Swan, Emily - Lamphere

Are you an incumbent?

Yes

Brief Intro of Candidate

I am a product of public education having graduated from Kimball High School, the University of Michigan, and Wayne State University. I have training as a grades 6-12 educator and taught briefly before realizing that teaching was not my calling. I have been a resident of Madison Heights for 17 years and a parent for 12 years. I have two students who attend Lamphere Schools: one at Page Middle School and one at Simonds Elementary. As a parent and member of the school board, I have a vested interest in making sure that our district provides a quality education to its students. I understand the difficult and valuable job that district employees are doing and want to make sure they are supported. Personal qualities that I would bring to the position include my ability to think logically and not make snap decisions based on emotions, strong communication skills, and experience working with people of diverse backgrounds and ages.

Endorsements

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Top financials Contributors

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?

I think the district needs to do a better job of advertising when our meetings are occurring. All of the meetings are open to the public and we encourage public comments. We rarely have an audience at the meetings. The district also needs to use its social media to show the community what is going on. On a personal level, I am going to make it a priority to attend events in the district to engage with parents and students.

What are your thoughts on school discipline and the way it is exercised in your school district? What are your thoughts on restorative practices?

The penalties for breaking the rules are clearly spelled out in our district handbooks, which are personalized to each school level. I think restorative practices could be helpful in a case-by-case basis. We have to be cognizant of both the student being disciplined and if any students were harmed or threatened by that student. Sometimes it is necessary to remove a student from the school, either temporarily or permanently, depending on the situation, to maintain a healthy learning environment.

What are your thoughts on how to improve student mental health

I think there needs to be continued social-emotional education going on in the schools. Students have access to counseling services but they need to know what is normal for them to feel and when to seek help. We need to provide education to parents because while school is important, mental health support also comes from home. I think having a strong cell phone policy is important; bullying has historically been a problem and unfortunately technology allows for bullying in a way that is new compared to previous generations.

What are your thoughts on ways to improve Black student achievement in your district and in Michigan schools overall?

We can help improve Black student achievement by maintaining a diverse student population. By assessing where our students are in their proficiency levels, we can provide coaching to the students who need it. We can engage our Black students to help with curriculum planning. We need to promote a positive school environment and engage parents so that students have encouragement from home as well as school.

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?

As I said above, we need to promote a positive school environment. For example: reduce bullying, increase attendance, and reduce substance abuse. We need to engage families to find out what they need to feel safe and included in the district. We have an amazing program for English language learners; what other segments of our population need support to feel engaged in our district? We need to maintain physical and emotional safety for everyone, and provide education about our differences (and why our differences give our community strength!).

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?

All employees need to feel safe & valued. We need to maintain competitive salaries & benefit packages. We have to make our schools a place where employees want to come to work. We need to adopt a continuous improvement culture to provide training to make all employees develop professionally.