoral Politics
Today, I clean houses, deliver pizza, and am an active member of my community.
I'm running for Lansing Board of Education because we need teachers on the board and because this is where I'm at in my life.
Endorsements
not yet, seeking endorsment from MEA (former member)
Top financials Contributors
Website and social media links
Friends and Family
kyleforlansingschools.com
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?
I've thought about the possibility of a monthly newsletter and email list that would allow for parents, caregivers, community members, and students to not only stay up to date on decisions the school board is making but also weigh in via polls or google form.
As I transition to door knocking (and if I am elected) I will be giving out my personal phone number and email to be as accessible as possible.
What are your thoughts on school discipline and the way it is exercised in your school district? What are your thoughts on restorative practices?
In my experience discipline in the Lansing School District is very simple. Students (for the most part) understand "if I do X I will be suspended for Y days", and the suspension is often the end of it. This is not a practice that prepares students to foster positive long term relationships in life. This is not a practice that challenges anyone to address the root causes of conflict in our day to day lives.
I am very much in favor of restorative and transformative practices that challenge not just students but all of us to grow, understand one another, and build something new together.
What are your thoughts on how to improve student mental health
I would like to see state level funding for at least one certified mental health professional for every school building in the State of Michigan.
There are a lot of factors that go into a students mental health, homelife, school work, friends and relationships, students need adults in the building they can trust and that they know they can count on if the need arises (and that can't always be their classroom teacher).
What are your thoughts on ways to improve Black student achievement in your district and in Michigan schools overall?
There are a lot of ways to approach this question.
My first instinct is to say that it starts with recruiting and retaining Black teachers, men in particular. I'd like to think it's approaching common knowledge now (at least within the field of education) that all students, especially Black students, benefit from having at least one teacher before graduation who was both Black and a man. So that's number one.
Number 2 for me is about redistributing the wealth. It is no coincidence that students in well resourced districts are doing better on standardized tests, and it is also no coincidence that these same districts are predominately white, there's history there. I would probably do better on the test too if my school (or parents) can afford to put me through a test prep program or can afford to give me a personal computer and a satchel to carry it in. Our current system for funding public schools in the State Michigan needs serious review.
My final point on this question comes from my time as a teacher. When we talk about teaching history, U.S. History specifically, Black students need to see themselves in the story, not just as subjects but as actors and movers in the course of history.
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?
Fostering a space where everyone feels safe and included requires intentionality on multiple levels all the way down to the the words we choose to express ourselves. Fostering a space where everyone feels safe and included starts with eye contact, a wave, a peace sign, or "hello". I don't know about you but I've never felt particularly safe or included in spaces that don't acknowledge my presence or my full personhood. All of our stories are interwoven and intersecting here and now in the present moment.
But how do you ensure it? The teacher in me says, it starts with modeling the behavior we want to see in others. You want to build a culture where people feel safe and included? Be a safe person. Be someone people can talk to and confide in. Be the person who stops the conversation to welcome someone to the group. See difference as opportunity instead of threat. Opportunity to learn from one another. Opportunity to see the world from a different angle than you did before.
What are your thoughts on how to ensure that all students and their families feel safe and included in our district? See all people. Hear all people. Witness and take part in a collective greater than yourself and encourage others to do the same.
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?
Recruiting and retaining staff is about offering a contract that teachers want and deserve, and fostering a work environment that people want to be a part of. So often we overload our teachers with binders upon binders of work on top of being a classroom teacher. Let's let teachers teach, let's create space and opportunity for teachers (especially young teachers) to grow in the profession.
Thinking critically about recruitment, the US Military had a table in my high school cafeteria and I don't see any reason why the State of Michigan couldn't do the same for teacher recruitment, provide information about schools with quality teaching programs, create a database of students interested in pursuing teaching as a career, if the student "signs on" so to speak, assist them and their family in applying for financial aid or offer financial aid outright, keep up with the students through college in partnership with state universities, create cohorts and networking opportunities for students in the program, and upon graduation assist students in finding and landing a job.
At the district level though I think it's about the contract, the culture, and creating opportunities for staff to learn, grow, and lead on the job.