School Board Candidate Questionnaire
Are you running for the 2-year or 4-year seat on the school board?
4 year seat
What are your relevant qualifications, accomplishments, endorsements, and experiences (personal and professional) that pertain to you running for this office?
What motivated you to run for a position on the board?
We have an incredible school district, made up of great students, parents, teachers, administrators and a supportive community. The last couple years have provided unprecedented challenges and our district needs people with leadership experience to help guide decisions for the betterment of all. I have the skills, the knowledge and the determination to continue work through our current and future challenges.
Why did/ didn’t you seek a political endorsement?
A position on school board is by definition a nonpartisan position. I have strongly advocated to keep it nonpartisan for 12 years as did my father for the 32 years before that. A Forest Hills board member is beholden to the entire Anderson Township and Newtown community and takes an oath to act “faithfully and impartially.” I serve in this seat as a public servant, parent, taxpayer, alumnus, and community member. I focus solely on the diverse needs of our students and our community.
Do you currently have students in the Forest Hills School District?
Yes, Senior and Junior at Turpin and an 8th grader at Nagel. One graduate now at Duke.
What is something that you would like the voters to know about you?
I am a proud product of the Forest Hills School District. I graduated from Wilson Elementary 41 years ago, then moved on to Turpin Middle and Forest Hills Junior Schools before graduating as co-valedictorian from Turpin High School in 1987. Forest Hills provided me with an excellent education and a strong foundation for my future academic endeavors at Stanford, UC Medical School and Duke. I’ve been married to my remarkable wife for 23 years, and she is an incredibly active volunteer in many programs throughout the District. My parents have a lifetime of service to our schools and were integral in the foundation of Forest Hills Foundation for Education. I believe strongly in public education and have a vested interest in making the best decisions for our children and for our community.
What are the top three issues facing the district that you would like to address? How can your unique perspective address these issues?
One thing I have learned over the years in this position is that issues arise constantly. Think of four years ago, we were deep in construction of facilities, dealing with lack of air conditioning and sometimes heat in our buildings. The issues that have dominated our meetings over the past few months were complete unknowns. I now have 12 years of experience dealing with issues as they arise, - facilities, curriculum, human resources, state mandates, changes in leadership, township/village/park collaboration, student wellness, teacher/administrator turnover, legal challenges and more.
That said, finances remain the top issue facing our district as well as every public school district in the state. The unconstitutional reliance on property taxes, combined with a funding system that, by law, does not account for inflation, forces this issue to the forefront. Forest Hills provides outstanding value for the taxpayer dollar with Excellent results at below average costs. And that is a testament to our incredible team of teachers, administrators and staff. I have the experience and perspective to help guide our district with the challenges to come.
Other issues include providing the necessary tools for our students to excel. This incorporates technology, curriculum, staffing in the context of our financial abilities. All areas that I have supervisory experience and more importantly, I have well qualified people in the district to advise.
And frankly, an important issue will be the board itself. Our last board had an unprecedented number of new members for a Forest Hills School Board, with 14 years experience combined at the beginning of 2020 (10 years, 2, 2, 0, 0). New members are instrumental to bring new ideas and vitality to the board. But there is value in having veteran leadership in a district with 7300 students, 800 employees and an $89 million dollar budget.
What do you want the Forest Hills School District to be known for?
A destination district that produces lifelong learners and productive members of society that contribute to the greater good of this world.
How will you create a meaningful point of difference for our school to make the entire township more appealing?
Over the last 12 years in office, I, along with other board members, have supported our excellent faculty and administrative staff to collectively help our district thrive. I have worked collaboratively with the park district, township and village to help our community. I have built trusted relationships throughout the schools, community and across the city. I have established relationships with other area school board members to seek and provide guidance and collaboration. I bring continuity, experience and leadership skills that are unique to this school board position.
What steps will you take to help unify the district around the common goal of educating every child?
My goal is to help the board provide steadfast guidance for our professionals in creating a framework in which all students can succeed.
Regarding health guidance from outside entities that apply to schools, what is your position on the role that the board should play in making or guiding health policy for students?
I believe it is extremely inappropriate for public health decisions to rest solely on the shoulders of local school boards. They should be implemented by our local public health experts. I know of only two physicians that serve on local boards and neither of us is a virologist, infectious disease expert nor public health expert. At a minimum, public health should provide a consistent message which unfortunately is not the case. (Recommendations from public health that can conflict with, or at least aren’t supported by, mandates from public health).
What is your position on diversity, equity, inclusion, and how it relates to district curriculum and staff/student policy?
Every student should feel safe and welcome in our schools. Our teachers and staff should facilitate that environment. We know that students learn best and thrive when they feel safe in their learning environment. Our teachers should be supported to provide that type of environment.
How will you protect the rights of our students who are LGBTQIA+ to ensure they have a safe environment to learn and participate in all student activities?
Not to be redundant, but every student should feel safe and welcome in our schools. Our teachers and staff should facilitate that environment.
As a district, how can we support our student’s mental health?
This is a key component of our core educational focus for students and staff. With the additional stresses over the last few years, we need to keep mental health a priority. I believe the Forest Hills Foundation is a critical partner to the district to help provide programs and financial support for students and staff at all schools. And I believe we need to focus on consistent programming in all 9 schools.
What steps can the board take to encourage and support both classroom and extracurricular education in the district?
This is the essence of what we do and desire - Encouraging excellence in and out of the classroom. The community has generously provided the resources for our outstanding facilities and for the people who make the difference in those facilities. We must continue to conserve those resources, while continuing to provide the experience that our community and children deserve and expect.
What are your views on the type of sexual education the district should offer?
We should set our students up for success and I currently believe our curriculum staff is leading with the best interests of the students. Like other aspects of our curriculum, we are required to follow the mandates of the state and will continue to do so.
How will you support special education services as a member of the school board?
Forest Hills provides outstanding special education services. I will continue to support the needs of every student and our special education department, offering students what they need to be successful.
How would you balance community input in your decision-making process?
I serve this community as a leader and decision maker and I value community input and feedback. I encourage respectful dialogue and work to achieve success collaboratively.
How do you plan to address gifted education for students who are gifted in subject areas other than math?
Our teachers work hard to maximize the potential in our students at all levels. I will continue to encourage professional development to challenge each student. Additional programming is always a consideration, but must be balanced with fiscal realities.
How would you address the Anderson High School pool?
I believe it's critical to have all the information gathered before we make a decision of this magnitude. Community input, hard costs, impact on students and the vision for the community at large are all part of this decision process. This will be a tough decision, but I will continue to make tough decisions for the betterment of the community, students and staff.
4 year seat
What are your relevant qualifications, accomplishments, endorsements, and experiences (personal and professional) that pertain to you running for this office?
- 12 years serving on the Forest Hills School Board
- Elected by my board colleagues to be President 5 years and Vice President 3 years
- Served on the Finance Committee, Technology and Learning Committee, Tax Increment Finance Committee, Facilities Committee, Legislative Liaison, etc.
- Worked with 9 board members, 4 superintendents, 3 treasurers, 1 FHTA President
- Greatly increased the collaboration with the township, park district
- Volunteered for over 10 levy requests and 2 bond issues, extremely involved in 2 successful levy campaigns and both bond campaigns (1 for 2 success on those)
- Habitual volunteer (Knothole coach x 12 years; flag football coach, ATLL, basketball, soccer, softball over the years; cub scouts, Boy Scouts, public address announcer for girls JV and varsity soccer and basketball, 6th grade Olympics, etc.)
- Member of the Wilson PTA/PTO for ~12 years, Nagel PTO for ~7 years, Turpin PTO for ~7 years, FHIMA, Forest Hills Band booster, highest level athletic booster at Turpin and Anderson for 5+ years
- 8 years and currently serving on OrthoCincy corporate board
- 5 year Chair of Orthopaedic Institute at St. Elizabeth
- Served as Chairman of Surgery and on Medical Executive Board at St. Elizabeth
- 12 years on Finance Committee of Commonwealth Orthopaedics/OrthoCincy
What motivated you to run for a position on the board?
We have an incredible school district, made up of great students, parents, teachers, administrators and a supportive community. The last couple years have provided unprecedented challenges and our district needs people with leadership experience to help guide decisions for the betterment of all. I have the skills, the knowledge and the determination to continue work through our current and future challenges.
Why did/ didn’t you seek a political endorsement?
A position on school board is by definition a nonpartisan position. I have strongly advocated to keep it nonpartisan for 12 years as did my father for the 32 years before that. A Forest Hills board member is beholden to the entire Anderson Township and Newtown community and takes an oath to act “faithfully and impartially.” I serve in this seat as a public servant, parent, taxpayer, alumnus, and community member. I focus solely on the diverse needs of our students and our community.
Do you currently have students in the Forest Hills School District?
Yes, Senior and Junior at Turpin and an 8th grader at Nagel. One graduate now at Duke.
What is something that you would like the voters to know about you?
I am a proud product of the Forest Hills School District. I graduated from Wilson Elementary 41 years ago, then moved on to Turpin Middle and Forest Hills Junior Schools before graduating as co-valedictorian from Turpin High School in 1987. Forest Hills provided me with an excellent education and a strong foundation for my future academic endeavors at Stanford, UC Medical School and Duke. I’ve been married to my remarkable wife for 23 years, and she is an incredibly active volunteer in many programs throughout the District. My parents have a lifetime of service to our schools and were integral in the foundation of Forest Hills Foundation for Education. I believe strongly in public education and have a vested interest in making the best decisions for our children and for our community.
What are the top three issues facing the district that you would like to address? How can your unique perspective address these issues?
One thing I have learned over the years in this position is that issues arise constantly. Think of four years ago, we were deep in construction of facilities, dealing with lack of air conditioning and sometimes heat in our buildings. The issues that have dominated our meetings over the past few months were complete unknowns. I now have 12 years of experience dealing with issues as they arise, - facilities, curriculum, human resources, state mandates, changes in leadership, township/village/park collaboration, student wellness, teacher/administrator turnover, legal challenges and more.
That said, finances remain the top issue facing our district as well as every public school district in the state. The unconstitutional reliance on property taxes, combined with a funding system that, by law, does not account for inflation, forces this issue to the forefront. Forest Hills provides outstanding value for the taxpayer dollar with Excellent results at below average costs. And that is a testament to our incredible team of teachers, administrators and staff. I have the experience and perspective to help guide our district with the challenges to come.
Other issues include providing the necessary tools for our students to excel. This incorporates technology, curriculum, staffing in the context of our financial abilities. All areas that I have supervisory experience and more importantly, I have well qualified people in the district to advise.
And frankly, an important issue will be the board itself. Our last board had an unprecedented number of new members for a Forest Hills School Board, with 14 years experience combined at the beginning of 2020 (10 years, 2, 2, 0, 0). New members are instrumental to bring new ideas and vitality to the board. But there is value in having veteran leadership in a district with 7300 students, 800 employees and an $89 million dollar budget.
What do you want the Forest Hills School District to be known for?
A destination district that produces lifelong learners and productive members of society that contribute to the greater good of this world.
How will you create a meaningful point of difference for our school to make the entire township more appealing?
Over the last 12 years in office, I, along with other board members, have supported our excellent faculty and administrative staff to collectively help our district thrive. I have worked collaboratively with the park district, township and village to help our community. I have built trusted relationships throughout the schools, community and across the city. I have established relationships with other area school board members to seek and provide guidance and collaboration. I bring continuity, experience and leadership skills that are unique to this school board position.
What steps will you take to help unify the district around the common goal of educating every child?
My goal is to help the board provide steadfast guidance for our professionals in creating a framework in which all students can succeed.
Regarding health guidance from outside entities that apply to schools, what is your position on the role that the board should play in making or guiding health policy for students?
I believe it is extremely inappropriate for public health decisions to rest solely on the shoulders of local school boards. They should be implemented by our local public health experts. I know of only two physicians that serve on local boards and neither of us is a virologist, infectious disease expert nor public health expert. At a minimum, public health should provide a consistent message which unfortunately is not the case. (Recommendations from public health that can conflict with, or at least aren’t supported by, mandates from public health).
What is your position on diversity, equity, inclusion, and how it relates to district curriculum and staff/student policy?
Every student should feel safe and welcome in our schools. Our teachers and staff should facilitate that environment. We know that students learn best and thrive when they feel safe in their learning environment. Our teachers should be supported to provide that type of environment.
How will you protect the rights of our students who are LGBTQIA+ to ensure they have a safe environment to learn and participate in all student activities?
Not to be redundant, but every student should feel safe and welcome in our schools. Our teachers and staff should facilitate that environment.
As a district, how can we support our student’s mental health?
This is a key component of our core educational focus for students and staff. With the additional stresses over the last few years, we need to keep mental health a priority. I believe the Forest Hills Foundation is a critical partner to the district to help provide programs and financial support for students and staff at all schools. And I believe we need to focus on consistent programming in all 9 schools.
What steps can the board take to encourage and support both classroom and extracurricular education in the district?
This is the essence of what we do and desire - Encouraging excellence in and out of the classroom. The community has generously provided the resources for our outstanding facilities and for the people who make the difference in those facilities. We must continue to conserve those resources, while continuing to provide the experience that our community and children deserve and expect.
What are your views on the type of sexual education the district should offer?
We should set our students up for success and I currently believe our curriculum staff is leading with the best interests of the students. Like other aspects of our curriculum, we are required to follow the mandates of the state and will continue to do so.
How will you support special education services as a member of the school board?
Forest Hills provides outstanding special education services. I will continue to support the needs of every student and our special education department, offering students what they need to be successful.
How would you balance community input in your decision-making process?
I serve this community as a leader and decision maker and I value community input and feedback. I encourage respectful dialogue and work to achieve success collaboratively.
How do you plan to address gifted education for students who are gifted in subject areas other than math?
Our teachers work hard to maximize the potential in our students at all levels. I will continue to encourage professional development to challenge each student. Additional programming is always a consideration, but must be balanced with fiscal realities.
How would you address the Anderson High School pool?
I believe it's critical to have all the information gathered before we make a decision of this magnitude. Community input, hard costs, impact on students and the vision for the community at large are all part of this decision process. This will be a tough decision, but I will continue to make tough decisions for the betterment of the community, students and staff.