On Nov. 4, Park citizens took to the polls to elect the three newest school board members. On Jan. 13, during their first meeting of the year, Patrick Baldwin and Susie Kaufman were officially sworn in as the newest members of the board, along with Sarah Davis as a returning member.
Patrick Baldwin, recently instated treasurer and member of Park’s schools board, said he values the school district because of his children’s background here. He said there can be difficult, but necessary choices that he wants to have a say in, and that he appreciates social work.
“Public service is a value I care about a lot, and I care about school districts and I care about this school district specifically,” Baldwin said. “My kids have had a really good experience here, but I also acknowledge there are some hard decisions that need to be made over time. I feel like I’m a very thoughtful person, and I wanted to be a part of those discussions.”
According to sophomore Anjali Narais, being a part of the Park community and having connections to the schools is very valuable for school board directors. She said she also hopes to see school board members with different ethnicities, genders and racial backgrounds so the board can better represent and empathize with Park residents as a whole.
“It’s very important that (school board representatives) live here in the community, instead of outside somewhere else. (They also should) have kids or people you know going to the schools in the district,” Narais said. “(Board members) should be out in the community often, just interacting with people. I think you should also come from a diverse background as well so that you’re able to understand and relate to multiple different perspectives.”
Junior Hannah Levitt said having strong connections with people in the city is very essential for school board members. They said when in a public service role, being open-minded and understanding problems is key for success.
“It’s important to have a sense of community when you’re on a school board to know what people around (you) want,” Levitt said. “Self-discipline and knowing what the (major issues to tackle at Park) are is really important, and I think openness to hearing from other people is obviously a very important part in any form of public service.”
According to Baldwin, the school board serves as a connection for residents and those in command. He said while many Park district workers help run the schools alongside the superintendent, the school board supervises and works independently rather than working on everyday issues.
“(The school board is in charge) with overseeing and doing governance rather than managing the day-to-day,” Baldwin said. “The superintendent has a whole cabinet of people that manage the departments of schools, and we’re really more of a bridge between the community and the administration and the schools.”
Narais said she believes in Park residents to vote for the best candidates. She wants each new director to do well, even though she isn’t fully aware of who they are.
“I don’t know specifically who all of (the candidates) are, but I’m hoping they’re gonna do a good job,” Narais said. “I trust the people of Park. We have a lot of great members in our community, and they probably did their best at picking great people.”
According to Baldwin, listening to proposals and considering long-term options is a huge aspect of participating in local governments, such as the school board. He said he aims to not respond to issues impulsively and he is calculated in his decision-making.
“I have a very analytical thought process, and I don’t react to things very knee-jerk,” Baldwin said. “I’m very deliberative and thoughtful. That’s what a lot of these local governments do, we take the time to hear presentations, and we’re planning out for long term.”
According to Levitt, she’s excited to see what the new board members accomplish at Park, and she sees them as great elects.
“(They’ll) be good, new people to add to the school board, and I think that there’ll be a lot of positive change (within the Park school district).”
