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Candidates Answer Questions on the Issues
See below for questions on
charter schools,
special needs students,
proficiency tests
Click on a name for other candidate information.
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1. What effect would the community (charter) schools have on the public schools in your district?
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Answer from Monay Mack:
The measure of greatness in any school is the level of parental support. if we lose supportive parents it will weaken our school system.
Answer from Lawrence Hawkins:
The community schools (elementary schools) have a tremendous effect on the public school system. they should get a lot of attention, because that is where students are the youngest and therefore the most impressionable. If we can instill the value of education, the reasons for exhibiting leadership skills, and the benefit of being drug free all at an early age, these ideas will probably stay in the students' minds throughout their later years.
Answer from George A. Keyser:
If our school is performing up to its capability, competition is fine. My view is that the whole school funding issue in Ohio is not rationalized appropriately yet. This funding formula is the critical first step to insure success for all students in the state.
Answer from Martha Iskyan:
At this time charter charter schools have not had any effects on the Princeton School Districts.
Answer from Tawana Keels Simons:
The impact of charter schools on the Princeton City School District would be based on the type of school, the number of students attending the school, the guidelines established by the board for their operations and the financial support mechanism established to fund the school.
Answer from Johnny L. Williams:
Take funds from public school
Answer from Carmen Taylor-Daniels:
Charter School will pull funds from the main school. It
could be beneficial to students having difficulty adjusting
to the mainstrea
Answer from Gary A. Bryson:
It depends on the quality and effectiveness of the charter school, and on whether Princeton can compete. I will work to ensure that as part of "Putting Students First" all students are provided with basic and enrichment opportunities that are the best possible. If quality opportunities exist for all students, charter schools will have little effect.
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2. Evaluate the adequacy of support services, beyond state standards, presently provided for special-needs students in your district.
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Answer from Johnny L. Williams:
Excellent
Answer from George A. Keyser:
Our district is currently adequately financed to help special needs students. Maintaining a cost growth rate of 3% will make future spending choices important.
Answer from Monay Mack:
The special need services in the Princeton School District are outstanding, people move into the district because of the excellent special need services provided.
Answer from Lawrence Hawkins:
Support services for special needs students in the Princeton district are fairly good. There can always be improvements in helping these students. The goal should be to provide the best possible care to these students, and support them as they learn, and develop as individuals.
Answer from Carmen Taylor-Daniels:
Some of our services do ho beyond state standards; however
there may be a need to provide additional support in some
instance
Answer from Gary A. Bryson:
Proficiency tests are nothing more than a measure at one point in time of how students from all districts are doing on the proficiency test. It is but one measure, but an important measure. One can make comparisons between different districts, based on proficiencies. I am not convinced proficiencies "improve" the whole education of students. However, I believe they improve the way students are prepared for taking the proficiencies.
Answer from Tawana Keels Simons:
Princeton City Schools provides comprehensive support services for our students, both at Princeton facilities and at outside facilities that are under contract to serve our students.
Answer from Martha Iskyan:
Many families with special need children move into the district, because Princeton is known to provide the most comprehensive special services to those students. Princeton has faculty and administrators that are trained to provide these special services above and beyond state requirements.
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3. Has the use of proficiency tests in your school improved the education of students?
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Answer from Johnny L. Williams:
Insures that min needs are met, however much time is spent preparing students for test
Answer from Lawrence Hawkins:
The use of proficiency tests in the district has made educators realize what type of education students are getting. The test in and of itself does not make for better education, but the test provides another measuring stick to see what the students are actually learning, and that is beneficial.
Answer from Carmen Taylor-Daniels:
It has provided a tool to measure the capability of the
curriculum amongst other schools. It has made the school
system gear their teaching to specific areas in the test and
has prohibited teachers creativi
Answer from Monay Mack:
Yes, it has equipped us to identify our strong, average and weak students, thereby allowing us to challenge all of our students. The public awareness has created an enviroment of acoountability and emphasis on greater achievement for all students.
Answer from Martha Iskyan:
yes, the education of our students has improved, if proficience tests indeed measure education.
Answer from George A. Keyser:
It certainly makes you feel better about performance and improvement. However, I believe the correlation of test scores to academic improvement and learning is yet to be proved. This is an extremely important issue because it has direct impact on school curriculum. We need tests that reinforce the right learning and set the correct curriculum. I don't think this is yet proven, but it is a start.
Answer from Tawana Keels Simons:
The use of proficiency tests has shifted the focus in the classroom from teaching a subject area to teaching for the test. The extensive education provided to students at Princeton can not be measured solely by a proficiency test.
Responses to questions asked of each candidate
are reproduced as submitted to the League, but formatted for Web display.
The order of the candidates is random and changes daily.
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LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS
