Cheryl McGinnis struggled with the decision to spend $400 on campaign signs during her bid for school board
In the end, she decided to go for it.
‘My heart kept saying ‘there’s a price to pay for this, Cheryl,?? McGinnis said, noting people often rely on campaign signs to remember a school election. ‘I felt an obligation to the community, to the people who don’t have kids in school and might not be paying attention to the issues in the paper.?
In the end, McGinnis found a vendor who quoted half the cost of the initial estimate, so long as she agreed to fold and staple the signs herself.
The signs went up, and McGinnis emerged as the top vote-getter, with 1,526 votes, or 39.91 percent.
McGinnis, 48, who works as a payroll specialist for Contract Professionals, Inc., said she put out 45 of the 50 signs, and asked a few friends to write letters to the local papers, but didn’t do much campaigning otherwise.
‘I felt if my name and the activities I’ve done in this community couldn’t speak for me,? she said, ‘than what could??
McGinnis has been involved with the district’s schools since her oldest daughter, a current Western Michigan University student who graduated from Clarkston High School in 2004, entered preschool. Her second oldest graduated in 2006 and is attending classes at Oakland University, and her son is a sophomore at CHS.
McGinnis is looking into certification courses with the Michigan Association of School Boards, and hopes to complete several of the nine required classes while her workload is lighter during summer.
Once she takes her seat on the board in July, McGinnis said she’ll keep her eyes and ears open to gain knowledge and perspective on tough financial issues facing Clarkston schools.
‘I am cautious, yet I want to be very educated and open minded in hearing possibilities for spending the money we have,? she said. ‘Carefulness in spending our money is going to be so crucial.?
But, McGinnis said she believes the current board is already working hard to perform with a shrinking budget, especially in light of recent complaints over later start times for five of the district’s seven elementary schools.
Much of the district’s youngest population will begin the school day at 9:10 a.m. starting in the fall, with the final bell ringing at 4:20 p.m.
The changes are a direct result of bus driver lay-offs and new busing policies board members say will save the district $150,000.
‘I haven’t seen the numbers,? McGinnis said, ‘but I believe the board is doing the best they can with what they have.?
It would be helpful, she continued, for parents to take concerns to their legislator.
‘Education is the whip horse of the state,? she said. ‘The (state’s) general fund doesn’t have the money it needs, so education is getting cut. It would be nice to see everybody sharing the burden, not just education.?
Incumbent Barry Bomier, who retained his seat on the school board with 1,194 votes, or 31.22 percent, agreed with McGinnis.
?(The later start times are) an excellent example of the trickle-down impact of cuts in student funding out of Lansing as a result of the budget deficit,? he said, noting more change could be imminent as the board looks for ways to balance the budget.
The district, he said, will likely face further cuts into the operational budget, looking first at unmandated costs and those that can be reduced while allowing the district to remain operationally sound.
‘We’ve got some core programs that make Clarkston a district of excellence,? said Bomier, 56, a program manager for Michelin North America. ‘We have to ask ourselves ‘how are we going to keep those?? and ‘where do we place the most value???
Budget issues, Bomier said, will occupy ‘an awful lot? of agenda time in the 2007-2008 school year.
But while financial problems weigh heavily, Bomier was confident about the role McGinnis will play over the next four years.
‘Cheryl has the extensive knowledge and ability that it takes to be a member of the school board,? he said. ‘I think we can accelerate her integration into the board discussions at a level that we couldn’t have done with someone else.?
McGinnis and Bomier beat out school board candidates Joe Wauldron, 65, a retired auditor, and Edward Pierz, 18, a high school senior at Orchard Lake St. Mary’s. Wauldron came away from the election with 762 votes, or 19.93 percent, while Pierz captured 339 votes, or 8.87 percent.