One of Lansing’s newest public art installations has transformed a brown wall …
One of Lansing’s newest public art installations has transformed a brown wall …
Candidate Name: Katherine Bussard Age: 32 Candidate for [Elected Position]: Potterville School Board Candidate Website: N/A Candidate Contact for Public: (517) 667-8569 Are you registered with any party? If so, please share your party affiliation: Please share all your social media accounts Please include a high quality photo of the candidate. 1. What motivated you to run for the position you are seeking election to? Every child deserves access to quality educational opportunities that will equip them for a bright future. During the pandemic, many students in our community have struggled with core academic competencies and teachers have lacked resources to help. With 14 years of experience in K-12 education and administration, I hope to bring fresh, field- tested solutions to the challenges facing our district. 2. What is your vision for the public body you want to serve on? The Potterville School Board must work with parents, our district staff, and administration to make sure that every child becomes proficient in the academic skills that will empower them for lifelong success. Reading and writing are essential skills that open the door to a lifetime of learning almost anything. Math, science, and critical thinking skills build a strong foundation for STEM skills that will help children succeed in a technology driven world and prepare them to solve the problems of tomorrow. While we are a small, rural school district, Potterville students also deserve access to college and career readiness programs and advanced placement opportunities that will help them thrive in higher education. Struggling learners also deserve access to tools that will help them overcome challenges so that they can share in the same bright future as their peers. Arts and athletics should inspire students to dream big. At the same time, wise financial stewardship must help lower debt and put dollars back in classrooms where students and teachers can best utilize them.
3. How does your vision differ from that of your opponents?
There are many good people running to serve on our school board, and there are multiple seats open. Other candidates are potential partners in improving the education system for children in our community and not my opponents. While I believe we all share the same vision of true community service, each candidate has unique talents and skills. Personally, I bring 14 years of classroom and administrative experience to the table, and have worked both traditional and special needs learning programs and curriculum development. I also have years of experience in governmental budgeting, public administration, and community fundraising. If elected by the voters, I look forward to serving with the business professionals, parents, and full team selected by the voters.
4. Funding for schools has been a consistent concern for nearly three decades. Proposal 1, passed in the 90s was supposed to level the playing field in funding assuring that districts with distressed property values would receive comparable per pupil funding. That has not been the case. If elected, how will you address the underfunding of schools? Potterville faces some unique challenges based on the size of the district, long history of debt, and special mileages passed in recent years. While we can’t undo the past, we can make wise and creative solutions going forward. This could involve exploring a variety creative solution with space, staffing, and funding sources. At the end of the day, I want to make sure that our students, teachers, and learning tools (like curriculum) are prioritized. With historic support from the state as well as new economic development in the school district, we are entering an era when we will have more resources than ever, and it is paramount that we keep our priorities in order. 5. Has school choice, which allows students and parents to apply for and attend a different school district than the one they live in, been a success? Why or why not? Choice is never a bad thing; it creates a more competitive environment for all service providers that challenges everyone to provide the best options possible. Our students and parents deserve to be empowered with every possible option that might lead to long term success in education and development. Each child is unique and has unique needs. Sometimes, options in education choice can allow learning tools to be customized to better fit the needs of the child. However, attending school in a different geographic district is not possible for every child (transportation issues, etc.). Therefore, it is important that every district offer quality opportunities that meet the needs of each child.
6. Proposals in Michigan have long sought to use public dollars to pay for private school tuition and costs. Do you support vouchers for private schools? Why or why not?
I oppose vouchers for private schools, but I support the right of private schools to exist. Many private schools are religious in nature, and this can be a wonderful thing—but those programs should not be supported by tax dollars any more than a local church should be. In order to protect the freedoms of the first amendment in religious, private schools, they need to remain privately funded. Our earliest governing documents in Michigan, all the way back to the Northwest Land Ordinance, articulate both the need for and purpose of free, publicly funded education, and this must also be preserved. 7. If vouchers are approved, public schools may see a decline in enrollment. How would you close the funding gap by a reduction in per pupil funding? The answer would really depend on the specific circumstance. If 5 students transfer, as opposed to 50 or 100, those measures must be scaled accordingly. With the development of 79 new family homes starting next month, community growth (in both students and tax capture) may also offset transfer rates. However, in evaluating resource disbursement and allocation, items that directly affect students and teachers must be a first priority in the budget at all times.
8. Educators have been under scrutiny over LGBT youth support, LGBT history, the American history of communities of color and more. In addition, school libraries are pulling books off of shelves in public school libraries and public libraries. a. Please share your perspective as you pertains to providing safe schools and education for LGBT youth. School should be a safe learning environment for ALL students. b. Please share your perspective about integrating the history of communities of color into curriculums in the public schools. Accurate history should be truthfully represented in curriculum so that present generations can learn from the triumphs, tragedies, successes, and errors of all of human history. As the philosopher George Santayana espoused, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Communities of color have some very proud history, especially in the state of Michigan. From our native peoples who first settled this region to the men of African ancestry who could vote here from the earliest days of our statehood, communities of color have shaped our history and sociolegal development in tremendous ways that should always be remembered. c. Do you support the removal of books some find objectionable from public school shelves and public libraries? Why or why not?
As a principled matter, I am generally opposed to censorship. No physical library can house every book ever written, but denying access to the free exchange of ideas is a different and more complex manner. There is also a place for engaged parenting in the conversation. For example, a parent who knows their child is undergoing treatment for self-mutilation might not want their child reading “Cut” by Patricia McCormick, but the book might be helpful to a peer to understand what another student is going through. d. If you support such removals, at what point does the purge of objectionable books stop? When it is the Quran? When it is the Torah? The Nag Hamadi? The Bible? What policies will you put in place to monitor and assess removal of books? Without supporting censorship, I would state that books that encourage or teach harmful, illegal activity (such as a manual on how to murder or get away with theft) don’t belong in a K-12 school library. Books that would objectively encourage the criminal endangerment or exploitation of other human beings seems like a logical boundary. e. If you do not support the removal of objectionable books, what policies will you support to stop the removal of books from public school libraries? To keep parents and teachers involved in the conversation (like in the example of “Cut,”) perhaps access to a digital library card, where parents and teachers could monitor what a student is accessing, would be helpful and fairly simple to share. Especially for students struggling with mental health, such a program could provide a life-saving partnership between parents and the school. 9. There has been a split on how COVID was responded to by schools, and other government bodies. Please answer the following questions: a. Did you support the shut down of schools during the COVID-19 crisis? Why or why not? I think a lot people made hard choices and did the best they could. I wish that the public sector had been as prepared as parts of private education for virtual learning so that education could continue even in uncertain times. Hopefully, these last two years have provided many learning experiences and opportunities for growth and improvement in the future. b. There has been a marked loss of educational gain as a result of the shut down. How will you address this problem? We need to assess where is student is at and provide teachers with resources to help students achieve mastery of core competencies. Exploring everything from
curriculum to tutoring programs, and every resource in between, should be a part of the conversation. c. Did you support face masks? Why or why not? I support informed, individual choice, and polices that can creatively accommodate the needs of every individual. A child who is hearing impaired and dependent on lip-reading in unfairly excluded in a world with masks, but a child of cancer patient deserves an education too. d. Do you support the COVID-19 vaccine? Why or why not? See previous response. This specific vaccine series may be wonderful for some people, but could be harmful to someone who is allergic to the ingredients, etc. I support informed, individual choice. I am not a doctor or medical professional and would not want to give anyone a recommendation of medical treatment, but would defer them to the medical professionals with the scientific data to make an informed decision. e. Do you support vaccination for all students in public schools? Why or why not? Please see previous response. If we were to make a hardline, no exceptions, “all” means “all” policy, a student with allergies or a special medical condition could be denied equitable access to public education. Doctors and parents who know their child’s unique medical history are far better qualified to make medical determinations than a school board or candidate. However, incompliance with the ADA, I fully support making sure that every child has access to a quality education, regardless of any health conditions or unique medical needs. f. There has been a growing mental health crisis among our youth. It was present before the pandemic, but experts warn it has gotten worse since the pandemic. If elected, how will you address the mental health needs of our students? Community engagement within the school district, where everyone feels like they belong, is huge in terms of prevention. Group events and safe, accessible gathering spaces can provide positive reinforcement for healthy social interaction and can aid in promoting mental health. A zero-tolerance disciplinary policy for bullying and other inappropriate behavior can serve as effective retroactive measures. The Potterville school board has made these issues a priority in recent years and had made progress, but continuing to engage and active healthy parental engagement and community support can further enhance these efforts. The place of professional social workers and counselors in the community and school must be prioritized as well.
10. There have been a number of school shootings, with deeply tragic consequences for students, teachers and administrators alike – as well as communities. If elected, what will you do to address the school violence crisis, including school shootings? This year, our school has partnered with our local police department to provide increased security and community policing. Continuing to amplify these efforts, as well as supporting community mental health initiatives that can help prevent these incidents before they start, are excellent places to start the conversation. Continuing to stay current and evaluate appropriate preventive and defensive measures must remain an evolving part of the conversation as the environment and circumstance continue to change. 11. Elections have become a serious concern for some voters. Please answer the following questions: a. If you lose your election, will you accept the results? Why or why not? i. Absolutely-who serves is the voter’s choice and our local clerks and election inspectors do a fantastic job.
b. If your election is close and you chose to pay for a recount, will you accept the result of a recount? Why or why not? i. I will not ask for a recount; defer to previous answer. I would also add that I know many of the other candidates personally, and I know them to be good people who truly care about serving the community. When I put my name on the ballot, there were open vacancies. Whoever wins is someone that I know will give their very best to this community. Regarding questions 11.c-f and 12, some of these are based on rather shocking presumptions and divisive rhetoric, especially when one considers that the school board is not a partisan issue. I would hate to politicize community service and the education of our children or participate in rhetoric that is intended to divide people rather than unite us around shared values and investing in the youth of our community. I don’t know what is meant by “member” of a party, but I vote for and support people and principles over political parties. c. Much has been made about the 2020 election. Do you believe Donald Trump won the election? Why or why not? d. Do you believe there was widespread election fraud? Why or why not? e. Do you believe leaders in Washington are involved in a secret pedophilia ring? Why or why not? f. Do you believe the Jan. 6 Capitol incident was appropriate in light of the election? Why or why not?
12. Are you a member, or have you ever been a member or donated to any of the following organizations:
a. Socialist party b. Rock the Vote c. The Democratic Party d. Any Democratic Candidate for Office e. The Republican Party f. Any Republican Candidate for Office g. The American Taxpayers Party h. Any American Taxpayer Party Candidate for Office i. The Heritage Foundation j. People for the American Way k. III Percenters l. Proud Boys 13. Please share with readers and voters your qualifications for the position you seek. I graduated with honors from Thomas Edison State College with a Bachelor of Arts in English (minor concentration in History) at the age of 19, and have continued my education and professional development in the years since. For 14 years, I taught English/Language Arts, English as a Second Language, History/Social Sciences and coached high school policy debate in private education online and in person. I served as the senior high school administrator overseeing curriculum development, academic scope and sequence, teaching staff, and other duties for several years in a Christian education program, and have spoke at a number of national education conferences on accelerated distance learning and other subjects. I have been a resident of Potterville since 2013 and served as a city council member and/or mayor from 2015-1019. Through my volunteer work with Potterville Straight Up and Potterville Gives Back, I have assisted with fundraising for new bookshelves and bookmarks for the school library and have facilitated other programs like the Hope Tree. I have also worked with local nonprofits specializing in student leadership training and engaging students in good citizenship. I currently work as a downtown development director in Barry County, where I work on local historic preservation, economic development, and community engagement. However, Potterville is the community I choose to call home with my family, and I would be honored to serve as member of the school board and invest in the educational advancement of our young people.
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