League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area Education Fund
Hamilton County, OH November 8, 2011 Election
	Martin Murray Answers Questions Candidate for Board Member; Wyoming City School District

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. What are your qualifications for office?

I have significant experience successfully managing multi-million dollar operating budgets and successfully leading multi-million dollar construction projects, both important skills to have on our school board in today's environment. I also have a long track record of working in large, diverse organizations where it has been critical to draw conflicting points of view to the table, identify common ground, and create solutions that serve all members of the community.

2. What would you do to advance the concept of "equity in education" in your district?

Equity in Education is about creating an environment where every child can succeed as an individual against their personal goals based on their unique skills and talents without stereotypical judgements about those goals, skills, or talents.

This will require Wyoming to: 1) have differentiated programs that address the broad range of skills and talents that exist among our students; 2) be adaptable, recognizing that students who "group together" today will each grow uniquely and, as a result, will likely not "group together" next year or the year after; and 3) recognize the pace of change our students face in today's world and its impact on the speed with which our programs must shift to create that environment of equity in education.

3. How would you use your students' state test results to improve education in your district?

Wyoming students' test results require much more attention than is being implied by the current Board's celebration of the district's numerical rating.

Historically, Wyoming schools have delivered accelerated educational growth as measured by the "AYP" state metric - Annual Yearly Progress. We have, as a district, always exceeded state expectations however this year, as measured by state scores, the degree to which our students are growing has slowed to average. As a result, when prospective members of our community explore various districts, the first thing they see when they look at Wyoming is that we are NOT in the top tier of SW Ohio school districts. We need to do better.

The first step in using our students' state test results to improve education in Wyoming is to admit we have an issue to address. The inertia of the past may be still carrying us but there are early warning signs in these data that demand attention.

Specifically, I would seek support from other members of the Board to elevate the Education sub-committee of the Board to the same status that the Facilities sub-committee has enjoyed.

I believe in the old adage that "you get what you inspect, not necessarily what you expect". Wyoming expects excellence in education but will fall short until the Board takes a more active role of inspecting that excellence...asking questions and proactively monitoring progress.

4. What will you do to build consensus in the community in support of public schools?

Wyoming's strength has always resided in the collaborative relationship among the Board/Administration, the community, and our teachers. Each plays a critical role. Over the past nine years, this Board has (as a group) allowed that collaboration to crumble. Reasons include:

Blind support of an administration clearly out of touch with broad swatches of the community.

Allowing a contentious relationship with teachers to develop during the most recent negotiations with purposeful attention to "demonize" teachers.

Engaging in a concerted "sales campaign" in support of a limited number of Middle School options without providing full and fair disclosure of the full breadth of solutions.

As a member of Wyoming's Board of Education, I would work to make sure we reflect the entire diversity of our community in defining problems and creating solutions.

No matter how this election turns out, the 2012 through 2014 Board will be a less culturally diverse group than we have seen in Wyoming for 20+ years. It is a function of the candidate group. That puts even more obligation on the Board to seek out and engage conflicting points of view. Whether they be differences driven by neighborhood, economic background, cultural, or lifestyle...we need to connect with the entire community, not just those who are like us. I am committed to do that.

5. What are your budget priorities?

Ensure we are looking at the whole picture when considering major capital expenditures. There is much discussion in the community today regarding the future of our Middle School with a Board proposal to put a significant levy on the ballot in March, 2012.

At the same time, Wyoming has avoided an operating levy for almost 10 years by underspending on classroom/teacher investment and facility maintenance. As a result of that underspending, Wyoming enjoys one of the largest "cash on hand" balances of any district in SW Ohio when measured as a percent of our budget. At some point in the near future, as state and federal funding is constricted, that underspending will have to be addressed and the conversation will turn to an operating levy.

There is no question that we must do something to address the Middle School's disrepair and it is gravely concerning to me that the only solutions involve new construction. There is virtually no limit to what is possible with existing construction to address the non-negotiable improvements that are necessary (security, air, roofing, etc) but for whatever reason, the current Board has chosen to ignore these possibilities.

My budget priority would be to re-sequence the spending to ensure we have the right classroom/teacher investments before taking on the high fixed costs of new construction. This will make sure the content of our education receives the appropriate community support.

Wyoming is fully committed to education and these are tough times for many in our community. We, as a Board, need to make tough choices that reflect and respect those challenges without compromising our commitment to educational excellence. If that means addressing the non-negotiables needs of the current building and waiting a little longer for that shiny new building, then so be it.

---

Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. Word limits may apply. See individual questions for specific word limits. Direct references to opponents are not permitted. Please edit your work before submitting. We are unable to provide spell-check at this time.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Candidate Page || Feedback to Candidate || This Contest
SmartVoter Home (Ballot Lookup) || About Smart Voter

---

Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 7, 2011 15:33
Smart Voter <http://www.smartvoter.org/>
Copyright © League of Women Voters of California Education Fund   http://www.lwvc.org
The League of Women Voters neither supports nor opposes candidates for public office or political parties.