Why are you running for the school board?
I am running for CCS school board because I am dedicated to preserving and continuing to improve upon the excellence of Carmel Clay Schools. I have three children in CCS, two in high school and one in 4th grade. With that 4th grader, I have a lot more years of being directly invested in the success of Carmel Clay Schools. I also have prior school board experience, having served on the board of our children’s previous school for five years. It was an excellent opportunity to refine my skills in boardsmanship, decision-making and fiscal responsibility. I have noticed a lot of divisiveness in our community around the topic of schools and school board. I see people having surface-level discussions, being closed-minded and often verbally attacking those with differing opinions. In my experience as a manufacturing engineer, I’m used to working with strong-willed differing opinions and making decisions as a team, not based on emotion, but unbiased facts-based decisions that serve the best of the organization.
What is your vision for the future of our school district?
Carmel Clay Schools have a long history of excellence. However, the focus must be on not simply achieving excellence, but maintaining excellence. That takes every day effort and a willingness to actively seek out our opportunities for improvement. We have a great wealth of talent in Carmel in both our students and our teaching staff. We have everything it takes in order to be not just “at the top”, but to be #1. I am dedicated to fostering a culture of continuous improvement, constantly striving to outperform our best selves.
What do you believe are the most critical issues facing our schools today?
Three challenges that I see facing our schools today are workplace satisfaction for teachers, maintaining high standards for students and an increased number of multi language learner students. Teachers are the backbone of our educational system. I have met with many teachers and the concerns they expressed can be summarize with one statement, “We need to bring the joy back into teaching.” Extensive paperwork requirements are burdensome and detract from what teachers are highly trained in doing, which is working with students. Teachers are also frustrated with ineffective discipline procedures. In addition, teachers feel there is often a shortage of Instructional Assistants and substitutes. I would support stricter adherence to our discipline policies and increased pay for teachers, IA’s and subs. Some aspects of programs like “Grading for Equity” has many parents, grandparents and business-owners concerned. When students don’t have deadlines for turning in homework or can re-take exams multiple times, there is a concern that they aren’t being taught responsibility and consequences. We must ensure that we are challenging our students to their full ability and equipping them with a work ethic that employers will appreciate. With an increase in the number of multi-language learners in schools, school boards have a responsibility to ensure that state and federal funding received for these students is directed back to classroom support to directly help the students succeed.
What experience do you have that prepares you for this role?
I served on the school board of our children’s previous school for 5 years, as assistant treasurer of the school. My career in engineering and project management has provided me with skills in teamwork, continuous improvement, and an ability to make unbiased, facts-based decisions. I have also been an active volunteer in the schools and in the community. Most of all, I’m a great listener. I have spent hundreds of hours knocking on doors and talking to community members, listening to their thoughts and concerns.
How will you ensure that the voices of parents, teachers, and students are heard in board decisions?
I feel it is imperative for a school district to have a process whereby parents, teachers and students are able to provide unfiltered feedback. This feedback should then be used by the administration and the board to create policies and to set goals for the district. When proposals are brought before the school board for a vote, one aspect of making these decisions should be to compare each proposal against these policies and goals. I would first take a look at the feedback avenues that exist and evaluate their effectiveness.
What are your priorities for the school district’s budget?
In general our district does an outstanding job of prioritizing and planning the needs of our district. I am especially impressed with the pro-active facilities upkeep plans. I would support any initiatives to increase the pay of teachers, instructional assistants and substitutes. CCS typically pays less than neighboring districts and I would like to see us be more competitive. I am also in favor of the continued support and growth of our School Resource Officer (SRO) program, which does an outstanding job every day of protecting and contributing to our students.
How would you ensure that the district is prepared for future challenges, such as growth or changes in educational standards?
While there isn’t a large amount of student population growth expected in Carmel Clay Schools, the landscape of our diverse community is constantly changing. Currently, there has been a large growth in the number of multi-language learners. We have roughly 111 languages spoken in CCS. It is important to assess the impact and needs of this growth and to ensure that we are prioritizing our resources in a way that supports the success of the students and teachers. In addition, educational standards are also ever-changing. By continuing to operate at a high level of excellence, our district can be prepared to more easily handle changes in these standards.
What else would you like voters to know about your candidacy?
I am so honored to be running for school board in Carmel Clay Schools and to have the opportunity to serve our community and give back to our schools. I am proud of the civil manner in which my campaign has been run, even in the midst of baseless attacks. I remain focused on hearing the voices of the taxpayers in the community and making decisions that are in the best interest of our students, while providing support and respect for our teachers.
How can voters contact you or learn more about your campaign?
Voters can learn more at robinclark4ccs.org or reach out to me at robinclark4ccs@gmail.com