Paul Goddard

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Paul Goddard

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 3, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

Brigham Young University, 1996

Graduate

University of Michigan, Dearborn, 2004

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Army

Years of service

1990 - 1994

Personal

Birthplace

Detroit, Mich.

Profession

Learning & development manager

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Paul Goddard ran for election to the Dearborn Board of Education At-large in Michigan. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Goddard completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Paul Goddard was born in Detroit, Michigan. He served in the United States Army from 1990 to 1994. Goddard earned a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University in 1996 and a master's degree from the University of Michigan, Dearborn, in 2004.

Elections

2020

See also: Dearborn Public Schools, Michigan, elections (2020)

General election

General election for Dearborn Board of Education At-large (3 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Dearborn Board of Education At-large on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Adel Mozip (Nonpartisan)	16.7	14,392
✔		Irene Watts (Nonpartisan)	14.8	12,802
✔		Mary K. Petlichkoff (Nonpartisan)	14.3	12,301
		Khodr Farhat (Nonpartisan)	14.3	12,288
		Paul Goddard (Nonpartisan)	13.6	11,718
		Nofila Haidar (Nonpartisan)	12.1	10,430
	Submit photo	Sharifa Galab (Nonpartisan)	8.9	7,685
	Submit photo	Batoul Baiz (Nonpartisan)	5.0	4,303
		Other/Write-in votes	0.4	311

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 86,230
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Paul Goddard completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Goddard's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Born and raised in northwest Detroit, I’m from a blue-collar family – my father retired from the assembly line.

I’ve held a job since I was 12 and was the first in my family to earn a four-year college degree.

My wife Lisa and I married young and set out on our own, moving around the country chasing an education.

After some college, I joined the Army for more college money and became an Arabic linguist. I studied MSA (الفصحى). Then I went back to school, working all the while to make ends meet. We moved to Dearborn after joining Ford Finance in ‘99.

We sold our home in Dearborn in 2004 and moved to Sweden to work with Volvo Car Corp. We loved it there, but after five years, coming back to Dearborn was an easy decision.

Of our five children, four have graduated from Dearborn Public Schools – from DHS, Magnet, and Henry Ford’s Collegiate Program – and our youngest is now in middle school.

I earned an MBA from UofM-Dearborn in ‘04.

I enjoy volunteering – in the PTA, Boy and Girl Scout programs, the Watch DOGS program, and I’m always there to help with activities.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Good data and careful data analysis should drive decisions, not emotion or hearsay. Like most districts, DPS struggles with budgetary constraints – and the reality of COVID-19 has made it more critical than ever that good data is accurately tracked and carefully analyzed.
  

• Every student deserves to have comparable opportunities for learning and growth – and to be in safe and comfortable environments to facilitate learning and growth.
  

• We expect more from our teachers than competently following lesson plans. The compensation teachers receive from the district and the support from parents and staff should reflect how much we value their role in educating Dearborn’s youth.
  

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Data show that elements of our society are consistently denied equal opportunities; I support policies that bring us closer to the ideals of liberty and justice for all. I'm particularly interested presently in educational opportunities in Dearborn public schools.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My late grandfather, Lloyd Lee. He treated people him with kindness and volunteered his time in his community. He looked for the good in others and had a simple sense of humor. Grandpa was a motorcyclist - and an amazing whistler.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Competence, clarity, and kindness.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Competence, clarity, and kindness.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To work as a team in chasing after what works. So often, we make a plan, execute it, and then find out it didn't work as well as we had hoped; it takes courage to learn from mistakes, and it takes hard work to keep searching for the right solutions to dynamic challenges.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I'd like to be remembered as a person who genuinely tried to be a good human being to everyone and everything.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I remember Ronald Reagan being elected president in 1980 with only 51% of the popular vote.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I had a newspaper route for four years, ages 12-15.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. Many aspects of humanity are described beautifully in this book - poverty, forgiveness, redemption, etc.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Jack-Jack from The Incredibles.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Killing Me Softly, performed by Joseph Vincent

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Being a good parent.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

Working as a team to oversee the vision and objectives of this district: establishing and reporting on policies and spending that support that vision - with input from parents, teachers, the superintendent, and the citizens of our city.

Who are your constituents?

Everyone benefits from good public schools: parents, students, voters, and even non-voting citizens. Further, employees of the school district should be considered constituents in the sense that they directly impact our schools and the education our youth receive.

How would you support the diverse needs of your district’s students, faculty, staff, and community?

By visiting individual schools on a regular, rotating basis and listening carefully to what everyone says.

How will you build relationships with members of the broader community? Which groups, organizations, stakeholders will you specifically target?

By making myself available to discuss any matter related to education in our community. I plan to attend concerts, sporting events, musicals, plays, graduations, etc.

What will you do to build a better relationship with parents in the district? What plans do you have to be inclusive of parental involvement?

Having lived outside the US for an extended period of time, I appreciate what it's like as a parent to not be fluent in the native language, to not understand fully what's going on, or being able to fully appreciate nuances of the spoken word. I bring this empathy with me wherever I go.

My Arabic is rusty, but it will help me communicate with many people in our district.

Do you believe it is important to intentionally recruit with the aim of diversifying the district’s faculty, staff, and administration? If so, what would be your policy to achieve this?

Absolutely; representation is vital. It requires more than just lip service, and I firmly support policies that seek out qualified individuals from all backgrounds. Diversity is proven to improve decision making.

What issues get in the way of quality education? How would you address these obstacles?

Parental support is an area of concern. My goal is to make myself available to discuss this with parents; parents and teacher must work together for a superior educational outcome.

What constitutes good teaching? How will you measure this? How will you support advanced teaching approaches?

First, connection: students need an environment in where they have the psychological safety to explore and make mistakes. Second, applicability: subject matter should be relatable and presented in a way that encourages students to practice and explore deeper than basic facts.

I'll support advanced teaching approaches by listening to teachers and doing some research myself - and then promoting policies and budgets that support those approaches.

What type of skills should students be learning for success in the 21st century?

Emotional intelligence, problem-solving skills, and technological skills, including interacting with artificial intelligence (AI).

Not every child is on track for a traditional college degree, and students deserve opportunities for learning of all kinds, including skilled trades such as carpentry, metalwork, construction, and farming.

Our public schools should teach students how to fix things, solve problems AND be able to balance a checkbook.

How might you improve the value of a high school diploma? What should a 21st century diploma reflect?

By highlighting success stories of those graduates who have "only" a HS diploma as well as stories of those who can attest to what their diploma did for them.

A 21st century HS diploma should reflect a well-rounded education that prepares students for an independent young adult life - it should reflect a modicum of exposure to key areas such as those I referenced in the previous question.

In what areas would you like to expand curriculum? For example, do you see a need for advanced technical training or apprenticeships? What sort of innovative programming would you advance if given the opportunity?

I'd like to see the skilled trades and arts programs expanded. Skilled trades promote self-reliance, and the fine arts such as music, dance, theater, and visual arts enrich a person's life long after graduation from HS or college.

Some innovative programming I'd like to see more of is in the area of Design Thinking (see https://www.ideou.com/blogs/inspiration/what-is-design-thinking) and Mindfulness.

What strategies or plans would you advance to ensure the schools are properly funded?

To kindly but firmly ask tough questions on all budgets and spending proposals. Assumptions must be documented, and there has to be time allowed to analyze the data.

What principles drive your policies for safety in schools?

Safety - both physical and psychological; without it, learning is stunted.

How might you support the mental health needs of students/faculty/staff?

By making space for discussions where we can all speak freely and be listened to. Many students and staff do not speak out about stress, depression, and anxiety because they fear judgment and/or punishment.

I also firmly believe that the science-based practice of mindfulness meditation has tremendous benefits for both physical and especially mental health.

What role do you imagine technology playing in (and outside) the classroom in the future? How would you prepare the district for this?

Not all students (or staff) may have the same access to technology, so we should be making decisions that explicitly consider the latest studies on neuroscience and psychology, as well as educational philosophies and tests.

Technology is literally in our students' faces all day long. A small number of students don't have access, but most are bombarded by it. We should be directing media and technology use in the classroom to leverage its power for good.

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