School Board candidates say experiences in community, as parents drove them to run

Michael Flores, a firefighter and paramedic, and Wayne Strong, a former police officer, both longtime Madison residents, are competing for the school board seat 6, which Marj Passman will vacate when her term ends in April.

The seat represents Gompers, Lindbergh Nuestro Mundo and Orchard Ridge Elementary Schools, Cherokee and Whitehorse Middle Schools, and West High School. Passman, who has held the seat since 2008, will not seek reelection this year, citing recent personal health needs. School Board President Ed Hughes will run uncontested for seat 7. Election Day is April 1.

Madison Commons sat down with each candidate and discussed his experience in Madison, his reasons for running for school board and his opinion on current events in MMSD. The first installment of the two-part series will outline the candidates’ backgrounds, their reasons for running for school board and their thoughts on the district’s top issues. Part 2 will delve into the candidates’ thoughts on specific topics, including the achievement gap, the new technology plan and an assessment of the superintendent.

Wayne StrongWAYNE STRONG

Personal background and experience in Madison

Wayne Strong grew up in Racine and has lived in Madison since 1989, when he became a police officer with the city police force. He retired from the police force in 2013.

“I got a chance to work with a lot of neighborhood groups, a lot of citizens, a lot of problem solving, looking at issues in terms of how to resolve conflicts with neighbors,” Strong said of his experience.

Currently, Strong is an adjunct faculty member for Globe University as well as a client-service associate for UBS financial services group.

Since 1995, Strong has worked with the Southside Raiders Youth Football and Cheerleading Program, which is part of the Dane County Area Youth Football League for children in grades four-eight.

“We deal with a lot of kids in the Madison area that are low-income children,” he said of his experience with the Raiders. “In that capacity, I’ve had a chance to mentor a lot of young people as well as provide guidance and encouragement and support for them, encouraging them to stay in school, stay out of trouble.”

He said the group emphasizes the importance of education and staying in school.

Parent perspective

Strong has two grown children who attended and graduated from Madison public schools.

He said his and his wife’s parental involvement in their children’s school was integral to their success but noted not all parents are able to be as involved.

“I think where–we only have a 53 percent graduation rate for African American students—and who knows if our kids, one or both of [our children] would have been a casualty of that. I think what really helped us, was we were involved from K-12,” he said. “So that level of involvement, commitment is important, but of course, not all parents are able to do that.”

Reason for running for school board

In 2013, Strong ran for school board against Dean Loumos, who won by 278 votes out of about 36,000 cast.

According to Strong, he is running for school board for the same reasons he ran last year.

“Those issues for me have not changed,” Strong said.

The three central issues and areas on which Strong has centered his campaign include safety in school, high academic achievement for all students and improving graduation rates.

What would you say is the most critical issue facing the district?

Strong believes, the perception people have of Madison schools may discourage people and cause families to leave Madison.

Strong speculated which factors cause parents to leave the district. He cited safety concerns and parents’ feeling that the district is not helping their children, whether they are special needs, on-grade level or talented and gifted, succeed.

“I think we’ve got a great district, [but] … between safe schools and academic achievement and closing the achievement gap those are all fundamental things that, as a district, we’ve got to do to make certain that we’re keeping families here because that’s the only way we’re going to make our district stronger.”

MICHAEL FLORESMichael Flores

Personal background and experience in Madison

Michael Flores grew up on Madison’s east side, where he graduated from East High School in 1995. He currently works as a firefighter and paramedic.

For five years, Flores has worked with the Lancer Wrestlers, a co-ed wrestling program for children in kindergarten through eighth grade.

Flores said the program helps instill confidence in students, which they bring to the classroom. He feels the co-ed program helps female participants become more comfortable in male-dominated fields.

“I think it opens doors in different fields that are male dominated,” Flores said.

Parent perspective

Flores has three children who currently attend Madison public schools. His children have all either completed a dual-language program at Nuestro Mundo or currently attend the school.

He would like the school district to provide certification for students who complete a dual-language program to show formally that students are bilingual.

Reason for running for school board

“The support staff that Madison provides to our kids, it’s very positive. I have not had any negative interactions,” he said of his experience as a parent. “I know we can do better; that’s why I’m running.”

Flores ran for school board in 2012, and he said the achievement gap remains the number-one key issue for his campaign.

He praised programs such as AVID and dual-language immersion and would like the district to development more enrichment opportunities for students who fall into the achievement gap. He also supports the Transition Education Program, that helps homeless families determine where to send their children to school as well as provide resources to students and development for staff.

Flores noted that many students who need help academically are impoverished students whose main meal may come from a subsidized school meal.

“I think that a huge population … of kids [receive],” Flores said. “Sometimes, I can empathize. That was the only meal I received sometimes. So, that’s a lot of demand on a kid. Their main focus is just getting a meal, and all of sudden they have to learn.”

According to the Department of Public Instruction, in 2012-13 school year 55.6 percent of MMSD students qualified for free and reduced school meals.

What would you say is the most critical issue facing MMSD?

“That’s a hard question because all the issues are interrelated,” Flores said.

He said it seems that resources are being pulled away from public education.

“If the sky was the limit, imagine what our schools would look like,” he said.

He added that support does not necessarily have to be purely financial, that it can come in the form of initiatives, such as February’s Read Your Heart Out Day. The program aims to promote family involvement in diversity and cultural in MMSD by sending students home with a calendar that they read with their family.