Six candidates are vying for two seats open on the Van Buren Public Schools Board of Education in the Nov. 8 General Election.
The four-year terms of Board President Martha Toth and Vice President Bob Binert are expiring and they both are running for reelection, along with four others who are seeking election to their seats.
Besides the two incumbents, candidates are former board president David Peer and newcomers Martha Hanoian, Brent Mikulski, and Brandon Barry Mullins.
All six of the candidates appeared at Monday’s Meet the Candidate forum at South Middle School put on by the Belleville Women’s Club. About 65 people attended the forum, which was presided over by 34th District Court Judge Brian Oakley.
Each person running for election to the school board also filled out an Independent candidate questionnaire. Here are the candidates and the information they provided.
(The candidate information for running for the Belleville City Council and Mayor will be published in next week’s Independent.)
Martha Toth
Martha Toth, 61, 10011 Hamilton Court, Van Buren Township, has lived in the school district for 31 years. She and her late husband are the parents of two adult daughter, Leilah and Valerie.
Toth provides information technology services for a non-profit organization.
She has a bachelor of arts degree, with graduate courses in education. Toth writes an education-related blog http://ed-matters.blogspot.com/ .
When asked why she is running for office, Toth replied:
“I am running because, after
thousands of volunteer hours in classrooms and many years of service
on the school board, I am deeply invested in the success of the VBPS.
“We are at a delicate and difficult point now, where our financial
position can tip either way and profound changes in how we provide
our core service are just beginning to take hold. I believe stability
on the board is important to maintaining our forward momentum, as
well as to attracting and supporting a new superintendent.”
When asked about her goals, if reelected, Toth replied:
“I have four major goals at this time. First is to accelerate the change in instructional delivery that is required for all of our community’s children to be successful. I cannot overstate the urgency of the need for all of our staff to adopt the research-based practices that have already borne fruit in many of our classrooms.
“We know that responsive instruction works. When teachers have the tools
to determine easily what each student is and is not learning, they can
collaborate with one another to share strategies on how to fill students’ gaps in understanding and correct their misconceptions, and know how to actively engage students in their own learning, the results are remarkable.
“These practices must become universal — as quickly as possible.
“Second, we must continue to adapt to our drastically reduced funding
as quickly as possible while still providing our children a quality
education. Schools are a service industry, so 80-85% of our
expenditures are for service providers.
“We do not purchase raw materials as do manufacturers, for example; our raw materials walk through our doors every day. There are two possible ways to deal with the unprecedented revenue cuts made this year (after nearly a decade of revenue not keeping up with inflation): we can reduce services or
reduce personnel costs. It is unacceptable to me to offer today’s children a less comprehensive education than my own daughters
received just a few years ago.
“That means we must ask our staff to do this important work for less pay and to share more of the cost of their benefits every year. We must negotiate these changes with a spirit of shared and equal sacrifice, as we have been doing, while continually striving for operational efficiencies. Our community’s children need and deserve no less.
“Third, just as our children are now required to meet much higher
standards than we were, the performance bar has been raised for our
professional staff, as well. We must help them to get ever better at what they do. They are being asked to teach and assess in ways that were often not covered in their own professional preparation.
“Just as I have confidence that our children can learn what they must to be
successful in the new global economy, so I believe that our teachers are capable of becoming more expert in their practice.
“It is our obligation to support them in doing so. And the morale boost from
being treated as professionals and experiencing greater success can
help to make up for our inability to pay them what they are truly worth.
“Finally, I aim to help find and transition to a new superintendent
who can continue and accelerate the momentum for change that is vital
to our survival as a school district. It is critical that this person be an educational leader who can engage, motivate, and support our staff to achieve the raised standards for their own profession.
“We need a superintendent who has not simply bought into research-based
theory and practice, but who has internalized it, so that his or her
instincts are dead-on. We need a visionary leader with the good and
independent judgment it takes to shake things up and push us all to be better. Because we must get dramatically better – or sink into the backwaters where some of our neighboring districts find themselves now.”
Robert Binert
Robert Binert, 65, 49155 Bemis Road, Sumpter Township, currently serves as vice president of the School Board.
He is married to Carol and they have three children Mark, Christine and Jennifer. He has lived in the school district for 34 years.
Binert retired from the Ford Motor Co. in 2001. He holds an associate’s degree from Henry Ford Community College.
He said his joy is playing Santa at Christmas for the kids.
In addressing why he is running for office, Binert said, “When I tell people that I am a trustee on my local School Board, they say, ‘You must be crazy or nuts to want to do that.’
“Well, maybe in a way I am, because I firmly believe in the public school system and that all children are entitled to the best education we can give them no matter what their learning ability is.
“Children learn at different levels, some faster and easier than others. No matter what the level is or what the impairment might be, we as parents, grandparents or just adults with no children have a responsibility to ensure the best for our students. I also hear from my children, two of whom are educators, about how they struggle to ensure the best for the students they come to serve and educate.
“I have been on the School Board for eight of the past 11 years and active during the years when I wasn’t serving on the board, as a member of a number of district committees.
“To serve and fight for the best education for our students is something I hope to continue to do.
“That will be a struggle based on the funding cuts and changes that have come down from the state level.
“We must fight for our students by letting the governor and our legislators know we do not agree with the laws they are passing and the funding cuts that are directly affecting our students.
“So, vote, and become proactive for our students and for Public Education,” Binert concluded.
As to his goals once elected? Binert said: “I see a number of goals once re-elected to the school Board:
• Selection of a new superintendent;
• Redesign of our school district;
• Elimination of our budget deficit;
• Completion and opening of our new high school; and
• Continued evaluation of our curriculum and addressing the educational needs of our students to prepare them for the future.”
David Peer
David Peer, longtime president of the School Board, was defeated for reelection in the November 2010 election and is running to reclaim his seat.
Peer, 57, 2511 S. Grove Road, Ypsilanti Township served 20 years on the board of education.
He has lived in the school district for 33 years and is retired from Ford Motor Company. He attended Washtenaw Community College.
Peer is married to Sandra and they have two children, Samantha and Alexander who have graduated from Belleville High School.
He enjoys spending time with his grandchildren and doing woodworking.
Peer wrote, “I am running for office because I see the current financial situation in the district as an opportunity to start over. In the past, any changes the district made to enhance the educational opportunities the system provided for its students were things we did in addition to what we were already doing.
“Those changes were generally ineffective and short-lived because they required additional resources. State law now requires our students to meet graduation requirements that will make them college-ready before they graduate.
“That should be our goal and I believe we can achieve it if we begin to do those things that research shows work.”
At the forum, Peer said he is not running to take either Binert’s or Toth’s seat, “because they’ve both done a great job.”
Martha E. Hanoian
Martha E. Hanoian, 38, 42738 Stratford, Van Buren Township, is running for elective office for the first time because of her children. She and her husband Sean have two children, Jacob, 12, who attends Keystone Academy and wants to come to Belleville High School and Elizabeth, 10, in the Gifted and Talented program at Tyler Elementary School.
Hanoian has lived in the school district for 11 years. She has a bachelor’s degree from Adrian College and is a Director of Children’s Ministries at her church. She serves as vice president of P&P Competitive Dance Association.
When asked why she is running for office, she replied: “I am running for school board because I am passionate about our children’s education. I believe that working on the school board I can contribute to improving our school district and can effect positive change in our schools.
“I want our school district to provide the best education available to our students and I want parents to be proud to send their children to Van Buren public schools.”
When asked of her goals, Hanoian said:
“Some of the areas I plan to focus on once elected are:
• Quality of Education: I would like us to work toward smaller class sizes so students can have individual attention and a quality learning environment. Teachers need support and resources to help students reach their potential. These types of steps are very critical in raising test scores and competing with other schools for students.
• Student Safety and Health: Students should have a safe and enriching school environment inside and outside of the classroom. Our students deserve healthier meal choices than highly processed and fried food. Both our parents and students deserve clear arrival, dismissal and parking lot procedures. It is imperative for our children to feel safe and to be healthy in order to be able to focus on learning.
• Parent involvement and Collaboration: I believe parents are extremely important to our schools and their concerns should be heard. Decisions should be made in collaboration with students, parents, teachers, and administrators. Communications with and involvement of parents are keys to success in our school district.”
Brent Mikulski
Brent Mikulski, 39, 48792 Fifth Ave., Canton, is making his first run for elective office.
He is married to Stephanie and they have a daughter Madison, 9, and son Kyle, 7. They have lived in the school district for nine years.
He is Vice President of Business Affairs at Team Mental Health Services and holds a Masters of Business Administration from Wayne State University, and Bachelor of Science -Mathematics, University of Oklahoma.
Mikulski is a board member for Health One Credit Union, board member of Wayne County Sheriff Youth and Senior Education Fund , Bell Ringer for the Salvation Army, youth coach for Michigan Youth Flag Football, YMCA Basketball, and Greater Canton Youth Baseball/Softball Association.
His hobbies include golf, outdoor sports, snowmobiling and spending time with his family.
When asked why he is running for office, Mikulski replied:
“I am running for office to take an active role in the decision-making process within the Van Buren Public School system. Having two children in the district, their education is extremely important to me and my family. I want to do all I can to give them, and all the children of the district, the quality education they deserve.
“The education and opportunities that the community gives them today will be the foundation on which their entire lives are based. We cannot afford a lost generation if we hope to have a social and economic future as a community.
“I currently serve on the Wayne County Sheriff’s Senior Youth Education Fund and the Health One Union board. I hope to bring the many skills I have acquired serving these organizations to the Van Buren Public Schools District.
“Pick up a newspaper or tune in to any news broadcast and you can see that this is a critical time for public education. Anyone serving on a board of education today has a daunting challenge educating our children while balancing the budget and still being fair and equitable to the staff and parents.
“It is a difficult proposition. I believe that if we are honest with the community and transparent with our good intentions that we can pull together and weather this storm and be better for it. People understand the environment we are in. They have no problem tightening their belts as long as it is fair and the right thing to do.
“Where we get into trouble is by making decisions that don’t make sense, and are not transparent in their intent. The community, parents, teachers, and school administration deserve the Van Buren Public School Board to be accountable, dedicated, and a cohesive group focused on improving the education experience of this community and do the best with the budget that the State gives to us.”
Mikulski said he has three basic goals if he is elected:
Improving test scores, increased community involvement in Board decision-making, and greater transparency of School Board actions.
“Everything else, such as increasing co-op programs currently in place and better preparing our high school graduates for college, should fall into place if we concentrate on these three as a start.
“Improving test scores needs to be high on any school board’s list. The State and Federal government have made it clear that testing is important. Whether you agree with the basic concepts of testing or not, testing is a hard reality of education today.
“We need to focus on how to improve test scores while making sure that our children are ready to enter a 21stcentury international society. Sometimes these two can be at odds with each other and can turn our teachers into statisticians and number-crunchers rather than educators. Like it or not, we need to make this happen for our District to survive.
“Increased community involvement is a must if we as a school district hope to grow. Healthy schools mean a healthy community. We must be in tune with what our community needs and what are their goals.
“Public schools are just that; these are the public’s schools, pure and simple. If the Board does not listen to them and include what the community wants and needs, we have failed in our objective.
“Transparency of board actions is key to the District’s success. With transparency comes support of the parents, children, staff, and community. Without support, the Board is ineffective and impotent.
“All people really want is to know that the people they have elected are working in their best interests. The Board is elected to understand the issues, make the best decisions they can make with the information that they have at the time, and to make sure those actions are understood by those who elected the Board.
“I feel that staff, parents, and the community have lost a certain amount of faith in the current Board.”
Brandon Barry Mullins
Brandon Barry Mullins, 26, 11627 Meadows Circle, Van Buren Township, is running for elective office for the first time.
He is married to Puja and they have a child Aeris, almost 3 and a son Victor, about 15 months old.
Mullins is the owner of PeRshGo Industries, a marketing and advertising firm.
He graduated from BHS in 2003, graduated from Specs Howard School of Media Arts in 2004, and plans to graduate from Eastern Michigan University this fall with a major in Electronic Media and a minor in Graphic Communication.
Mullins is a Chartered Organization Representative and Marketing Consultant for the Boys Scouts, a Deacon at Myrtle Lodge No. 89, Free and Accepted Mason in Belleville; Head of Washtenaw Chapter No.6, Royal arch Mason in Ann Arbor; former member of EMU’s Simulation Animation and Gaming Program curriculum advisory committee; and currently attending Oak Pointe Church in Novi.
His hobbies include spending time with his family, independent film, and editing Wikipedia.
When asked why he is running for office, Mullins replied:
“I’ve lived in the area almost my entire life. I started school at Elwell Elementary, moving to Tyler after being admitted to the Gifted and program, then on to North Middle School and eventually to BHS and then off to college.
“I like to think that I had a great educational experience in the Van Buren Public School District. When I was in school it seemed like things were always looking up.
“The GT program expanded as I went through it, we quickly adapted to the changes in technology the ‘90s brought, including the creation of our own television station, and because of all this constant growth and progression, parents from other district were so eager to send their kids to us we simply couldn’t hold them all.
“It really was a great time to be a student in this community, and I am quick to mention that there are still great things going on here. We have a new high school being built, and the very concept of Belleville New Tech speaks to our continuing commitment to technology.
“But, if you look in and around the community, you see people who look at our district and see one in decline. The coffers are empty, test scores are abysmal, programs are being slashed, and despite our intended commitment to technology, we’re nowhere near the cutting edge.
“My days at BHS are long behind me and for a time like many students venturing on their own, thoughts of the district were pushed to the back of my mind. I furthered my education, founded my business, got married to a wonderful woman and before I knew it we were blessed with two amazing children.
“It’s a lot of changes to go through inw hat seems like such a short time, but out of all those changes it was havingkids of my own that got me really looking at the district again. I have always ahd a strong commitment to the community, but now havinga one and two year old I really have to look hard at the community they’ll be growing up, and in turn the schools they’ll be attending.
“What I’ve found is a district in trouble. The recession we’re in has caused a vicious cycle. Houses have been lost, funding has gone down, and because of that the district is in trouble and our community can’t rebuild because of the district’s now poor reputation.
“I suppose I could wait it out and hope for the best, but that’s really not how I approach life. I want to do something, so here I am.”
When asked about his goals, if elected, Mullins said:
“My goals are to use my skills in marketing entertainment and the high-tech field to make sure the district is doing everything we can to harness what new technology has to offer in order to appeal to and educate our students, as well as ensure that our district is effectively communicating the amazing things we’re going in our schools to the people of our district and surrounding area in order to build a better reputation for the district and revitalize the community as a whole.
“I also want to put a greater emphasis on higher education and work on several other issues that you can find more information about at http://electbrandonmullins.com .