Mark Stevens – School Board Candidate

What made you decide this was the right time to run for the school board?
I had just retired from WCS’s and I believe that it would be beneficial to represent the educators that teach our students every day.

How do you want residents to feel about your approach to leadership?
I am all about facts — hard facts and results. I am dubious about “studies” that are unverifiable. Also, I will definitely listen and consider different opinions, especially to “new” ideas that will improve student achievement.

Can you walk me through the moment you realized the funding issue was deeper than just numbers?
Fair or not, the school funding issue is one of the very few times that voters can directly affect their personal tax burden. The funding issue has been a part of my public teaching career since the very beginning. Early in my career, I taught at the plaintiff’s school district in DeRolph vs. State of Ohio (a landmark 1997 Ohio Supreme Court case that ruled the state’s public-school funding system unconstitutional because it failed to provide a “thorough and efficient” education as required by the state constitution).

It was the primary topic of conversation almost daily regarding school funding. The disparity between rural, city, and suburban schools was monumental, especially when it came to facilities. Rural schools do not have the population or business density of the cities and suburbs.

What part of the levy rejection stood out to you most—and what do you think it reflects about community sentiment?
The discontinuation of LifeWise and how board members treated other people with whom they may disagree. People do not like it when leaders do not show respect for others and show a lack of fairness.

How has that public response shaped your thinking about the district’s financial future?
My thinking about the district’s financial future depends upon what the district has to offer the community and why the overall community should vote for financial support. Is WCS’s only for a select part or parts of our community, or for everyone equally? Another response that people overlook is that our local private schools (St. Paul, Genoa Christian, DeSales) have significant waiting lists and are at full capacity — why is that?

What’s something from your life or career that prepared you to face a challenge like this?
I had a great career by making good choices through critical thinking and foresight — not emotion.

When you imagine earning the trust of voters who are skeptical of taxes, what does that look like to you?
I look at value, results, and hard facts. It’s not my money.

What are some ways the board could improve to demonstrate transparency and foster community confidence?
Do not “word salad” your responses — it shows that you are either not interested or you are deceiving or lying. Listen to people’s concerns and acknowledge that you have heard them. If you disagree, explain why and do it respectfully without malice. This goes for all administrators as well.

What do you think people misunderstand most about how school funding works?
The district’s financial future depends upon the state legislature, which determines the rules and regulations regarding all public-school finances.

What’s one thing you think the board must protect at all costs—even in tight budgets?
Academics — to prepare students for the workforce and/or college.

How do you balance listening to financial concerns with fighting for what students need?
Academics should always come first regarding the school budget. Also, the state has minimum academic requirements that need to be followed. It is difficult sometimes to address financial concerns when you do not have the ability to change the rules or laws of school finance.

If you could change one part of the board’s process to reflect what you’ve learned from the community, what would it be?
Allow people to be heard. Maybe develop a system based on the number of public comments versus time allowed. If five people request to speak, give them five minutes each. If fifty want to speak, give them two minutes each. The school board could designate a time for public comment only. Consider other ideas.

What result would make you feel like your time on the board was worth it?
Significantly higher state-mandated test scores. AP and IB test scores increase.

What was not asked in this questionnaire that needs to be answered?
Address district test scores and what they mean. A lower district rating and poor math scores are an indicator of much larger concerns. We have policies of good intentions that are in conflict with results and outcomes. Public schools are consumers (and victims) of unverifiable research, endless excuses, and extensive professional development that has not resulted in the promises of academic improvement. While data and research can identify issues like achievement gaps and learning deficiencies, the political nature of implementing solutions has led to ineffective results.

We need to embrace every single student as having great potential. We need to discontinue the constant excuses for failure — bias, race, poverty, systemic barriers, and so on — that perpetuate the “deficit mindset” limiting students’ potential for growth. We need to encourage resilience, overcoming obstacles, embracing individual accountability, and realistic paths to success.