Marihelen Hower School Board

I actually got this survey a while back. I have waited to post it until Marihelen has made her announcement. Now that she has, I would like to share this survey with all of you. Feel free to send any follow up questions to me. I do have another survey that will be posted after the candidate makes his/her announcement.


1. Why are you running?

I can be a voice for our community as a parent, tax payer, and as a concerned citizen.



2. How would you describe the current state of the district?

Mifflin County School District faces the challenges that most of our school districts are facing across the USA---improving academics to meet minimal requirements, focusing on every student to be sure they reach success, preparing our children for a world that is difficult to predict (due to technology, innovation, etc...) and keeping all of these initiatives within our fiscal framework as a community. Our district currently is weak according to Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE). Our district is in Corrective Action; Mifflin County School District is of 12% of schools in the State to be at this level. This can be viewed at www.PAAYP.com.


3. What is your opinion about building the new high school?

My opinion of the new school would be summed up with this question: How does the new building guarantee better success for every child in the district? We need to keep in mind three safety concerns: Academic Safety, Physical Safety and Emotional Safety.

4. Do you think the students of the county are well-served by the district?
We have excellent staff who desire to well-serve each and every student in Mifflin County School District. I believe intentions are good; unfortunately we live in a time where we are not measured on intentions/or opinions. We must use only researched proven data for policies but also for all material we use for our curriculum. And, my philosophy in life is that we all have a lot to learn in order to meet success, the same is true for Mifflin County School District.




5. What is your opinion about the teachers' union and negotiations with the district?

Our teachers' union and the negotiations with the district are never ending, nor should they be.



6. What is your opinion on early childhood education?

Early education is a growing concern for all school districts. We know that by instituting the very best, research-based practices at an early age, we can move students and have them meet with success faster. In order to level the playing field in K-12 education, early education has to be reviewed.



7. What is your opinion about vocational education?

Vocation education is a viable trade any student will take with them for life, even if the student chooses to put it aside and pursue other educational adventures, they can always fall back to the trade they learned in school. I believe the expectations are changing rapidly in these areas and that we need to continue to improve our programs in technical education in order for our children to be prepared for employment upon graduation. I do however; feel vocational education should not withhold the children from necessary classes for college placement.






8. Should the district cut any current programs in order to balance the budget?

I believe if the current programs are not to enhance the child's academic success then we should open discussions about re-focusing our resources.



9. How should the district best address "No Child Left Behind?"

We should focus more on how to educate each child. 60% of our children in Mifflin County are Proficient according to PSSA testing assessment scores which mean 40% of our children are not at Grade Level. It takes one and one-half times to educate students below standards than those students at the necessary academic level.



10. What is the role of a school board member?

The role of a school board member would be make policy and to hold our Superintendent accountable to policies that the State and local Board of Education has established.



11. What current letter grade would you give the school board? Why?

My grade for the school board would be a C. The reason I chose this grade is to give credit where it’s due for holding our school tax at a minimum rate. I also will add the district has chosen programs to make our district more successful, however, I believe programs are not being mandated throughout our district. This gives me, and should give all community members, great concern.
I believe our district needs to intensify accountability within our administrators to be successful. This will provide the proper support to our staff.



12. What do you think of the idea to consolidate school districts? Will this help of hurt Mifflin County?

My thoughts of consolidating the school are neutral. I would need to have more information to have an opinion, but I have a few thoughts. On the positive, this could provide more options for children who are part of a more cohesive system. However, I can foresee difficulty in managing a larger organization.