League of Women Voters Answers
Michael McVey (NP)
Biographical Information
PHONE 734-645-1322
Campaign Phone 734-645-1322
Web Site
mcveym@gmail.com
Number of years as resident 15
What in your education and experience make you the best qualified candidate for this position?
Michael McVey
I am seeking re-election to the Saline Area Schools Board of Education. I believe I am the best qualified since I have had a long and varied career in education, first as a Special Education teacher and later as a professor of education. I am now a professor of educational technology at Eastern Michigan University. I have won national recognition for my teaching and use of innovative technologies, and I have served for the last five years on the Board of Directors for the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), the premier national organization for teachers. Since my election to the board, I have served as Secretary and, for the last two years, Vice President. I have also served on the Policy Committee since being elected in 2016. I bring a depth of understanding of what it means to teach and learn in a modern classroom, and I have worked with the board to create policies to protect our most vulnerable students.
What are your goals should you be elected and how will you work to accomplish them?
Michael McVey
We have an excellent school district, one of the most highly ranked in the state, and maintaining that status requires diligence. If I should be re-elected, I will continue to actively engage with the community to provide a line of communication for their concerns and issues. As a board of seven members with only one employee, the Superintendent, I will continue to maintain a healthy and constructive working relationship with ours. This will help me to continue to move the district along by promoting clear- and forward-thinking policies grounded in the needs of the larger community, our students, and their teachers. In addition, I will continue to advocate for careful district spending with a strong focus on classroom instruction, safe and well-maintained schools, adequate resources, and professional support for our excellent teachers.
What should be done to improve student achievement in the District?
Michael McVey
The promotion of a learning environment that is safe for all students is essential to ensuring student achievement. As a board member, I have worked to develop policies that will help to protect our most vulnerable students and, from my position on the Policy Committee, I have worked to ensure that our efforts at outreach to the community have been embedded in updated policies. In addition to ensuring a sound foundational learning basis, we need to encourage spending to ensure that there are up-to-date materials in the classroom, current training in effective pedagogy for teachers, increased mental health support where possible, and the effective use of updated technologies with features to ensure the safety of students.
What are your priorities in balancing the budget?
Michael McVey
I have been pleased with the growth of our fund balance over the last two years especially since we have been able to continue to invest in classroom instruction which is still very much a priority for me. One concern I had over the last two years with both ESSER monies and American Rescue Plan money was that we would spend on staff and we would not be able to keep up that sort of spending. I believe we have carefully avoided that “cliff” as some pundits have called it. In addition, I was pleased to learn about increased funding from the state for MPSERS expenses that had been moved onto districts over the past several years. This shift is helpful to reduce financial pressure on the district and perhaps even help to reduce class sizes in some cases, enhance fledgling programs, or make it less expensive for students to play some sports.
What is motivating you to run for the school board? Do you have an issue you especially care about?
Michael McVey
I have great faith in this district, and I am proud of its professional educators and our excellent programs, not only those that prepare students for success in higher education but for those in Career Technical Education programs as well. I want both kinds of programs to continue to flourish and I can do this by representing the board at student showcases, advocating for increased funding at the state and federal levels, and encouraging my fellow board members to keep engaged in the district. I am also a dedicated supporter of the many special education programs we have for children with needs ranging from the mild to the most profound. Finally, I am supportive of the latest Bond proposal that will improve facilities for the sciences and robotics as well as athletics. Finally, I care deeply about the arts, music, and theater. Through these programs, young people find their voices and explore their talents. I want Saline to continue its proud tradition of excellence in these areas.
What are the greatest challenges that will face the Board of Education in the coming year?
Michael McVey
These past two years have been challenging on many levels for students and their families. It comes as little surprise that there are so few incumbents running for re-election this year. As past president of the Washtenaw Association of School Boards (WASB), I have been supportive of efforts to increase the numbers of mental health workers in our schools and doing what it takes to transition everyone back to a school year that feels more “normal” than it has in a long time. In addition, I am concerned about mounting pressures nationwide on the professionalism and judgment of teachers, media specialists, and administrators.