Suzanne Migrin

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Suzanne Migrin

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Suzanne Migrin was a candidate for an at-large seat on the Livonia Board of Education in Michigan. The seat was up for general election on November 4, 2014. Suzanne Migrin lost the general election on November 4, 2014.

Elections

2014

See also: Livonia Public Schools elections (2014)

The election in Livonia featured four at-large seats up for general election on November 4, 2014. Incumbents Colleen Burton and Mark Johnson and newcomer Liz Jarvis defeated challengers Jake Emerick, Jeffrey Jacobs, Steve Johnson, Suzanne Migrin and Gregory Zotos for the three seats with full four-year terms. The incumbents, Burton and Johnson, campaigned together as a team. Fellow incumbent Dan Centers ran unopposed and won re-election for the one seat with an unexpired two-year term. Board member Randy Roulier did not file for re-election.

Results

Livonia Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Colleen Burton Incumbent	24.5%	15,541
	Nonpartisan	Liz Jarvis	17.9%	11,312
	Nonpartisan	Mark Johnson Incumbent	15.7%	9,961
	Nonpartisan	Suzanne Migrin	12.2%	7,710
	Nonpartisan	Steve Johnson	9.3%	5,901
	Nonpartisan	Jeffrey Jacobs	7.4%	4,665
	Nonpartisan	Jake Emerick	7.2%	4,561
	Nonpartisan	Gregory Zotos	5.3%	3,365
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.5%	305
Total Votes				63,321
Source: Wayne County Elections Division, "Summary Report," accessed December 29, 2014

Funding

Migrin did not report any contributions or expenditures during the election, according to the Wayne County Elections Division.

Endorsements

Migrin did not receive any official endorsements during the election.

What was at stake?

2014

Issues in the election

Candidate survey answers

The eight candidates who ran for at-large seats with full four-year terms on the board provided the following answers to a survey conducted by The Livonia Observer:

“	Why are you running for school board? Colleen Burton: In my five years on the school board I have demonstrated my passion for high-quality education. As an active volunteer at the building and district level for 20 years, I am running to continue to use my experience to support the academic success of every student and to provide an outstanding educational experience both inside and outside the classroom. Mark Johnson: My training and experience have made me successful on the present board in addressing both financial and academic issues. We must continue to address these issues so we can maintain our infrastructure and academic programs to provide the best education we can for our students while remaining fiscally responsible. I want to continue to give back to our community. Jake Emerick: I have two young children attending LPS, therefore I have a vested interest in insuring quality education in the Livonia Public School District. Jeffrey Jacobs: I have four children that attend Livonia Public Schools. I set out to buy a home in the Livonia School District and would only entertain properties in the district because of the great results in our schools. I believe that I have the exact and accomplished skills that will complement the talents of our other board members. Liz Jarvis: It's something I've wanted to do, and have been encouraged to do for many years. It's the next step in my 15-plus years of service to the schools and families in Livonia. I've waited until my youngest child started high school, so I would have the time to commit as a school board trustee. It's not something I take lightly. Steve Johnson: I am running for the board to help bring about a more efficient and effective usage of the tax dollars entrusted to the Livonia Public Schools. Suzanne Migrin: I am running for school board because I care deeply about Livonia Public Schools and saw an opportunity to serve our community. Gregory Zotos: I am running for office because I feel the school board is one of the most important responsibilities a resident undertakes. It would be rewarding as I observe students succeed as a result of an environment I help to provide. A 47-year Livonia resident, I will work for the best interests of all pupils and citizens. What do you see as the biggest issue facing the district? Colleen Burton: The biggest issue is maintaining high-quality public education with decreasing K-12 funding. Contributing factors include reduced overall K-12 funding from the state, decreasing enrollment in our aging community, declining birth rate and increasing health care and retirement costs. As a board member I will continue to work creatively, with fiscal responsibility, to preserve educational programs for children of LPS. Mark Johnson: We continue to see a reduction in student population, which is not unique to Livonia, as our population mirrors what is happening throughout the state. This reduction in student population, and its corresponding reduction in revenue, creates many challenges which I believe are our biggest issues. Jake Emerick: Declining enrollment resulting in the loss of funds. Jeffrey Jacobs: The safety of school students and faculty has shifted to the front of the line. With everything going on in our society today, here and abroad, we must be proactive (if not reactive) with the physical and emotional safety of our students. School shootings and violence, bullying, stranger danger incidents, drugs and terrorism are all real threats to our schools. Liz Jarvis: Our top concern is funding. A school district needs money to operate. This is compounded by declining enrollment. We must attract more young families to Livonia and its public schools. We cannot do that by cutting programs and staff. We must offer innovative and well-rounded educational programs; this will help attract new families and students. Steve Johnson: The biggest issue facing the district is the funding of the schools. Year after year of declining enrollment and a declining tax base is evidence that expenditures must be scrutinized to ensure maximum use of each dollar. Suzanne Migrin: Student learning should always come first in any school district and fiscal, human resources, community partnerships, and learning conditions should always reflect this core value. Our district should always strive to achieve a balanced budget, stable credit ratings and to generate new revenue where possible through grants, donations, and responsible referendum. Gregory Zotos: Renovations. The older schools are not designed to meet the demands of current or future technology and some basic health and safety codes and incur less per capita funding. Savings realized through renovation can be put to immediate use in serving the educational needs of students. Parental involvement as well as professional development opportunities for instructors. How would you recommend increasing revenue and building back up the district’s fund balance? Colleen Burton: Solutions to this serious situation have been and must continue to come from a combination of local cost containment, revenue enhancement, and addressing education funding at the state level. LPS should continue to have employees share job responsibilities, and to share services with other districts whenever fiscally advantageous. I will continue to work with legislators to advocate for appropriate funding. Mark Johnson: We must continue to impress upon our legislators that education is the cornerstone of our society. While the Classrooms and Kids proposal was rejected, we must continue to push for similar programs on the state level. On the local level, partnering with surrounding districts to consolidate services as well as partnering with local businesses to provide support while containing costs. Jake Emerick: Encourage young families to move into our district, which would increase student population, very careful budgeting, revenue enhancing and we need to set aside a specific amount annually to build up the fund balance. Jeffrey Jacobs: Initiatives to increase kindergarten and lower-grade enrollments, to better align with graduating numbers, will increase long-term revenues. However, the immediate, short-term focus will need to be on operational efficiencies, controllable expenses and value engineering for facilities. Liz Jarvis: This is both a local and state concern. State government must recognize the financial straits of public schools. We must increase enrollment and attract young families to the district. We should consider methods which have proven successful elsewhere, like block scheduling, so we don't have to cut programs. Our entire community should feel connected to our schools. Steve Johnson: To increase revenue and build back up the fund balance, I would recommend a more aggressive bidding process. Also, reviewing every expenditure, from paper to administrative salaries, should be considered. After the large bond passage, I feel the taxpayers do not have an appetite for more taxes. Thus, LPS has to learn to live within their means. Suzanne Migrin: I would recommend working to increase revenue by the writing of grants, increased community partnerships with local universities and businesses, and by working to increase enrollment in our schools through the creation and maintenance of unique educational programs and high student achievement. Also, by creating and maintaining a balanced budget each year by using our district resources prudently. Gregory Zotos: I feel one way is through vacant buildings. Sell them or lease them for revenue, a vacant school building site and empty school building are district liabilities. Money being spent on utilities for the vacant schools is money being taken away from education. Do you favor expanding schools of choice in the district? Why or why not? Colleen Burton: I am not in favor of expanding schools of choice because I believe that the taxpayers of LPS should benefit from the investment in our schools. I am also conscious of the fact that there are some situations where numbers of available slots for students are limited, and those opportunities should go to students living in the LPS community. Mark Johnson: Not beyond current levels. Livonia has always had some schools of choice such as our ACAT, MACAT and International Baccalaureate programs, among others. However, these are limited programs. Expanding schools of choice without limits can lead to overcrowding and a drain on resources. There is certainly a balance that must be struck. Jake Emerick: I do not because it undermines the feeling of community within our school district, we're essentially taking funds from our neighboring communities that enroll in our district vs. the district where they reside. Jeffrey Jacobs: I am generally not in favor of expanding schools of choice. I believe that families that live, work, worship and do daily business within district are the true stakeholders in our schools and our community. Just as my family and others focused and struggled to move into our district, so should we all. Liz Jarvis: I believe Schools of Choice is a tool. With strict limits and careful monitoring, it can be used strategically to restructure classrooms and reduce class size; to retain staff, and to boost enrollment. I would not expand the program more, until the effects of the current implementation have been assessed, and even then I would be very conservative. Steve Johnson: I do not favor expanding schools of choice. I favor attracting families to move to Livonia for the excellent schools we offer. And by doing that, they participate in paying for a large part of the taxes that fund the schools. As it is now, parents of students outside of the district do not contribute to paying for the multiple bonds residents of the city do. Suzanne Migrin: I am not in favor of expanding schools of choice within our district. Our community is largely against SOC; also the financial detriments of SOC are often overlooked, SOC can cause families to leave the district seeking community-based schools, losing revenue. SOC students may also bring with them unique learning needs that can require the district to pay more for educating students than the state pupil allowance. Gregory Zotos: Yes. This will bring in more per pupil funding from the State of Michigan because more students will be enrolled. This will also increase parental involvement because the parents will have educated themselves on the district of their choice. School of choice allows parents the freedom to pick their children’s education, while stimulate the development of healthy competition among school districts. What do see as the role of a board member? Colleen Burton: The board is legally responsible for setting district policy, hiring and evaluating the superintendent, and strategic planning, including allocation of district finances to meet those goals. An effective board member should also possess a thorough knowledge of the district, be an effective communicator with the community, administration, and staff, and participate in district activities on a regular basis. Mark Johnson: We have three distinct required roles: hire and evaluate the superintendent, create and review policy and long-term strategic planning. However, a board member is much more. We are the face of the school district and must be its biggest cheerleaders while also being its biggest watchdog by finding better and more efficient ways to provide for our students. Jake Emerick: To hire and evaluate the superintendent, adopting and monitoring an annual budget. Jeffrey Jacobs: Our school board members are the elected trustees of the institution. They contribute to, oversee and balance school operations, through the democratic process and essentially govern the district, allowing the superintendent to run it. Liz Jarvis: The role of a school board member is to design and implement policy for the school district. They do this while working with parents, unions, legislators, and other groups in the district. The board employs a superintendent to administer their policies. Steve Johnson: The role of a board member is to be engaged in overseeing how the district is being run. To be sensitive to issues brought to the board by the residents who fund a good portion of the schools. To ensure that every dollar entrusted to the district is used for providing the best educational environment. And, to set long-term goals that puts the district on a rising trajectory. Suzanne Migrin: A board member should ethically and efficiently serve the public by providing a framework for staff and administration to create positive learning conditions, promote academic achievement, cultivate efficient human resource management, and to manage district financial and physical resources wisely. A school board member should be informed about the current educational research, inquisitive, open-minded and principled. Gregory Zotos: I feel the school board is one of the most important responsibilities a resident undertakes. It would be rewarding as I observe students succeed as a result of an environment I help to provide. Working for the best interests of all pupils and citizens. What a wonderful experience it would be to be a part of educating our youth. What makes you the best candidate? Colleen Burton: In my five years on the school board I have a proven record of transparent leadership. I have led the review of every district policy and adoption of the code of ethics, and have in-depth understanding of the bond for enhanced technology, security, and facilities. I am an experienced, certified board member who works creatively to enhance programs for students. Mark Johnson: I have the background and experience, both on the school board and in the business world, to gather information and understand the issues in order to find and implement solutions. I have the demonstrated ability to bring people together who may have different points of view to work toward and achieve a common goal. Jake Emerick: My entire career has been spent as a public servant. I am very knowledgeable as to how governmental agencies operate from a financial and public relations standpoint. Jeffrey Jacobs: I have two decades of extensive, progressively responsible experience in public safety and risk management, both in the private and public sectors. I am an accomplished professional in facilities management, with experience in major contracts, projects, procurement and staff development. I feel that these are the areas that would most benefit the school board. Liz Jarvis: Experience! Other than the incumbent candidates, I have more school-wide and district-level experience than the rest of the candidates put together. I'm objective, sensible, fearless, and work from a big-picture perspective. Steve Johnson: I do not know if I am the "best" candidate. I do not know the positions of all the other candidates. The reason for having seven board members is to have varying opinions. A balanced board is one that respects all views and comes to a consensus based on shared wisdom, and not of politics. All decisions should be seen through the prism of what is best for the students. Suzanne Migrin: I am an excellent candidate for school board because of my commitment to the community, my professional background as a public librarian, and my strong moral standards. I believe that the schools exist to educate our children and that each child has the right to a joy-filled, well-rounded education that will prepare them to meet their goals in life. Gregory Zotos: I come from a family of educators. Education was instilled in our family. My late sister and I (my father and sister were killed by a drunk driver) attended Livonia Public Schools. I went to school full-time while working three jobs to support myself and my mother. I appreciate things because I have worked hard to get them.	”
—The Livonia Observer survey (2014)

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term "Suzanne + Migrin + Livonia + Public + Schools"

Suzanne Migrin News Feed

See also

• Livonia Public Schools, Michigan
• Livonia Public Schools elections (2014)

External links

Suggest a link

• Livonia Public Schools
• Campaign website
• LinkedIn page