Question 1

What is your education and experience that makes you the best qualified candidate for this position

Accepted Answer

In my career, I am a higher education administrator at the Michigan Ross School of Business, and daily I work with all types of behavioral and leadership styles across the globe to design and implement leadership development programs. I can work with a diverse set of stakeholders, ensure success/positive teaming, and be innovative in my approaches. I have financial responsibility at one of the best schools in the world, and each day work with top educators to understand how we have more of an impact on learning retention. I very much enjoy being able to bring the research and experience at Michigan to my role at the Board table.

I have been a trustee for six years on the SAS Board of Education, serving two years as (current) VP and President for two years in a pandemic. Specifically in those two years, I led the Superintendent search committee, mapped the process for two appointments after resignations, and saw a successful $180 million bond be voted in. But most importantly, I was part of the daily conversation on how to get students back to in person learning, while following the law, and keeping our community safe, and then how to do this getting back to high academic achievement, while being fiscally responsible. And while doing these things, being calm, empathetic and respectful of all viewpoints and comments in an unprecedented time.

I have served 5 years on the finance committee, 1 year on the policy committee, and also assisted on wellness, sex ed, technology, grievance and compensation. I have a level 3 award of distinction from the Michigan Association of School Boards, as well as an Advocacy certification.

I have taught Junior Achievement in Saline for almost 10 years, am on the Board of Girls on the Run (focus is on self confidence, healthy habits and collaboration), and actively support community groups like ChadTough and the Foundation for Saline Area Schools, donating all of my six years of Board salary back to the Foundation so our students and staff could receive grants for learning.

I led the team when we were notified of the Oxford shooting which, once again, reminded us that tragedy can happen anywhere. I am familiar with our Emergency Operating Procedures, and am committed to doing everything I can to make Saline safe.

And very importantly, I am a parent to two Saline High School students. We are a cross country, cheer and track & field family, who deeply appreciate all of the extra curricular activities, athletics, and clubs that students are offered so they can find their spot and succeed. I am a very proud Hornet mom!

We are in an incredibly important time. This community and the US is divided. Neighboring districts are in crisis financially. Our Superintendent contract is set to expire in the next term. Talented staff are retiring, or making their own decisions to leave the profession. We need to have calm, empathetic, and experienced leadership. We need someone that has seen a lot like I have, and led through arguably the most difficult time in our district. I can provide this, and also the commitment to academic excellence, reinforced by my expertise at the University of Michigan. But we also need someone who cares– loves these students and respects this staff, and will work to protect them all. That is me.

Question 2

What are your goals should you be elected and how will you work to accomplish them?

Accepted Answer

Simply put, learning, love and leadership. Working in higher education and being a trustee on this board for six years, I am wholly committed to education in both my professional and volunteer work. 
 
LEARNING- this is our main ‘product’ if you will, and everything we do should be rooted in how to work with each individual learner where they are at. We should examine data and use that, with a human touch, to determine how we review curriculum, mine scores and work as a team in each discipline like literacy, science, math and so on. We should be committed to our tagline the ‘pursuit of excellence’ and ensure that every student who leaves our graduation stage each June is fully ready to be an intelligent, committed, critical thinker who cares deeply about this community, and the world around them. We need to offer the most robust, challenging, and diverse course catalog so any student can find their individual passions and excel. But in all of this, we must not forget that there is a child behind the data, having a human-centered approach to growth.
 
LOVE- to that end, we cannot forget that we all live together in a small community. This is a divided district and world. I have volunteered countless hours over the years, and love these children and respect the staff. I value each family’s input. This needs to be centered as well in decision making- how to serve all. And a trustee should model respect, integrity, intelligence and civility. I remember my years in the Pleasant Ridge PTA (2 as President). We worked together so well– coming together from all sorts of backgrounds, interests and talents, but we had the most important thing in common. We loved our kids and would do anything to show up for them. That’s the mentality we need to have. We are so strong when we work together. I have seen it, and maybe it’s because of politics, maybe a pandemic, maybe social media… who knows.. It’s forgotten sometimes. We need to talk, get to know each other, and find common ground. Because it’s really there and so important to remember. Be kind. Seek to understand. Model the way for the students.
 
LEADERSHIP- I have done this role as trustee, and I understand what this job entails, and what it does not. A trustee should fully understand the delineation of roles and responsibilities between a trustee, the Superintendent, and the staff. They should value all stakeholder feedback, and listen more than they talk. Trustees should be strategic, Superintendents operational. I would continue to bring my deep understanding of successful governance, as well as the concepts from our classrooms at Michigan Ross. My goals would focus on roles, fiscal responsibility, academic accountability and achievement, respect, and policies that keep us safe.

Question 3

What should be done to improve student achievement?

Accepted Answer

Parents and guardians, teachers, staff and trustees all want the best for our students.  While it is critical to understand and serve the whole child, schools exist to educate. I do not back off of accountability when metrics are reviewed frequently at the table. MStep, NWEA, ACT, SAT, AP all have to be looked at (continued to/among other metrics), across grades and buildings. I value the reports presented and discussed with the Board on a very regular basis, largely brought by Kara Davis, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning. I also value that this is the Superintendent’s specific expertise, having been the Asst. Superintendent of Curriculum for years.
 
Curriculum reviews have been held with math and science and there is alignment on the teaching teams. Next up are Elementary phonics, K12 social studies, English Language Arts 6-12 and early childhood. These are essential to continue to improve academic performance.

Constant monitoring of data across the district, academic surveys, quality surveys, building out of teacher leaders to make data informed decisions, check ins for adjustments to continually iterate for excellence are important.

While we need to continue to be very analytical and determined to achieve high academic performance, we must also shout out so many things we are getting right in Saline. In our state, we have an A+ teaching rating, 21st out of 580 rank in districts, #1 athletics, SHS #20 out of 1163 schools, our recent highest percentage of AP pass rates and on and on. There is always room for improvement in the ‘Pursuit of Excellence,’  but I am grateful for our many opportunities and accolades. I would like to focus on opportunity as well as strengths.

Question 4

What are your budget priorities?

Accepted Answer

Fiscal responsibility and oversight is a very large piece of this role. I spent 5 of the 6 years on the finance committee because sometimes other topics get more attention, for example comments from the public tend to be seen more at a policy meeting, but finance is so important too. With the influx of COVID monies (and depletion), we have seen other districts struggle, and fortunately we are doing well. But, we need to continue to be very diligent in that work. 
 
When I came on as a trustee, our fund balance was very low and roughly 5%. That’s the stage where you can get into some serious trouble, and have others appointed to control your finances. We are roughly 20% now. That fund balance is the key predictor of the health of the district financially. It essentially means how long could we go without any infusion of revenue and survive. So watching that number is a priority.
 
I have been supportive of decisions to mitigate layoffs with attrition, though that has meant some shuffling of roles between buildings. I acknowledge that is not always easy, but if it saves jobs and opportunities for students, I prefer creative ways, with support, to save.
 
I also have a fundraising background, so always have been the one to bring up revenue generation on the Board. Pre-COVID, we were actively discussing ideas til everything came to a halt. We need to get back to that, and engage our community. 
 
I also think we should consider a practice we did when I was first on the Board. We would deep dive into a line item to better understand spending. I think this is a worthwhile investment of time.
 
And what is a last resort when it comes to cutting conversations? I want to continue to be very protective of the great many opportunities for our students. It’s one of the huge differentiators in Saline. Athletics, Clubs, Music, Art, Drama… it’s core to who we are… allowing students to find their unique passions and talents. And of course our staff. If we have the best staff teaching, then we affect academic performance.

Question 5

What are the top challenges for SAS in the next year?

Accepted Answer

1. Modeling our Bridges to Civility and coming together. This is in the community, but also as a Board. And also students with each other and with staff.
2. Succession planning and leadership at the top- Board and buildings.
3. Academic achievement as tied to ranking and metrics.
4. Always budget.
5. Mentorship of newer staff and employee retention.

Jennifer Steben

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