At this month’s election, voters will determine three members of the Murfreesboro City School Board, the elected group charged with overseeing 12 elementary schools in the Murfreesboro City Limits.

Get to know the seven candidates here, and feel free to grade their work.

Early voting is currently underway, and Election Day is Tuesday, April 15.

For more information on Murfreesboro City Schools and the school board, visit cityschools.net.

Kevin Fisher

Murfreesboro Pulse: What are the school district’s greatest capital needs right now, and how do you think those needs should be addressed?
Fisher: We have several needs in the city school system. From a financial standpoint, the city school system is not prepared for the growth most experts are anticipating this community will face in the next few years. To avoid a situation where we will have overcrowded classrooms and teacher/student ratios that we all agree are unacceptable, we should be planning now for issues which may present themselves, and at this point seem likely, down the road. Already, this community has seen tremendous growth, and many schools—some that just opened—are already nearing capacity levels. We should be proactive, by putting plans in place which will control the growth, rather than waiting for the problem to come to us, and then we are unprepared. I guess you could say I am rather old-school; I don’t believe in “kicking a can down the road.”

Equally as important is the quality of education our young people are receiving. The standards now known as Common Core were, in my opinion, a terrible idea, and should be halted and repealed. We all want our children to score well on tests, but isn’t it far more important that they learn the material? Common Core only emphasizes raw data, tests scores; I would much rather focus on producing educated, well-rounded kids, and children who are prepared for future academic endeavors. Some children don’t do well on standardized tests, which have been proven to be unreliable barometers of a child’s actual learning levels. Education is about more than Xs and Os on a page; it’s about learning, knowledge and growth. It’s about progression.

How involved should the federal and state governments be in the education of Murfreesboro’s children?
I don’t believe the federal government should have a role at all, other than those constitutionally assigned. I agree with something President Reagan once said, “Government functions best when it functions least.” Consider this: we have three levels of governmental bodies—the federal Department of Education, the state Department of Education, and county and city boards of education—all in the business of educating children. Imagine for a moment how much more revenue we could invest in future generations’ education if we could clear away some of the unnecessary bureaucracy, and streamline our efforts into one common goal: educating our young people.

I believe if you empower our teachers [and] administrators and create an environment where parents feel welcome to be more participatory in their children’s education, then I believe you will see children’s test scores improve,you will see better retention of our teachers because they will feel more supported, and a better quality of education for our young people. This can be most effectively done at the local level, with some level of input from the state. However, the ultimate responsibility for our children’s education must lie at the local level.

A gimmick approach like “Common Core,” which is federally backed, doesn’t and won’t work; our children deserve better.

Some parents are concerned that Common Core Curriculum isn’t the right approach to reforming education in Tennessee. What are your thoughts on Common Core Curriculum and Race to the Top?
As I said, Common Core was and remains a bad idea. I support the efforts by our legislators who are working tirelessly to halt and repeal it, and I have joined their ranks, to work towards this goal.

Race to the Top was an unconstitutional overreach by the federal government into states and local affairs. It was created from stimulus money, meaning it wasn’t permanent; it wouldn’t last forever, and wasn’t intended to. Yet, by agreeing to accept it, the state and local boards completely revamped its evaluation system for teachers, and paved the way for standards like Common Core. In fact, no one at the state level was even involved in the Common Core Standards draft for Tennessee, nor were any members of the Tennessee Education Department even involved in the Race to the Top application.

As a parent, think for a moment. How does that make you feel, knowing that you, your community, and even your elected leaders, had little to no input in setting a standard which will now be used to educate your children and your grandchildren?
I am grateful we have strong leaders from both sides of the political aisle in Congress who are working to correct this terrible situation.

What do you tell parents who are concerned that Common Core testing is too rigorous?
I tell them I agree, I understand their concerns, and let them know that we are working to correct and make changes to the system for the children’s benefit. At the same time, I would encourage them to keep encouraging their young people to work hard, to do their best, and to strive to learn to the best of their ability. These are a child’s formative years; a child’s greatest focus shouldn’t be on anything other than learning, achieving and growing from new experiences in an academic setting.

Do you think it is appropriate for schools to collect and catalogue data on students’ home life?
Absolutely not! Now, I do support a support network for young people, where schools may collect information to ensure a child is in a safe environment, free from any form of abuse or neglect, and I would like to see that strengthened. However, to simply collect and catalog information for any other purpose is intrusive and overreaching. I would rather see those funds used to the children’s benefit, to protect them and their interests.

Describe the achievement gap in this district. What causes it? What can be done to ensure every child in Murfreesboro has access to quality education?
Right now in Murfreesboro city schools, 36% of children in grades 3 through 8 score below proficient in math. That’s not acceptable. Thirty-nine percent of students in grades 3 through 8 score below proficient in reading and language. Again, in my opinion, that’s unacceptable. You see, I believe our goal should be that every child be functioning at or above proficient level, and while there will always be some who need a little more attention, if more than one-third of city students are below proficient level, that’s far too many! Perhaps Albert Einstein said it best, that only a fool keeps “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” We as a community have spent top dollar in investing in new schools. How about we now invest a greater effort in ensuring children are succeeding in their academic endeavors?

We can improve test scores and eliminate the achievement gap by striving to give parents more options in education so that they can make decisions in their child’s education which will most benefit the child. Unlike 30 years ago, we have numerous options available in addition to public schools: school choice, vouchers, homeschools, charter schools, magnet schools and private schools. We can empower and support local families best by providing options in education and still keep public schools strong, supported and properly funded.

How should teacher performance be evaluated?
I believe in evaluations which are based in merit, years of service, and performance. I, respectfully think it’s incorrect to score a teacher based on the performance of a classroom, as has been proposed. My son attended Murfreesboro city schools, as do several children whom I have mentored or currently do mentor. These are some wonderful individuals, and we are blessed to have them educating our youth.
It takes a dedicated, loving and compassionate person to be a schoolteacher, and we should pay and reward them accordingly. We need an evaluation system which is fair, yet thorough, and which rewards them for their efforts and experience. Only by doing this can we hope to recruit and retain the most qualified teachers from around the state, and the country as well.

Where do, or did, your children attend school? Why did you feel it was the best choice?
My son attended Murfreesboro city schools, and then Rutherford County schools. His mother was a teacher here in Murfreesboro, and his grandparents taught in Tennessee (Roane County) as well.
Why was public school chosen? I actually selected this area when I was looking for a great place to raise my son. So, Murfreesboro as a community was chosen. Since most of his friends from day care attended city schools, I took a tour of several of the local schools and was quite impressed. I met great teachers like Ms. Stephanie Turner at Bradley Academy, and administrators like Regina Payne, also at Bradley. I loved the atmosphere, and the environment seemed conducive to learning, so I signed him up for Bradley Academy, and I never regretted it for even a moment. To this day, my son often talks with a gleam in his eyes about his days at Bradley Academy.
We have wonderful schools, great, dedicated teachers, and administrators who care deeply about the children. Now, let’s ensure our children are getting a quality education, and achieving great heights academically. As your school board member, I pledge to work tirelessly for your children, and to be a strong advocate for children, teachers, parents and the community. My name is Kevin Fisher, and on April 15, I humbly ask for the opportunity to serve you!

Wesley Ballard

Murfreesboro Pulse: What are the school district’s greatest capital needs right now, and how do you think those needs should be addressed?
Ballard: I believe that going forward the capital needs will be in brick and mortar need for the growing student population. Murfreesboro is a growth city and it is mandatory that we are ready and in the action mode rather than reaction to that growth. Also, technology needs will advance at light speed and the student will need the tools to study using new technology, so capital money will be needed to equip the classrooms. Lastly for this answer, we will need the technologies for school security. Student safety is first, and advances in security must be optimized in our schools—this will require money. Having said this, spending needs to be included in the forward planning, it can be done without going to the taxpayers for tax increase. The school system can be examined for inefficiency and waste and those areas can be streamlined to improve efficiency and costs. Those savings go back into the funding of classroom needs.

How involved should the federal and state governments be in the education of Murfreesboro’s children?
I see the need to have federal and state involvement at a minimal level. By that I mean that I do agree with a federal standard of education achievement measure. At the state level I feel we need cooperation with the federal government with little state involvement. We have seen that our state legislators are incompetent in such matters as education. Leave roadkill and guns in trunks up to them. Without some national standard of achievement measure, we cannot know how we are doing as compared to Seattle or Dallas. We can’t just say that Murfreesboro is doing great without some common national measurement of such.

Some parents are concerned that Common Core Curriculum isn’t the right approach to reforming education in Tennessee. What are your thoughts on Common Core Curriculum and Race to the Top?
I support Common Core for the reasons stated above on a national standard of achievement measurement. I am not supportive of the principal and teacher evaluations of Race to the Top and I am concerned for the number of programs overlapping and requiring too much/many testing days in the classroom schedules. Too much testing and only testing leads to massaging the system for results.

What do you tell parents who are concerned that Common Core testing is too rigorous?
I would say let’s give it a real chance and support the child’s preparation and support the teacher’s effort. I do know that we need to remove the “battle of the tests” and focus on a single method for achievement measurement. It seems the state legislature will make this a moot question as they have already voted to suspend CC for two years and will override the governor’s veto of the suspension.

Do you think it is appropriate for schools to collect and catalogue data on students’ home life?
No, that is intrusive and I do not support it.

Describe the achievement gap in this district. What causes it? What can be done to ensure every child in Murfreesboro has access to quality education?
If elected and as a new member of the city school board I will need to gain understanding of the gap between Murfreesboro city and any other state districts. I can say this, I believe there is no reason that Murfreesboro city schools cannot be the top in the state in early education and attract the best teachers to get us to the top. The best-qualified and best-paid teachers will put us on the road to ensuring every child has access to the best education.

How should teacher performance be evaluated?
Our teachers should be evaluated on three to four key performance indicators as developed by the director and principal. Those KPI’s should be based on those of the director. They should be achievable, measurable, and reviewed frequently during the year.

Where do, or did, your children attend school? Why did you feel it was the best choice?
My two sons attended Bellwood, Cason Lane, Central Middle and Riverdale. I felt the public schools here offered good education and a balanced social experience which was exactly correct. I would do the same again.

Novonda Lilly

Murfreesboro Pulse: What are the school district’s greatest capital needs right now, and how do you think those needs should be addressed?
Lilly: Technology and growth are the greatest capital needs. Technology is being addressed by the implementation of computers in the City Schools at a 2:1 student ratio, which provides students with the technology needed to prepare for computerized testing. The Murfreesboro city school system currently has a five-­year plan, with a focus on growth opportunities. The growth needs assessment is reviewed yearly and a comparison of year one and year three are assessed to determine growth opportunities. This current practice allows the school system to monitor growth over a specified time frame, which allows the board to make appropriate recommendations to build new schools.

How involved should the federal and state governments be in the education of Murfreesboro’s children?
Federal and state funding is needed in certain areas, however; schools need the flexibility at the local level to determine what works best in their school system.

Some parents are concerned that Common Core Curriculum isn’t the right approach to reforming education in Tennessee. What are your thoughts on Common Core Curriculum and Race to the Top?
Common Core implementation has been in process for the last three years. The question is not do you agree or disagree with what has been implemented, but the focus should be on providing teachers, parents and students with the resources needed for a successful implementation. If we move in a direction to discontinue Common Core, then the focus would be on the implementation of the new standards and my response would be the same: providing teachers, parents and students with the resources needed for a successful implementation. Race to the Top is an initiative that was implemented to reward school systems for designing and implementing the most effective and innovative approaches that meet the needs of their educators, students and families.

What do you tell parents who are concerned that Common Core testing is too rigorous? As a parent I was concerned about how the changes would impact my children. Here is a link that helped me better understand Common Core. http://www.tncore.org/for_families_communities.aspx. It is important to be an informed parent by researching and reviewing resources that provide an opportunity for first-hand knowledge. This empowers you as a parent to ask the right questions and learn more about what, how and if your child could potentially be impacted.

Do you think it is appropriate for schools to collect and catalogue data on students’ home life?
It is beneficial for schools to collect demographical data to ensure that the right programs and resources are provided that align with the community need for that school. The collection of this data is and will continue to be confidential.

Describe the achievement gap in this district. What causes it? What can be done to ensure every child in Murfreesboro has access to quality education?
Murfreesboro city schools received 5’s on TV AAS Composite, Literacy, Numeracy, and Literature and Numeracy. The district met all achievement goals and will continue to work on gap closures. From 2010 to 2013, the district reduced the number of students in the below basic category across all subgroups by one-­half. In achievement, the district scores were Math (A); Reading (A); Science (A); Social Studies (A). In growth, (content three-year average): Math (A); Reading (A); Science(C); Social Studies (A). These scores can be attributed to the excellent instruction and support being provided by Administrators, Teachers and support staff throughout the district and confirms that every child in the Murfreesboro city schools has access to a quality education.

How should teacher performance be evaluated?
All teachers should be evaluated annually at a minimum; Evaluations should be based on clear standards of instructional excellence that prioritizes student learning; Evaluations should include multiple measurements that focus on outcome of teacher’s impact on students academic growth; Evaluations should include multiple ratings with at least four to five levels to be able to describe differences in teacher effectiveness; and evaluations should encourage frequent observations and constructive feedback.

Where do, or did, your children attend school? Why did you feel it was the best choice?
My children have attended Erma Siegel Elementary, Bellwood Pre-­K and Cason Lane Academy. My children have always attended the school to which they were zoned and any school in the Murfreesboro city schools district is a good choice.

Collier Andress Smith

Murfreesboro Pulse: What are the school district’s greatest capital needs right now, and how do you think those needs should be addressed?
Smith: Building our thirteenth school, Overall Creek, is a $20 million-plus expenditure. It is a beautiful new facility off Veterans Parkway and will relieve the overcrowding primarily at Scales Elementary. Expenses to move classroom supplies around the district as a part of our rezoning effort will add up but will be a great deal less expensive than building another $20 million facility.
With regard to annual budgets, as a present member of the school board, I am no stranger to going item by item to streamline the budget. Hiring and rewarding good teachers for our system is a priority, and I will continue to work to achieve lower costs for items purchased by the system in order to provide our children the very best educations around.

How involved should the federal and state governments be in the education of Murfreesboro’s children?
I believe in educating the “whole child,” and it is hard to do that from Washington. Yes, I want federal and state funding of education, but the primary decisions for children need to be made in the district, at the schools and in the classroom.
I am dedicated to the concept of locally developed curriculum that is used to position our children for success throughout their Pre-K through 6 experience and beyond.

Some parents are concerned that Common Core Curriculum isn’t the right approach to reforming education in Tennessee. What are your thoughts on Common Core Curriculum and Race to the Top?
Common Core was adopted by Governor Haslam and is an issue for the state legislature. Common Core is already in Murfreesboro city schools and has been phased in over the last three years. It is a list of goals of basic knowledge, “standards” students should know at different grade levels. For example, “(I) can tell who, what, when, where” in a story is a 2nd-grade standard. If a student moves out of state, he or she is prepared to be at the same grade level as they are meeting the same standards. Tennessee has had “standards” for quite some time, they are just more consistent with other states now.

What do you tell parents who are concerned that Common Core testing is too rigorous?
As a parent with children transitioning into meeting the new Common Core standards, I understand the challenges children are having evolving from giving simple answers to explaining how they got those answers. Murfreesboro city schools has outstanding teachers who are now Common Core-trained to work with each child at their level to achieve success. During the school day, time is allotted for Response to Instruction and Intervention (RTI²). This period of time, focusing on math, reading and writing, is specifically geared for students to concentrate on being able to not only give an answer, but how to write about the answer and explain how they come to their conclusions. As we are training our children for the workplace, this type of written application is significantly more applicable than a rote answer.

A critical aspect of student assessment is the diagnostic aspect—finding out what students and teachers can do to improve over time. I am committed to high rigor for all of our students, not just a select few. Every child deserves a world-class education, and appropriate meaningful assessment, not over-assessment, is an important part of this education.

Do you think it is appropriate for schools to collect and catalogue data on students’ home life?
Any surveys that are conducted regarding students in MCS are done so with the approval of the board. I am committed to maintaining the privacy of students and their families. Also, any data that is collected should be used for the purpose of improving the learning experience for children of our district, not to satisfy and state or federal mandates.

How should teacher performance be evaluated?
I am a firm believer in teachers being able to shut their doors and just teach without outside hindrances on a regular basis. That said, I think principals should be empowered to evaluate their teachers through classroom visits and peer review with some guidance from student improvement scores.

Where do, or did, your children attend school? Why did you feel it was the best choice?
With all three of my children, Sally, 13; Fant, 11; and Helen, 7, attending or having attended Murfreesboro city schools, I am the only parent presently on the school board with children in the system.

Fant, 6th-grade, and Helen, 2nd, continue to be blessed as students at Discovery where I am an active parent volunteer, having served many classrooms as room mother, tutor, and PTA volunteer. I co-founded and co-chaired the school’s Explorer Fund, which created a science lab and provides technology for the school. I have volunteered hundreds of hours for the schools as a parent, a trustee of the City Schools Foundation, and as a school board member.

Discovery is a good “choice school” for our high-achieving elementary students and we are fortunate to have a nationally recognized school of its caliber in the district. MCS offers great choice schools such as Bradley for our more arts-inclined students, Hobgood for students with interests in the sciences and Mitchell-Neilson for students who wish to develop and improve leadership skills. Our zone schools are impressive with committed teachers who dedicate their lives to enriching their students’ lives.

Nancy Rainier

Murfreesboro Pulse: What are the school district’s greatest capital needs right now, and how do you think those needs should be addressed?
Rainier: This is a year of growth for the Murfreesboro city schools, so our greatest capital need is our new school, Overall Creek. City council allocated the funds to build the school. We will need to furnish it, supply needed text and library books, and deal with staffing the new school through our budget. Our finance director has been diligently working on it to present to the board for our review next month.

How involved should the federal and state governments be in the education of Murfreesboro’s children?
I wish this were a simple answer. Though the federal government gives a small share to local school districts, we do need those funds to operate. The state is our larger funding body so, of course, we need those funds and are thankful for them. However, I find it inappropriate for anyone who is not involved in the direct education of our children to tell us how to run our schools. Leave this to the professionals who have the experience and the leadership to carry out this mission.

Some parents are concerned that Common Core Curriculum isn’t the right approach to reforming education in Tennessee. What are your thoughts on Common Core and Race to the Top?
I still think there is misinformation about Common Core. I have heard it called a “program” and a “curriculum.” Common Core is actually a set of standards that are being used by our teachers. We have always had standards that we used in forming our curriculum. For those of us who have been around for years, we used to call our standards “The Blue Book.” Yes, these standards may be a little more rigorous, but they are teaching our children to think. I know, as a child, I studied hard for tests. I know I remember lots of those things, but I wonder how much more I’d remember if I’d been challenged to think of the processes involved in math equations. I had a terrible time memorizing multiplication facts. I think teachers now have the liberty to show more than one way to “get to” an answer.

We hear so much now about the fact that we have hundreds of unclaimed jobs here in Rutherford County because we have an untrained workforce. Learning this way may help students better prepare for their future. Not everyone will go to college, so let’s prepare them for vocational trades and other jobs where thinking skills, problem solving and working as a team will be a measure of success. I am in the schools frequently and I see great things happening as small groups of children work together to solve problems. No longer are our students sitting in little rows of desks working independently all day long. They are learning to get along with one another and to value another’s opinion or pathway to solving a problem.
As for Race to the Top, this is the last year for those funds.

What do you tell parents who are concerned that Common Core is too rigorous?
I would tell them to research the standards for their child’s grade level and see how beneficial it would be for their child to master those skills. I also think it would be wise to give it more time. Any time you start something new, there is a period of time when you have to get used to it. For instance, when we would adopt a new math textbook series there was a period of time when the children and teachers had to realize there were adjustments to be made. If my own child was in the fifth grade and this series went about things a little differently, I had to realize he didn’t have the prerequisite skills that came before in kindergarten through fourth grade as prescribed in that series. Things were a little more difficult for a short time. I think the same thing is happening with Common Core. I’ve heard it said that parents don’t know how to help their child at home. If that is the case, talk to the teacher. Find out what the skills are. Learn the vocabulary. It will then be a positive experience for all.

Do you think it is appropriate for schools to collect and catalogue data on
students’ home life?
No. I don’t know of that happening here. I do, however, think it important for the classroom teacher to know if there is an issue in the home that would affect a child while at school. This might be a divorce or death of a family member. It is vital to keep the teacher informed of anything that would alter that child’s normal routine. Our teachers are there to nurture your children.

Describe the achievement gap in this district. What causes it? What can be done to ensure every cild in Murfreesboro has access to quality education?
Our achievement gaps have been with students who have learning disabilities and those who are English language learners. These children are tested on grade level with their peers and, therefore, do not perform as well. I think Murfreesboro city schools is doing everything possible to address these issues. We are trying to teach “the whole child” socially, academically, physically and emotionally. We have specialists in place to help. Our achievement is going up each year.

How should teacher performance be evaluated?
I think teachers should be evaluated on what each does in his/her own classroom—whether that be in a self-contained class, the gymnasium, the music room, the library, etc. It is very unfair to think that some of these teachers are given scores on their evaluations that are a reflection of building-wide performance. I have been supervising teacher candidates (student teachers) this year. We are using the TEAM Evaluation Model for their observations, as do our principals to evaluate their staff. I applaud anyone who consistently gets 4s and 5s on this model. It is a very difficult task, yet our teachers are pulling this off every day!

Where do, or did, your children attend school? Why do you feel it was the best choice?
My children attended public schools all the way through. Ryan started with me at Reeves Rogers. I moved to Northfield when it opened, so Ryan attended third grade there through sixth grade. Heather started kindergarten there and went through sixth grade. Both then attended Central Middle School and Oakland High School. Heather went on to the University of Kentucky.

The public schools were the best choice for them because they both got a quality education from some wonderful teachers. Ryan’s second-grade teacher, Dr. Delores Doyle, became the first elementary school Tennessee Teacher of the Year. Our faculties are amazing.
Both of my children were in the gifted (MERIT) program, so opportunities were available for them and their specific needs. My stepson, Brad, also attended the Murfreesboro city schools at Northfield, Mitchell-Neilson Primary and Cason Lane.

Geoffrey Herring

Murfreesboro Pulse: What are the school district’s greatest capital needs right now, and how do you think those needs should be addressed?
Herring: Capital needs are amazing. And the opportunity to save substantial dollars can occur when considering all capital needs of MCS. As Murfreesboro continues to enjoy economic prosperity so too will it be challenged to meet the increasing demands placed on its infrastructure, including educational demands. In planning ahead we should consider not just site and location, but also efficiency. We should plan ahead for larger campuses but with mini-campuses. Here, we could meet the educational demands of more children at one site, but with the appearance and function of multiple schools. Imagine two, or even three, mini-schools on one campus, meeting the needs, and wants, of our educational consumers (children, teachers, administrators, and parents) all while saving millions of dollars in brick and mortar costs alone. Imagine teachers having the ability to share their talents with other teachers because we build a system designed to capitalize (no pun intended) on the talents of teachers, not just the prescribed skill set (minimum standards, not a good idea). Here we can also work to improve our teacher/student ratio so as to better serve all students. Imagine a system where we had fewer EAs and MDAs and simply more teachers. There are few that would argue that more teachers and thus better ratios will improve the entire educational experience for everyone!

How involved should the federal and state governments be in the education of Murfreesboro’s children?
I believe that where there is financial intervention there should be oversight, just as it should be at home AND as it is in business everyday. I believe there should be common standards for all children, but not to the extent that we either treat all students the same or that we disallow teachers from bringing special opportunities and experiences to the classroom. I believe there should be accountability of ALL involved in this multi-million dollar “business,” but that we must recognize that each child is special, in his own right, and that as such progress should be measured, not equality in the testing as if every child were cut from the same mold. Look around and you’ll see that there are varying—significant—socioeconomic circumstances in play and that, generally speaking, those who may have more resources and support available to them, for whatever reason, may have certain testing advantages. Here, progress can measure success on an individual basis, rewarding great effort, from the student and the teacher, without inappropriately standardizing the ability of each member of this equation: student, teacher and administrator.

Some parents are concerned that Common Core Curriculum isn’t the right approach to reforming education in Tennessee. What are your thoughts on Common Core Curriculum and Race to the Top?
The premise behind Common Core is well founded; however, implementation has clearly been challenging at best. I have had teachers and administrators tell me that Common Core is or is not a curriculum. As I respect each perspective on this sensitive subject, I believe strongly that a system that builds upon itself, year after year, has strong merits. I support Common Core but feel that the RTI2 and Assessment process is not adequate in measuring progress on an individual basis. We must recognize that every student is unique. We must consider that there are external parameters in place of which we have limited, or no, control. We must understand that like adults, each child brings a unique set of skills and talents to the table and that one testing system cannot adequately measure such on a standardized, across the board measure.

What do you tell parents who are concerned that Common Core testing is too rigorous?
I clearly agree that there is a challenge with the testing related to the Common Core standards. That said, I believe we must test the progress of our children, but on a one-on-one basis. As mentioned before, I support Common Core and feel that we must better communicate the difference between Common Core, RTI2 and Assessments. Here, I feel certain we will find much common ground, no pun intended, on which to build a foundation for all of our children.

Do you think it is appropriate for schools to collect and catalogue data on students’ home life?
To the extent that such data can assist the teacher in better understanding the concerns of their students as well as the programs—e.g. Free and Reduced Lunch—to effectively use our hard-earned tax dollars where appropriate. There is clearly the element of sensitive information in play here, but when we are dealing with our children’s welfare, their future, then I do believe we owe it to ourselves to have accountability to those involved.

Describe the achievement gap in this district. What causes it? What can be done to ensure every child in Murfreesboro has access to quality education?
I think there are many forces at work here, some over which we have direct control and some that we might never be positioned to control. Take for instance socioeconomic differences, as mentioned before, and clearly at play everywhere. I cannot think of a way in which the school system can directly affect such matters, nor do I believe it is the school system’s responsibility.

How should teacher performance be evaluated?
Simply put, progress. We should look at each child’s past performance as a basis of their ability to improve. We must, however, also consider outside variables, to the extent such can be legally obtained, so as to recognize the unique concerns of each child. We can then measure the progress of a child as compared to their previous ability. This would be one way that I believe would be fair to the student, teacher, and the education system. This does not, however, address advancement. Here again there are broader issues at play, many of which I may not even be aware.

Where do, or did, your children attend school? Why did you feel it was the best choice?
I attended public schools in Murfreesboro and so have my children, each having attended Erma Siegel Elementary under the direction of Mrs. Tuckson and Mrs. Spencer. Each grew personally and academically, and I would characterize their time at ESE as a very, very good experience. And no, I do not have children in private schools. My children currently attend Siegel High and Siegel Middle, respectively. Further, I feel that we offer a superb educational experience in the Murfreesboro city school system where I further believe we address not only academics but also, to a certain extent, social skills, as well as awareness.