Read more about Celeste Hawkins at ycsfirstchoice.com.
1. Aside from the budget, what are your two top
priorities for the Ypsilanti schools?
My top two priorities for
Ypsilanti Community Schools (YCS) are increasing student achievement and reducing
the number of suspensions and expulsions.
As it relates to student
achievement, it is important to ensure we have high expectations and a rigorous
and engaging curriculum for all students.
In Washtenaw County, school districts continue to grapple with how to
narrow and eliminate the academic achievement gap between minority and
non-minority students, specifically the disproportionate rates of academic achievement
that are negatively impacting many African American students. It is imperative that we address factors
that perpetuate the academic disparities that exist between minority and
non-minority students in the YCS school district with diligence and
intentionality. Disproportionate rates of achievement along the lines of race
and class are problematic and I am committed to do what is necessary to change
this trajectory. The data is disturbing
and these issues require immediate attention in order to work towards
eliminating the achievement gap to ensure all students receive an equitable and
high quality education—I believe this is a social justice issue and a moral
imperative. In YCS, we must be
proactive in examining our student achievement data on a consistent basis,
demonstrate accountability for the data, and review appropriate, evidenced
based practices to promote positive outcomes in academic achievement.
As it relates to reducing the
number of suspensions and expulsions in the district it is important to promote
healthy and positive school cultures.
This is being addressed in part by the implementation of Restorative
Practices and Cultural Proficiency—two areas I am deeply passionate about and as
a board member remain committed to its success in YCS. Both of these models are important for
our district in order to improve school safety, help strengthen
student-teacher-parent relationships, and create positive outcomes for students
and the school community.
2.
What ideas do you have for reducing students'
out-of-school days (unexcused absences)?
The ultimate goal for our
community should be to increase the number of students that are engaged and
attending school regularly. When
students are not in school they are not learning and ultimately falling behind
academically. According to state
and national data, there is a direct link to chronic school absenteeism and academic
failure. This is not an individual issue to resolve; rather it is a community
issue to solve. All too often,
families bear the burden of this responsibility, but they cannot do it
alone. There are often numerous
barriers in families that prevent students from attending school regularly and
we need to understand the root causes in order to effect change to reverse this
trend which is negatively impacting our young people. We need to actively learn about and understand our students
and their families and explore what ways we can support them. Reaching out to families through phone
calls and home visits when a student is flagged after missing a certain number of
days as a proactive approach can go a long way in promoting regular attendance. As a board, we have already discussed
implementing some of these steps and I am committed to making this a priority
to ensure we follow through.
Multiple levels of engagement to promote and sustain regular attendance
in school are critical for the success of our students.
3.
Staff morale has been an issue in the school
district. How do you think the board should monitor and respond to staff morale
issues, if at all? What ideas do you have for reducing staff turnover in
the coming year?
I believe the board should
respond to staff morale using a very strategic process. As a board member, I have discussed the
importance of implementing a process where we are collecting data on staff satisfaction
during the school year and as part of an exit interview process in order to have
accurate data on why staff are leaving and to address issues related to
satisfaction while they are employed for the district. Having accurate and timely data helps
us develop strategies that help us improve in order retain and attract
excellent employees. I believe
implementing this type of process will impact staff turnover and increase
morale in the district.
4.
Are you satisfied with the district’s openness and
transparency to parents, employees, and community members/taxpayers? If yes,
why? If no, what changes would you propose?
As a parent and board member, I
believe the district can improve in the areas of openness and transparency,
particularly communication. This
is an area that is discussed frequently among the board and strategies are
already being developed to address this.
Our positive messaging needs to improve and I am committed to ensure this
happens. Recently, as a board we
decided to present on the district’s progress during the first year and we remain
committed to doing this on a regular basis. This was accomplished through presentations at PTO and
neighborhood community meetings over the past month. It was important to
emphasize all of the great things our students and employees are doing, which are
often overshadowed by the negative press and unfair characterizations of the
community and the district.
As a
district we need to do a better job of being proactive about our message by ensuring
accurate facts, data, and positive stories are highlighted. District information
needs to be readily accessible to parents, employees, and community members/taxpayers.
I am proud to live in the Ypsilanti community and serve on the board. I have three children who have attended
school in the district since kindergarten and I see first hand all of the great
things our students and employees, are doing on a daily basis. It is my responsibility as a parent,
board member and resident of the community to positively promote our district
and remain open and honest about our successes and challenges. We owe it to our
students, parents, employees, and community members to not just talk about
change, but to actually work towards effecting change.
5.
Hindsight is perfect, but: whether you are an
incumbent, or not: Name one decision that the YCS school board made in the last
six months that you think was a very good decision; and name one decision that
the school board made in the last six months that you wish had been decided
differently.
One decision that the YCS school
board made in the last six months was to request a report on how the Restorative
Practices and Cultural Proficiency models are being implemented with fidelity
in our schools. These reports were
recently presented during our regular board meetings. I am proud of the work in both of these areas because our
district is seeing positive results in terms of behavior and building deep,
meaningful relationships in our schools, which positively impact the experiences
and outcomes of our students. In
short, Restorative Practices take incidents that might otherwise result in
disciplinary action and allows students to 1) become aware of the impact of
their behavior; 2) understand the obligations to take responsibility for their
actions; 3) take steps to make things right. This process has allowed student to learn how to interact
and manage relationships with adults and peers and gain the necessary skills to
understand how their actions impact others. YCS’s five-year commitment to
Cultural Proficiency is unprecedented.
The intentional commitment we have made as a district to learn about the
lives of our students and honor their experiences and cultures to enhance collective
learning among students and staff is an important step in the right direction
to bring all students into the full fold of participation.
A recent decision to expel a
student was necessary based on how the law is written,
however I wish it was decided differently in terms of the impact it will have
on the student, the family, and community. The rigidity of the state policy on
school suspensions and expulsions is very challenging. Michigan has some of the harshest zero
tolerance policies in the nation and therefore makes it very difficult when the
school board needs to expel a student based on what you are bound to do by law.
Exploring and exhausting alternatives in the policy while staying within the
boundaries of the law is critical in keeping students in school and keeping our
schools safe. The ultimate failure resulting from any expulsion is that numerous
hours of lost school time means another child is excluded and is falling behind
academically.
6.
Former board members from Willow Run, Ypsilanti
Schools, or Ypsilanti Community Schools: When were you a former board member?
Were you appointed or elected? What did you learn from your experience on the
WR, YS, or YCS board that you think would be helpful on the board now?
I was appointed to the YCS board. As a new board member, I
learned a great deal about how policies and procedures impact practices in our
schools. I learned how crucial the
role of the board is in its service to the community. I learned that my board service allows me to be a voice for
all students, particularly those students who may be marginalized. I have always remained firmly grounded
in my purpose as a board member and my vision remains clear—my service on the
board is to positively impact the lives of students academically, socially, and
emotionally; to serve the community; set and adopt policies; and hire and
evaluate the superintendent.
7. Assuming that you are elected,
name one other board candidate that you would like to see serve beside you, and
explain why.
I believe all of the candidates running
for the seven seats bring a unique perspective to board service. I am seeking election because I am committed
to the students and the community.
To this end, I would like to serve with any candidate whose interests
are grounded in what is best for students.
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