John Erbach - Dale District School Board Representative

, so that tomorrow’s Chesterfield Public School students are second to none. Here’s how we get there…

• Safety - Unfortunately, we live in more dangerous times than previous generations. All school personnel must be adequately prepared to respond. Coordination with Chesterfield Police is key. Thorough communication systems must be maintained to keep all school personnel properly updated about potential dangers, from violent threats to dangerous allergies. We must guard against external threats using cameras in and around schools and buses. Students are more likely to follow the rules when teachers and staff demand respect. There must be a zero tolerance policy in every school for any disrespectful behavior directed at teachers, school staff, and other students.

• Standards - We can never sacrifice academic excellence for any reason or tolerate any schools falling below accreditation standards. For those schools that are performing well, we must always strive for improvement. If we become complacent about maintaining high expectations, then, our students will do the same. Chesterfield’s goal must be to ensure that every child in Chesterfield graduates high school in 4 years and has the opportunity to get a post-secondary education, either in college or through a trade school.

• Accountability - The School Board represents all members of the community and should be accountable to all. Outreach and accountability go hand in hand. Even the most involved parent cannot possibly attend every regular School Board meeting. We must do our part to help keep all citizens informed. Among other things, I will publish a bi-weekly School Board report that any citizen can register to receive by email or text message, summarizing what I have done for the Dale District for the last two weeks, and what I plan to do in the next two weeks. This way, every parent will know when and where I will be available, and you will know that I have followed-through on those commitments.

• Priority - We have a limited budget so we must maximize the dollars spent directly on classroom learning and, where possible, explore areas of inefficiency to free more funds for that purpose. Money cannot simply be thrown at problems, but must be responsibly managed to apply our resources where it will have the greatest benefit for all students. This is especially true for underperforming schools and schools in impoverished parts of our county. I propose that every expenditure be evaluated, first, by whether it meets an in-the-classroom need that will directly meet students’ educational needs.

• Focus - We have some great programs in Chesterfield Public Schools, such as project-based learning, the introduction of low-cost Chromebooks to every student, and other technology initiatives. But if you listen to the teachers, it is clear they are, at times, overwhelmed. Often, the next big buzz-word is introduced before we have given the teachers time to fully incorporate last year’s buzz-word into lesson plans. Tools such as educational apps and laptops are great additions to the classroom, but we need to give every new program time to settle-in and stop overwhelming teachers with the next big thing. We need to make sure that any new “buzz-word” initiative fits within a cohesive curriculum.