In the Dexter Board of Education race on Tuesday, there are four candidates, including two incumbents, running for two open 4-year seats.

AnnArbor.com sent them a survey and in alphabetical order, here’s what they had to say.

CANDIDATE NAME:

Shawn Letwin

OCCUPATION:

Substitute teacher, Washtenaw County park manager, meet manager operator at Eastern Michigan University

EDUCATION:

Lake Orion High School, Lake Orion, Mich. 1979 Eastern Michigan University, 1984, B. S. professional chemistry ANY PREVIOUS ELECTED OFFICE:

Ran for Dexter Community School Board Trustee in 2010.

TOP TWO KEY ISSUES:

1. Obtaining value for the money that we receive by obtaining greater transparency of the district at board meetings, the website (all building and departments) and town hall meetings.

2. Moving the trustee elections from May to November and save up to $15,000 per year.

HOW YOU WILL ADDRESS THESE ISSUES:

The board ensures that the students get the greatest value for what we obtain with the taxpayer's money, the board also ensures that we maintain the greatest value on what we spend the taxpayer’s money on and that the value of what we spend the taxpayer’s money on is retained, too. As a school board member, I would propose that a more prudent approach in how we manage our facilities is necessary.

The second key issue that I have is that I find it very disturbing that although the board was confronted by an electorate last year that wanted the district to move school board elections from May to November in order to save precious monies (almost $100,000 spent unnecessarily to date) the district once again decided not to move elections for at least another year or two. These monies are needed for education, not political maneuvering.

It is very important that we ensure every decision made will obtain value, maintain value and retain value in Dexter Community Schools and this will require forums to allow the taxpayers to be more engaged and heard from, more transparency of all district information, greater ease of accessibility to district information and that the information is presented in a timely and consistent basis on the websites for the district, each school building and each department.

PERSONAL INFORMATION:

50, married, one daughter

CANDIDATE NAME: Amy Luczak

OCCUPATION:

Homemaker

EDUCATION:

Grace Bible Christian Academy, 1988; Calvin College; Madonna University; University of Michigan, Doctor of Pharmacy, 1996

PREVIOUS ELECTED OFFICE:

None

TWO KEY ISSUES:

1. Kids First

2. Local Control

HOW WILL YOU ADDRESS THE ISSUES?

1. I will always ask, “Is this best for kids?” It’s as simple as that.

2. We must be a team of parents, teachers, staff, administrators, school board members, community members, and taxpayers, working together for our children and community. I want to continue to build a community — a real community — a place where we nurture what is our own, and together find ways to make it an even better place to live, share, and raise our families. We must be vigilant about maintaining our local autonomy. We must be as aggressively local as possible given the state and federal mandates under which we must operate. We must maintain our ability to put kids first. We must answer locally to parents, our community, and taxpayers.

PERSONAL:

40, married, three children

*CANDIDATE NAME: Dick Lundy

OCCUPATION:

Retired founder, president, & CEO of Control-o-mation, Inc. EDUCATION:

1959 graduate of Bloomfield Hills High School; 1964 graduate of the University of Michigan with a BSE (EE)

PREVIOUS ELECTED OFFICE:

Eight terms as Dexter Community School District trustee, vice president, 1979-83; treasurer 1983 to the present.

KEY ISSUES:

1. The greatest issues facing the Dexter Community School District are intertwined. One issue is working through the financial difficulties which are largely controlled by the State of Michigan and another is maintaining and continuing to improve the teaching/learning opportunities for our students.

2. Complete the current school bond project successfully including budget, quality, and schedule.

HOW WILL YOU ADDRESS THESE ISSUES:

1. As a long time member of the finance committee and negotiating team, I expect to be heavily involved in the budgeting process and the development of criteria and options which will lead the board in the adoption of the 2011-12 budget and future budgets. As in past years, we will continue to do everything possible to protect the students and classrooms. I will also continue to be heavily involved in overseeing the bond project financially, contractually, and programmatically, just as I have on the previous four major bond projects.

2. I believe that my long-term positive relationships with fellow board members, administrators, professional staff, and support staff will be an asset in addressing current and future challenges to maintain and improve the quality of education in our community.

I believe that during my 32 years of service as a board member, I have earned the respect of most of the people that I have worked with — both school staff and in the larger community. Many people have encouraged me to continue serving on the board to take advantage of my years of experience and to provide continuity and understanding based on my long term involvement in the district and community.

PERSONAL:

69, married 45 years, wife deceased, two children, three grandchildren

*CANDIDATE NAME: Julie Schumaker

OCCUPATION:

Business owner/consultant, Evaluation Associates

EDUCATION:

B.A. University of Michigan; M.A. Guidance and Counseling, Eastern Michigan University; M.A. Educational Foundations, Administration, Policy, and Research Methods, University of Michigan Ph.D.; Educational Foundations and Policy, University of Michigan

PREVIOUS ELECTED OFFICE:

Dexter School Board Trustee, 2003-present

KEY ISSUES:

1. Student achievement. A key challenge facing our district is how to continue to provide the quality of education that our community expects in an environment of unstable financial support from the state. Our primary focus as a district is to improve the achievement of all students and do an even better job to ensure that all students are well prepared with the skills, knowledge and competencies needed in the future.

2. Education finance. Unpredictable and insufficient funding from the state is the biggest challenge facing all school districts.

HOW WILL YOU ADDRESS THESE ISSUES?

1. As a parent with children in Dexter Schools since 1996, I am familiar with our schools K-12 and have a long-term perspective and commitment to the district. As a school board member, my role is to represent the community’s interests, not my own personal agenda.

In making any decision, I always consider two questions, “What is in the best interest of all students?” and “What does the community want?” I listen to the many perspectives of community members, and although some decisions — especially budget reductions — are difficult to make, I strive to keep the best interests of all students at the forefront of decision-making.

I have always advocated for our district with our state legislators and will continue to do so with our newly elected legislators. I will also continue to keep the public informed and am happy to talk to community members who have questions or concerns.

2. I value the perspective of my board colleagues, along with the perspective of the district’s administration, employee groups, and community members. By working collaboratively in the spirit of mutual respect, we are able to make better decisions than any of us could by working alone. Having served on the finance and negotiations committees for seven years, I am aware of the financial implications of board decisions. I strive to think of both the big picture of how all the pieces fit together, as well as the details, and to as ask questions to understand the implications of decisions.

PERSONAL: 54, married with two children

*Incumbent candidate

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