Meet The Candidate

Wendy Barhydt has 4fnnounced her candidacy íor the Ann Arbor Board of Education in the June 10 election. She submitted the following statement: "My decisión to run for the Ann Arbor Board of Education is based on a number of concerns and two very real issues. . . It is the responsibility of the school board to formúlate policy and the responsibility of the superintendent to I implement this policy. j "Too often in the past, the I board has directed the I superintendent to implement I a policy and then criticized I his efforts to follow through I on this direction. There does I need to be some overlapping I of responsibilities, but if each I segment of the school comI munity would concéntrate on I its own area of concern, we I could begin to work together I towards what should be our I common goal - providing the I highest quality of education I for every child in the Ann ArI bor School System. "The board struggled arduI ously last year to find a I superintendent who would apI peal to all facets of the Ann I Arbor community. After a I great deal of deliberation, I they selected Dr. Harry HowI ard. Having completed nearly I a year of service, he has I brought about a stability in I our school community; he is I respected by teachers, adI ministrators, board members, I citizens and students alike. He I has gained our confidence and I deserves support from the board in his effort to implement the policies they have set. "I am not advocating "rubber stamping," but rather a separation of powers and mutual support which hopefully will continue to evolve into district-wide trust, coopI eration, and cohesiveness ■ rather than the polarization ■ which has so divided our com: ■ munity in the past. My greal I concern last year was that we ■ were all puiling in opposite diI rections. The climate in Ann I Arbor seems to have changed. I We must take advantage of ■ this improved situation and I work together at our separate I responsibilities toward our H common goal. ■ "Secondly, I find in talking H to other parents, teachers and studente, that discipline is still their primary concern. WENDY BARHYDT The school system must continue to assure the safety of every child by insisting on a fair, firm implementation of the discipline policy. There are still very real problems in our junior and senior highs and in many of our elementary schools. "When we fail to keep our schools safe, we are failing to provide our children with the healthy atmosphere they need in which to develop their academie andor vocational potential. As long as there are children who are afraid to go to school and children who cause trouble in the schools because our system is not adequately meeting their needs, then we are failing in providing a safe, enriching learning environment. "I feel strongly that the core of the prpblem is still the elementary school, that we must provide more diagnostic programs at an early age to identify the child who needs help and provide him with that help. Our tax money is so much more wisely and humanely spent on early identification and treatment of learning problems. "As a board member, I would make every effort to encourage long-range planning within the Ann Arbor tzDimTíóJÜ-tLtJUfótA school system. The currentl board has this year charged a I citizens' committee with the I responsibility of studying the I need for new buildings and I sites based on projected I lation and area growth. This I commitment is obviously I long overdue and should be an I important area of board I cern. "My greatest personal I cern is that we must provide I the best possible educational opportunities for all children. We must allow for their diversified needs by providing alternative learning situations and most importantly, we must continue to improve upon a well coordinated curriculum that will challenge all of our students. "I care about the education of my children; I care about the education of all children. As a parent, former teacher and active Parent Teacher Organization leader, I would welcome the responsibilities and opportunities to serve on the Ann Arbor Board of Education." Mrs. Barhydt, 35, has beenl a resident of Ann Arbor for 12 1 years and involved in thel school system for seven years. I She has served as president I and vice president of the Hais-I ley School PTO board and onel year as corresponding secre-l tary of the PTO Council. Shel served as head of a sub-l committee for the Citizensl Advisory Millage Committee I and is now a member of thel Citizens Advisory Committee I of Buildings and Sites. She graduated from thel U-M with a bachelor of I science degree in special edu-l catión and taught elementaryl school in Los Angeles and hos-l pitalized and homebound chil-l dren through the Washtenaw Intermedíate School District (WISD). Mrs. Barhydt, her husband Peter and daughters, Kristen and Karen, live at 5175 W. Liberty Rd. 1