Candidates Forum Highlights
Thank you to the Chardon Hills Homeowners Association for providing an opportunity for all Euclid School Board (ESB) candidates to share our plans and ideas with the community. The audience was relatively small, but the discussion was lively. I am grateful that our voters have a vibrant mix of passionate, well-qualified Euclid residents vying for the opportunity to support our students and schools. Below is a summary, with an attempt at objectivity, based on the participation of each candidate and the questions asked by the audience.
In the interest of full transparency, I hope for the opportunity to work with Taneika Hill, Shanina Knighton and Gabrielle Kelly to define and accomplish our community’s shared vision for revitalizing Euclid City Schools.
CANDIDATES FOR TWO YEAR TERM — Residents get one vote for this seat.
Kim Sims (Write-in candidate) started off strong talking about her professional experience using data to help large healthcare networks create processes and systems that will improve financial outcomes. My original thought was “Ok, we could use a systems and data person,” but beyond this, I did not hear specific plans or ideas for how this could be done in Euclid. She often took considerably longer than the two-minute time allotted for each question, and repeatedly referenced a number of vague tax-related and funding issues from 10+ years ago without being able to provide clear facts about the claims. As a concerned parent, she cited connecting with other parents who also feel that their student needs are not being met, especially with regards to special learning needs. Sims stressed wanting to see a “return on her investment” as a community member who voted to support the schools and doesn’t see the state report card improvements that she thinks other communities, like Warrensville Heights, have been able to achieve.
Taneika Hill is a former Euclid councilwoman who cited her city government experience, community stakeholder involvement and volunteerism in the schools as preparation for her bid to the School Board. Stressing the need for transparency, accountability and communication, she said “You might not always agree with me, but you’ll know why I made the decision I did.” Ideas from Hill that inspired attention were a monthly opportunity for parents and community members to sit with school board members and share concerns and ideas, along with more public dialogue during meetings for those who attend in person or view online. She also voiced the urgency of teachers and administrators being trained in DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) and implicit bias, to improve their ability to connect with students. Hill stressed the complex circumstances that many students are faced with and the need for board policies that take our community demographics into account. Hill also said it was short-sighted for the current ECB to say they will not ask for a renewal of the tax levy, as financial projections are very uncertain and eventually money could be needed again. She advocates keeping taxation at current levels to ensure we don’t have to request an increase in the future and repeat problems from the past.
Donna Sudar is a dedicated 16-year veteran of the Euclid School Board and current board president, seeking two additional years to “see things through.” She cites that the income from federal stimulus money and state funding (Fair School Funding Plan) have finally put the ECB in a financial position to do many things they have dreamt of doing for many years. She cited positive examples of parenting four successful Euclid High School graduates, two decades in early childhood education, engaging with students through the Euclid Panthers Boosters and Marching Band where she is treasurer, and as a volunteer at the Early Learning Village. Sudar said she has a continued passion for the kids which she said “is the same as when I started 16 years ago.” When asked about the obstacles to success she sees as an experienced board member, she cited the unknowns of future school funding, admitting we have only two-years of the current income guaranteed. Ideas that received positive attention were the current board’s commitment to returning 100+ after school programs that had been reduced due to funding cuts and also the ability to purchase professional curriculum that the schools did not have money for in the past. She also mentioned wanting an “alternative school” to meet the needs of students whose needs aren’t being met in a traditional classroom.
CANDIDATES FOR FOUR YEAR TERMS — Residents get one vote for three open seats, and the three highest ranking candidates will be elected to serve together.
Pamela Turos — Without claiming to objectively measure my responses to audience questions, the issues I attempted to focus on include the need to talk openly about students who are not thriving in our schools, to think creatively about system-wide changes that aren’t dependent on money, increased transparency and public relations efforts, developing a shared vision/mission to guide our board decision making, and the potential for public/private partnerships. These partnerships could including city leadership, community stakeholders, high-performing charter schools and private schools in the effort to uplift all children and our community through shared resources and vision. I have been fortunate to be a part of a similar initiative in Cleveland (The Cleveland Plan for Transforming Schools) which is now being refreshed with an emphasis on equity, in the plan’s 10th year. I also stressed the importance of leadership succession planning and the need to ensure that the programs we are “trying to save” are the ones most beneficial to our students and families.
Dr. Shanina Knighton is a Ph.D. level nursing researcher and professor, working as a Clinical Nurse Scientist at Case Western Reserve University. She noted as the first generation high school graduate, she recognizes when students are not being adequately prepared for higher learning or receiving the life skills they need to become engaged citizens after graduation, even if they don’t pursue college or advanced training. She placed an emphasis on identifying outcome measurement before making spending decisions, one of the most compelling aspects of Knighton’s platform. She also supports the idea that a commission of community members, parents, residents, business owners could help inform the shared ECB vision and measurable outcomes. As a parent, Knighton has 3 children and intended to send them to Euclid City Schools, namely Chardon Hills, before transferring out of the district.
Gabrielle Kelly, Esq. is a current ESB member, nominated by the current school board for the completion of Steve Johnson’s term approximately one year ago. She is a Euclid High School alumna, a parent of one child at the Early Learning Village and a graduate of Case Western Reserve Law School. Kelly’s experience reviewing contracts and policies is an asset to the board, and she provided a simple, understandable breakdown of Ohio’s complex budgeting process for school funding, including how it has negatively affected our schools for decades. As a relatively new board member, she expressed appreciation for all that she has learned over the past year — things that few people know or see happening in Euclid schools — and she also explained the types of issues being discussed in the private executive sessions that are a frequent part of board meetings with a willingness to provide as much detail as possible, without breaching confidentiality. Kelly also cited an ongoing commitment to emotional intelligence (EQ) curriculum and teacher professional development that would have impact beyond a funding cycle.