On Tuesday, April 8, Board of Education (BOE) elections will be held. Sarah Boyer and Dr. Mara Vorachek-Warren are running for the two spots up for election.
Izzy Imig, former BOE member, dropped out of the race when she resigned from the BOE on Wednesday, March 12. However, this does not mean that Boyer and Dr. Vorachek-Warren are guaranteed a seat on the board.
Because Imig is still on the ballot, she could still be elected. If Imig were elected, then she would have to resign again from the BOE. The board would then follow Board Policy 0324 to fill the vacant position, Janet Sadowski, BOE secretary, said.
Below are Boyer and Dr. Vorachek-Warren’s responses to some of the questions asked at the Meet the Candidates event hosted by the Presidents’ Forum on Wednesday, March 12.
Q: In the Rockwood School District, where are some areas you believe that we could improve and how do you think you could aid in this?
Dr. Vorachek-Warren:
“One of the things I think we do need to work on, and I think this is true of all school districts nationwide, after the pandemic is helping the students who really had some learning loss during that year where reading interventions were nearly impossible, math interventions as well. And that keeps trickling up every year, those students get one year older. So I think just continuing to support those kids, especially some of the kids that were really young at that time because they didn’t learn how to do school.”
Sarah Boyer:
“One thing for me that I think we really need to work on is just working with new teachers and supporting teachers as they’re coming into education. We’re facing a teacher shortage, it’s a national issue, so just continuing to look at those ways that we can make sure our staff pay is competitive. So I’m hoping we can come up with a plan to work with the community to face that teacher shortage and keep our teachers and get new ones.”
Q: What perspective or representation are you going to bring to the Rockwood school board? Why do you believe this is important?
Sarah Boyer:
“I think for me, the lens I see a lot of the world through is my special education lens because that’s where I spend my career and that’s my passion. And I think, too, the great thing about Rockwood is it’s never those kids and those kids. They’re all our kids. So just having that lens of every kid as an individual learner and how can we make sure we’re meeting individual needs in this huge system with almost 20,000 kids. We’ve got to make sure we find that balance.”
Dr. Vorachek-Warren:
“My background’s math and science, so I am very data-driven with a soul. I like to look at numbers. I like to look behind the scenes, and the science part of me likes to solve problems and think outside of the box and look for ways we can innovate in the classroom or within our own systems. I’ve been a dean in a college, kind of like a building principal so I know the day-to-day problems that sometimes happen in the classrooms.”
Q: In your opinion, what are the key qualities that make a successful school board member, and how do you embody these qualities?
Dr. Vorachek-Warren:
“So first of all, it is a lot of work. The board packets are quite long, and it’s our job to make sure we’re the last look before something gets approved, so it’s actually a pretty hefty responsibility. So I think one of the key components that a board member needs to bring is that time commitment and that understanding of that responsibility, fiscal responsibility. I think it’s really just the idea that you’re gonna have to work hard at this and you also have to be a good listener. I think there’s a lot that can happen behind the scenes that can either create something amazing or can create chaos if you aren’t listening. So I find that I listen a lot and I’ve learned a lot.”
Boyer:
“I would say listening as well. Just approaching everyone who approaches you with that theory that they have positive intent coming in, that they are there because they care about their kids. And sometimes it comes across in very different ways, when parents have that passion or when community members are passionate about something. Just extending everybody that belief that they are coming with that positive intent for the good of all kids. And listening and then working as a team with the other board members and coming to the understanding that we’re here for Rockwood and we’re here to make that good decision. So I think having that teamwork and that belief that everyone’s here.”
