You might recall that in the same election in which the Willow Run and Ypsilanti districts consolidated, the voters voted on Ypsilanti and Willow Run school board candidates--in case the consolidation didn't go through. But it did go through, and as a result, the WISD appointed the current school board. So this will be the very first election for the Ypsilanti Community Schools!
Six of the seven incumbents are running together (although they don't call themselves a slate, they have one web site so I think I would call them a slate): http://www.ycsfirstchoice.com/
Another group of five candidates that is running together is: Meredith Schindler, Sharon Irvine, Ellen Champagne, Bill Kurkjian, and K.J. Miller. They will be having a meet and greet on October 16th, 7 p.m. at the Arbor Brewing Microbrewery (formerly the Corner).
NOTE: Ypsilanti Community School Board Candidates Forum,
sponsored by the League of Women Voters and Fora Better Ypsi,
was held on October 13th.
WEMU Coverage here. (You can listen to the audio of the forum.)
Mlive Coverage here.
Four Candidates for Two Six-Year Terms
Ypsilanti Community Schools - Board Member - 6-Year Term
Vote for two
MLive Candidate Comparisons: As of 10/14/2014, Gregory Myers had not responded to the survey.
| Name | Mailing Address | Phone | |
| Brenda Meadows | 410 N. Harris Rd. Ypsilanti, MI 48198 | 734-972-2764 | bmeadows42@gmail.com |
| Maria Sheler-Edwards | 51 Colony Ct. Ypsilanti, MI 48197 | 734-547-5557 | mariasheler@gmail.com |
| Gregory Myers | 1219 Stamford Rd. Ypsilanti, MI 48198 | 734-218-4547 | gmmyers526@gmail.com |
| Bill Kurkjian | 405 Oak St. Ypsilanti, MI 48198 | 734-255-4288 | makuavalley@comcast.net |
Bill Kurkjian:
Brenda Meadows:
Gregory Myers: http://www.ycsfirstchoice.com/
Maria Sheler-Edwards: http://www.ycsfirstchoice.com/
Eight Candidates for Three Four-Year Terms
Ypsilanti Community Schools - Board Member - 4-Year Term
Vote for three
MLive Candidate Comparisons: As of 10/14/14, Linda Snedecar-Horne had not responded to the survey.
| Name | Mailing Address | Phone | |
| Anthony VanDerworp | 1309 Kingwood Ypsilanti, MI 48197 | 734-485-4910 | tvanderworp@gmail.com |
| David R. Bates | 1208 Pearl St. Ypsilanti, MI 48197 | 734-646-0527 | drbates@me.com |
| Djeneba Cherif | 948 Jefferson St. Ypsilanti, MI 48197 | 734-645-5735 | djeneba.cherif@gmail.com |
| Celeste Hawkins | 2399 Draper Ave. Ypsilanti, MI 48197 | 734-274-0694 | chawkins@emich.edu |
| Linda Snedacar-Horne | 205 Oak St. #1 Ypsilanti, MI 48198 | 734-678-1051 | horne4ypsd@gmail.com |
| Ellen Champagne | 12 N. Wallace Blvd. #1 Ypsilanti, MI 48197 | 734-355-9531 | ellecham@umich.edu |
| Sharon Irvine | 2411 Burns Ypsilanti, MI 48197 | 734-678-8517 | sirvine12@gmail.com |
| Mark Wilde | 1707 Hamlet Ypsilanti, MI 48198 | 734-533-9453 | markwilde@provide.net |
Anthony Vanderworp: http://www.ycsfirstchoice.com/
Celeste Hawkins: http://www.ycsfirstchoice.com/
David Bates: http://www.ycsfirstchoice.com/
Djeneba Cherif: www.electcherif.com
Ellen Champagne:
Linda Snedecar-Horne:
Mark Wilde: www.electmarkwilde.com
Sharon Irvine:
Six Candidates for Two Two-Year Terms
Ypsilanti Community Schools - Board Member - 2-Year Term
Vote for two
MLive Candidate Comparisons As of 10/14/2014, Don Garrett Jr. and Ricky Jefferson had not responded to the survey.
| Name | Mailing Address | Phone | |
| Daniel L. Raglin | 6825 Textile Rd. Ypsilanti, MI 48197 | 734-483-8266 | dlraglin@yahoo.com |
| Don L. Garrett Jr. | 1369 Stamford Rd. Ypsilanti, MI 48198 | 734-730-9650 | dgarrettjr05@comcast.net |
| K.J. Miller | 405 Oak St. Ypsilanti, MI 48198 | 734-904-6278 | kjmiller@dickinson-uright.com |
| Sharon Lee | 577 Desoto Ave. Ypsilanti, MI 48198 | 734-484-1493 | scasey2006@hotmail.com |
| Ricky Jefferson | 211 W. Ainsworth Ypsilanti, MI 48197 | 734-276-4832 | rjeffersonypsi@comcast.net |
| Meredith Schindler | 305 Maple St. Ypsilanti, MI 48198 | 734-476-6277 | ypsimer@yahoo.com |
Sharon Lee: Important Note--Sharon Lee has withdrawn her candidacy due to illness. She will remain on the ballot but she asks you to vote for two other candidates who would actually be able to devote the time and energy to the position. I hope she has a speedy recovery!
K.J. Miller: https://sites.google.com/site/kjmillerforycsschoolboard/
Daniel Raglin: http://www.ycsfirstchoice.com/
Don L. Garrett Jr.:
Meredith Schindler:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Meredith-Schindler-for-Ypsilanti-Community-Schools-Board-of-Trustees/516111981858408Sharon Lee:
Ricky Jefferson:
Don L. Garrett Jr.:
Meredith Schindler:
Ricky Jefferson:
Sharon Irvine was quoted in Mlive articles several times during the budget crisis leading to consolidations as saying that Ypsi schools were "forced" to hire/hireback special ed staff, in order to be in compliance. I think that word choice made her attitude towards students with special needs very clear. She was head of HR at the time.
ReplyDeleteIn the spring of 2012, in an effort to move to a Zero-Based budgeting model, and to control spending, district administration chose to reduce special education staff with the intent to add back as our needs for the fall became evident. In the fall of 2012, the media asked about our progress in budgeting, especially in light of increased staffing. The explanation was given in this context.
DeletePlease know that you and I share a mutual concern for the well-being of all of our students, including those with special needs. My attitude towards students can be best understood in the context of my role as a principal, where I advocated daily on their behalf. As an HR director, my support for special needs students was demonstrated by ensuring proper staffing to meet the needs of students as they were established through the IEP process. We had a moral, ethical, and legal responsibility to provide this support. In the context of a budget crisis, when asked to account for expenditures, this is an important piece of information to justify the allocation of our resources.