BOE Selects New Board Trustee

District Administrative Assistant Sarah Rust administers the oath of office to newly appointed HCS Board of Education Trustee Zachary Driver immediately following the Dec. 11 school board meeting.

Cleaver photo by Dianne Alward-Biery

The Dec. 11 meeting of the Harrison Community Schools Board of Education included interviews of four candidates for the open school board seat created by the resignation of Courtney McCrimmon. Those interviewees included two previous candidates, Brian Noel and Andrew Morris, and first-time candidates Mick Haley and Zachary Driver.

Cleaver photo by Dianne Alward-Biery

Posted Wednesday, December 20, 2023 12:00 am

The Harrison Community Schools Board of Education meets at 5:30 p.m. the second Monday of the month in the Board Room at 224 W. Main St. in Harrison.

In the Candidate’s Words

This is the complete answer candidate Zachary Driver provided to the HCS Board of Education question: In your opinion, what are some of the biggest challenges or opportunities facing public education today in Michigan, and specifically in Harrison?

“Collectively, I think one of the biggest challenges is something that our board has talked about [the terminology is] democratization of education,” Driver said. “Offering the ability to share the success points across the school – not just thrive at being our own success point, but also share what has made us successful: everything down from a teacher’s relationship with a student and how to build that relationship, to how a school is better able to coordinate their administrative level to get the funding that they need to ensure that their teachers are well supported – that schools are safe.

“It’s a struggle for a lot of communities throughout the country to be able to do everything that they need to do funding-wise and regulation-wise without having to cut corners or make sacrifices. Unfortunately, one of those first sacrifices is the salary of teachers. The ability to have a consistent income that is competitive against other careers … that’s a big one for the country.

“Locally, for the community, I think it’s a real understanding of what community exists – what we are as a community. We have a diverse group, both economically and our belief system, and politically – and that’s just part of a good community. Diversity is great, but it also means there are challenging conversations that need to be had of what’s in the schools, what’s talked about, and what is supporting youth. You’re very traditional in a sense. It may seem uncomfortable to talk about, or something you absolutely don’t want to deal with, but I think it’s worth having a conversation. And I think more of those conversations being had, sooner rather than later, gives us an opportunity to build that bond with those community members sitting there.”

by Dianne Alward-Biery

HARRISON – The Dec. 11 meeting of the Harrison Community Schools Board of Education included interviews of four candidates for the open school board seat created by the resignation of Courtney McCrimmon. Those interviewees included two previous candidates, Brian Noel and Andrew Morris, and first-time candidates Mick Haley and Zachary Driver.

Candidates were asked to leave the room so as not to prematurely hear the Board’s questions/candidate’s answers, and after each candidate’s interview was completed, he was allowed to stay and hear the remaining interview(s).

As has been done when the board interviewed to fill previous vacancies, identical questions were posed which sought to inform the board of the candidates’ strengths, intentions, applicable skills and their take on what/where education is, should be and could be.

Each candidate was asked to introduce himself and to share why he was interested in serving on the school board. The remaining questions included:

-What do you see as the roles and responsibilities of a school board member?

-What strengths, skills and qualities will you bring to the Board of Education?

-In your opinion, what are some of the biggest challenges or opportunities facing public education today in Michigan, and specifically in Harrison?

-What comments or questions might you have for us?

All the candidates spoke with sincerity and openness about education and the possibilities for cooperative work to be done on behalf of students – with each of them prioritizing students.

Noel brought an openness to learn, along with a desire to ensure his grandchildren have a quality school to attend. He also spoke of the importance of being willing to be part of the solution rather than the problem. He also counted as a strength his recent awareness that sometimes things just have to work themselves out and can’t be forced.

Morris, who is the parent of a middle-schooler, said his interest in the seat arose from seeing a paucity of community participation at school board meetings, leading him to want to help however he can. He said that as someone who has managed a business for 13 years, his biggest strengths are problem-solving and a rational thought process.

Haley brought his extensive educational background and admiration for the Board, school district and students. He noted his experience on Harrison City Council and spoke of the importance of listening and being supportive of all teachers and students, ensuring the best environment to ensure their success.

Driver described his varied experience in technology [The Institute for Excellence in Education technology coordinator] and coaching Little League, and his belief that education comes down to a set of priorities, with the first being the kids. He said the Board’s job is finding ways for guiding administration through the schools, understanding ways to support teachers, and again, connecting with kids and how they can be supported.

All spoke of their experiences, pointing out how those experiences would translate into priorities and decision-making value in service to the district. They also described their experiences in education and how they relate to HCS District on a personal level.

When it came time for the Board to make its selection and turn four possibilities into one certainty, discussion included a great deal of positivity about each of the candidates – something refreshing and promising in times which seem to have become all too divisive and negative.

All Board members cited the quality of all the candidates, noting that each would make a fine addition to the Board. After discussion, a roll call vote was taken which yielded a unanimous vote to appoint Zachary Driver to fill the open seat. His duties will begin with the Board’s Jan. 8 meeting.

In other actions, the Board conducted the annual Superintendent Evaluation, which yielded strong scores, however, due to the unavailability of M-STEP data, finalizing the evaluation was tabled until the January meeting.

The Consent Agenda included approval of the following items:

-Regular meeting minutes of Nov. 13, 2023.

-Financial Reports for Nov. 1-30, 2023.

-Hiring of Andria Thomas as sixth-grade teacher.

-Hiring of Paige Rhodes as middle school English Language Arts teacher.

-Hiring of Beth McClain as middle school special education teacher.