Dear Friends … My campaign for the Kalamazoo Public School Board is off and running! With four of us vying for only three six-year seats, this is the first contested race for the KPS Board during a November general election. That’s a whole lot of voters to reach in a very short time! I need your help. And there is much at stake. The next six years are very likely to see continued inadequate funding for public education from Lansing. KPS is in a stronger position than most school districts because The Promise has led to multiple years of increased enrollment. While many neighboring districts are struggling financially, we’ve been somewhat insulated and have avoided many (though not all) of the draconian cuts made necessary by our State’s budgetary reductions and shifting educational priorities. I can tell you as a current KPS Board Member and as the parent of a KPS student, I am very grateful to The Promise and all that it has meant to our district. Having said that, we cannot rely solely on the halo of The Promise as we move forward. With the leadership of the KPS Board, the administration and staff of KPS have been hard at work, and we’re seeing improved student achievements in reading, writing and math and many, many more students taking Advanced Placement classes. But we have a long way to go. I need your help this November to continue my work on our KPS Board on behalf of our students, parents, staff and teachers. Here are a few of my goals: 1) Encourage parents to be more engaged with their children. Research shows that when parents are involved in their children’s education, academic outcomes improve dramatically. This can have tangible results. D students become C students. C students become B students. Simply because parents take an active interest in how their children are studying and learning. We have a wealth of resources available in our schools and community for students of all ages. We need to champion parent involvement, and I intend to do that. 2) Strengthen our students’ readiness for what follows high school (whether that’s stepping onto a college campus, going to a trade school or directly into the workforce) by insisting on a strong and varied K-12 curriculum that focuses not only on the key MEAP subjects but also on building life-skills. So much of what we learn in school never appears on a test. For example, our students are learning to: show-up on time, be prepared, think critically, argue persuasively and to complete tasks as assigned. Whether in math or art, they need to view themselves as something more than a grade point average, but as well-rounded citizens with the core skills needed for success whatever their post-KPS path. 3) Bring my 25-plus years of experience as an administrator (both corporate and non-profit), manager, communications professional and fund development director to the KPS Board. One of the Board’s primary roles is to set direction through policy. My background is well suited to the job as I can provide insightful and balanced counsel to our KPS administration. As a parent at Parkwood-Upjohn, Milwood Magnet and Loy Norrix, I have been very impressed with the time and dedication spent on behalf of my and all our children. Do we have areas in which we need to improve? Of course, we do. But our principals, their staff and teachers are among the very best and most committed, and are certainly up to the job. I’m ready to help lead as a Trustee on your KPS School Board. I ask for your support. Please use the reply card (in the next post) to indicate how you will help, and vote for me, ‘Kenny G,’ on November 4, 2014. Thank you. Best regards, Ken Greschak [email protected]
Posted on: Mon, 01 Sep 2014 20:19:38 +0000
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