Eight candidates are running for four, four-year seats on the Van Buren Public Schools Board of Education in the Nov. 8 election.
Brent Mikulski and Kelly Owen, are incumbents; Keith Johnston and David Peer, are former board members; and four are newcomers making their first bids for elective office and running as a slate: Victor DeLibera, Susan Featheringill, Darlene Loyer Gerick, and Simone Pinter.
Those on the ballot, in alphabetical order, are:
Victor DeLibera
Victor De Libera, 44723 Greenbriar, Van Buren Township, has lived in the district for 14 years. He and his wife Margo have three children Victor Paul, Gabrielle and Isabella.
He holds a bachelor of science in Mathematics from the University of Maryland. He is employed as a cost analyst.
DeLibera holds an appointed position on the Van Buren Township Downtown Development Authority. He is a volunteer with the Boy Scouts, a trustee with Belleville Band Boosters, and is 3rd Degree Knights of Columbus.
He said he is running for office because he and his family have lived in the township for over 14 years and he volunteers and gets involved because he has a passion for his community and his schools.
“I believe very strongly we have some of the best, most-dedicated people working in our school district,” he said. “Our school system has great potential. I am interested in making a positive difference and believe strongly I can make a meaningful contribution as a member of the board.”
De Libera’s goals, once elected, are:
• The overall goal and vision/mission for our school district should be Students, Teachers (staff/administration) and Community, in that order.
• The children must come first and we must make every effort, working together with parents to ensure we are giving the students a well-rounded education, sufficient to enable them to become valuable members of society.
• Our teachers need the ability to be creative within the confines of the structure of National, State, and Local boundaries.
• Our community benefits from a school district that brings in top grades and is sought after by institutions outside of our community. Schools systems are one of the most important contributors of community value.
• Transparency is how you begin to reach these goals and needs to be inculcated into the processes of the school board. Nothing should be hidden from the constituents or other board members. If the board members make mistakes, they should be held responsible with the understanding that mistakes are how we all improve.
• I believe above all else our system of government is designed to serve the people and not the other way around. As elected officials serving the community, it should be the board’s duty to ensure the community has the appropriate level of awareness of board decisions and policy.
Susan K. Featheringill
Susan K. Featheringill, 50385 S. I-94 Service Drive, Van Buren Township, has been married to Danny for 39 years. Their daughters are Amy Reees and Sara Cortese.
Featheringill, 59, has lived in the school district for 43 years. She retired as assistant superintendent for Business Operations from the Taylor Schools.
She earned a bachelor of business administration degree in Accounting rom Cleary College of Business in 1986 and a master of arts degree in Educational Leadership from Eastern Michigan University in 1991.
Her professional memberships included the Michigan Schools Energy Cooperative, where she served as president, vice president, and elected board member; Wayne County School Business Officials, where she served as president, vice-president, treasurer, and secretary; and Michigan School Business officials, where she currently is an emeritus member.
He civil involvement includes, Girl Scouts of America, Council Reorganization Committee; Southeasterrn Michigan Finance Committee, Women’s Study Club, Staff Parish Committee, Sunday School teacher, Junior Girl Scout Leader; Children’s Choir Director; Church Finance chairperson, presently; Church Finance Committee; and Joyful Noise, the church music ministry, presently.
“I am running for the school board to be a valuable and responsible leader in the community,” she said. “My husband and I, along with our two daughters, are Belleville High School graduates.
“With two grandchildren currently attending Van Buren schools and three more that are not old enough yet, I want to make sure that they receive the best possible educational experiences. As a retiree, I want to be able to give back to the community with this important position utilizing my more than 30 years of school district work experience.”
As to her goals: “The school district has a new superintendent and this is a crucial time to establish appropriate relations between the board and the superintendent.
“There are many areas that the board is responsible for in this relationship. Policy, vision, budget, curriculum, union contracts, and facility needs are some of these. Policy is established by the board of education. The policies need to be reviewed to make sure the policies are still appropriate and will be followed.
“The district vision and associated goals will need to be evaluated to be incorporated as part of the new superintendent’s goals. The other areas are major responsibilities for the superintendent with the board developing the major framework. Therefore, this year it will be a crucial time to make sure that each area of this relationship is evaluated to use the strengths of the new superintendent. Then, Van Buren Schools will be a successful educational system.”
Darlene Loyer Gerick
Darlene Loyer Gerick, 47675 Martz Road, Van Buren Township, has lived in the district all her life – 49 years, minus years at college.
She is married to Ron Gerick and they have a daughter Marina Gerick. She is a facility manager at UMHS-IT.
She has a bachelor of arts with a dual major, computer science and studies in organizational leadership.
Gerick has been a Girl Scout for 22 years and a leader for six. She served as registrar for Belleville Tigers Youth Football and Cheer.
“This is my town. I grew up here. I am raising my child here. I want her to have the education I had. I want her to someday care out this town as much as I do.”
Her goals once elected are to improve transparency of the school board, work with local community groups for mutual benefit, and make technology decisions to benefit teachers, students, and parents.
Keith L. Johnston
Keith L. Johnston, 39848 East Huron River Drive, Romulus mailing, has lived in the school district for 36 years.
Johnston, 57, is a printer and leases buildings. He and his wife have three children William, Jason, and Jamie.
He is a graduate of New Boston Huron High School and Hope College.
He previously served on the Van Buren Public Schools Board of Education for eight years.
Johnston has been active in the Belleville and Romulus Chambers of Commerce as a member of the boards of directors, Romulus DDA chair, Boys & Girls Club advisory council member, vice president of the Community Assistance Foundation (CAF5), Cougar football coach for 18 years, Van Buren Little League softball and baseball coach, and high school assistant football coach.
“I am running for office because I enjoy being involved in the community and I believe I have the ability to make a positive impact on our schools,” he said. “As my track record shows, most of what I do pertains to helping children and I aspire to increase students’ test scores (paying specific attention to Language Arts).
“My main goal after I am elected would be to improve students’ reading scores. I aim to do this by implementing a mentoring program that allows volunteers to take a few days a month to help students one-on-one with reading.
“My idea is simply to take a student lunch (of their choice) and read with them. This would achieve three things: First, it gets the students reading more. Second, it allows the students one-on-one attention (which has been proven to be more effective on student learning than a classroom setting), and lastly my hope is that this program could foster bonds between students and mentors similar to the Big Sister Big Brother program.
“The student and mentor would be able to meet at the student’s lunch period so that no students would have to miss any class time for this program. This would be a big commitment from staff, mentors, and students alike.”
Brent Mikulski
Brent Mikulski, 48792 Fifth Ave., Canton mailing, is current president of the Van Buren Public Schools Board of Education. He was elected in 2011.
Mikulski, 44, has lived in the school district for 14 years. He and his wife Stephanie have a daughter Madison and a son Kyle.
He is president/CEO of Services to Enhance Potential.
Mikulski earned a bachelor of science in Mathematics from the University of Oklahoma and a Master’s of Business Administration from Wayne State University.
He is a board member for MARO (Michigan Association of Rehabilitation Organizations), a board member of Arc of Dearborn, board member of Wayne County Sheriff Youth and Senior Education Fund, board member of Lakeside Residential Program, and member of Arc of Detroit.
“I am seeking reelection because I feel work needs to continue to be done in our district,” he said. “While we are in a much better place from where we were when I was first elected, our district is still facing difficult challenges.
“In 2011 our district was facing a looming budget deficit that required the attention of everyone. Since 2011, difficult decisions have been made to help balance the budget. With cooperation from Administrative Staff, Teaching Staff, and members from the Community, we closed elementary schools, reconfigured our middle and intermediate schools, and implemented a number of programs with intent to save the district money. We now have an approximate reserve of 18%, matched by only a few districts throughout the State of Michigan.
“Additionally, efforts were initiated to increase the effectiveness of our curriculum by introducing Carnegie Math, Everyday Math, Battle Creek Science, and English and Language Arts. The development and implementation of these types of programs are critical to the success of our students and must continue. I will continue to work with district leadership to assure that evidenced-based curriculums are vetted and implemented. Without these types of initiatives, our students will begin to drop further behind neighboring districts and other districts throughout the state.
As a parent of two students in the district, I understand the importance of supporting teachers throughout our schools with resources that will help engage our students and prepare them for their next levels of learning or career goals.
Mikulski outlined his goals, once re-elected:
“I will continue building on the progress that has been accomplished in the past five years. Many of the initiatives put in place need to be supported and continued if we want to see the desired results. We also have a new Superintendent that needs the support of our School Board. It will continue to be one of my goals to support Mr. Kudlak during his tenure as our leader.
“Our school district, much like other districts throughout the State of Michigan, are facing declining enrollment. This declining enrollment combined with the lack of suitable funding increases from the State of Michigan requires constant attention of our district’s Superintendent and Administration Staff.
“I will use my educational and professional skills and experience to continue to work with our Superintendent and Administration Staff to address and manage these financial challenges.
“Similar to the financial issues mentioned above, districts statewide are challenged with a teacher shortage. With a fewer number of teachers entering the workforce and an aging workforce retiring at a higher frequency than in years past, districts are facing challenges to staff classrooms with qualified teachers.
“This challenge becomes tougher when a district seeks Language and other specialty teachers. Additionally, recent legislation continues to limit access to exceptional substitute teachers by shrinking the candidate pool to select from.
“The definition of a successful district is one that individuals want to work in. We must continue our efforts to recruit highly talented and dedicated teaching and support staff. Professional development must continue to be a part of our retention program to promote leadership from within.
“As a Board Trustee, I will continue to work with District Leadership to assure we strive to be a district individuals seek employment with.
“Public School Districts are continuously faced with new and difficult legislative mandates and expectations put in place by non-experts in Lansing. These elected officials in Lansing continue to make decisions that negatively impact a public school district’s ability to be successful. Attempts continue to be made to rank public school districts by metrics that continuously change when outcomes sought are not achieved. The ever-changing metrics make it extremely difficult for a public school district to be successful.
“It is extremely important for a School Board member to be involved at a local level, but is also critical that they are advocates in Lansing and with their elected officials. I will work to assure that advocacy continues on matters that impact our district.”
Kelly A. Owen
Kelly A. Owen, 42607 Maude Court, Van Buren Township, was elected to the Van Buren Public Schools Board of Education in 2011 and is seeking reelection.
Owen, 53, has lived in the school district for 24 years. She holds an associate’s degree from Washtenaw Community College and is a homemaker.
She has been married to Kyle Owen for the past 22 years and they have three children, Kendall, Kameron, and Karlee. All three children have attended the Van Buren Public Schools since the first grade.
Kendall is 20 years old and a junior at Western Michigan University. Kameron is 18 and a freshman at Eastern Michigan University. Karlee, 15, is a sophomore at Belleville High School.
Owen has been a member of the Van Buren Public Schools Education Foundation for the past six years and its recording secretary for the past two years.
She has been a member of the Tiger Parent/Senior party Committee for the past four years, PTO president for three years and vice president for one year at McBride Middle School. She has been a part of the District School Improvement Committee for the past five years. She was in charge of the Santa Shop at Haggerty Elementary for five years and was a paraprofessional at Haggerty Elementary for three months. She also enjoys beading and scrapbooking.
“I love being involved in our schools,” Owen said. “I am a stay-at-home mom and have had the opportunity to spend the last 15 years at our schools volunteering and staying involved in my children’s education. I believe in our teachers, principals, and administrators, and know that they are doing their very best to give our children the finest education possible.
“I have enjoyed sitting on the Board of Education for the past four years and have learned a lot. This past year has been a trying time for our community and has made me see that even though we may be on different sides at times, we all want what is best for our students. I believe that education, like anything else, you get out of it what you put in. I want to help my children, and others, to get the most out of school, and lead productive, successful lives.
“We have one of the most generous and impassioned communities around, and I believe that together we can make Van Buren Public Schools a district that is envied by the surrounding communities, and one that is looked upon as an ideal of what a school district should be.”
Her goals, once reelected:
“I believe that the most-pressing issue facing our school district is rebuilding the trust and relationship between the community and school board, and I would like to see this repaired. I believe in open and honest lines of communication with students, parents, teachers, administrators, and all staff. I am willing to listen to any and all concerns, and help find solutions whenever possible.
David Peer
David Peer, 2511 S. Grove Street, Ypsilanti Township, has lived in the school district for 39 years.
He is married to Sandra Peer and they have a daughter, Samantha, and a son, Alexander.
He is retired from Ford Motor Company and is a UAW member. He attended Washtenaw Community College.
Peer, 62, served on the Van Buren Public Schools Board of Education for five terms.
He enjoys woodworking and spending time with his family.
When asked why he is running for office, Peer replied:
“Keith Johnston was concerned with the growing lack of trust between at least a portion of the community and the board. Keith asked if I would be interested in running with him to improve transparency and communication between the board and community.
“We know that as board members we need to be able to explain what we are doing and how taking that action is going to help the district improve.
“When we do that it opens the door for a discussion with and the opportunity to listen to others.
“Keith and I served together on the board for eight years. I believe that we made an honest effort to listen to everyone that had concerns about an issue. That is not to say that everyone agreed with every decision we made. I know that we always made the decision that we believed would help the district meet the needs of kids.
“I believe I can help us put our focus back on teaching kids the skills they need to be successful.
“There are many positive things happening in the district that have been overshadowed by the M-STEP investigation.
“The level of trust did not exist between at least some of the staff and prior central office administration that would allow the district to move forward.
“We now have a new Superintendent and administrative staff. I am confident the new administration is committed to building that trust.
“I attended board meetings for about four years before I was elected the first time. I was elected on my third try. I then served five terms. I doubt that I missed more than 10 meetings during those 25 years. I worked with five different superintendents during my time on the board. I believe I have the experience and commitment to help the district move forward.
His goals, once elected, include:
“Work with the other board members to find a meeting format that allows the board to deal with the agenda and allows community members the opportunity to ask questions about items we are going to take action on.
“Reinstate the monthly work study session.
“The board needs to gain a clear understanding of and support for what the district is doing to improve student achievement. According to the 2015-2016 M-STEP, 1,388 or 67% of the students in grades three through eight were not proficient on the ELA test and 1,493 or 72% were not proficient on the math test.
“I believe it is time for everyone to say out loud that the system is not meeting the needs of a majority of the kids.
“The low level of proficiency that test like the M-STEP show do not indicate that the students have failed to learn or the teachers have failed to teach them. I believe that all of our students are learning. I also believe that our teachers are responsible for that learning.
“I think the system teachers teach in and students learn in is responsible for a majority of our students not learning at the level they should be.
“The district is currently working with consultants to learn how to begin changing that system.
“We need to agree that no one is satisfied with the results the system is currently producing. We then need to agree that pointing fingers or looking for someone to hold accountable does not change those results.
“I believe that if we all become active participants in the process the consultants are proposing we will see all of our students make significant gains. They will make those gains because teachers and administrators will be working in and continuously improving a system they create. That system will be designed to support their efforts to ensure all students are learning,” Peer said.
Simone Pinter
Simone Suzzanne Pinter, 48496 Ellen Court, Van Buren Township, has lived in the school district for 36 years.
She and her husband Larry have three children, Tiffany, Tabitha, and Matthew.
Pinter, 54, is a florist and graduated from high school and floral design school.
She has been involved with fund raisers for Stephanie Smith and Kathy Hammond, Relay for Life, Veterans, and many school fund raisers.
She said she is running for school board “to help bring the school back to the place people want their children to go.”
Her goals once elected: “I want VBPS to be the school of choice everyone wants their children to go to, but can’t because we are full.”