CV School Board Narrows Applicants for Chiodini's Seat from 6 to 3

After more than three hours of interviews and deliberation, the Chippewa Valley Board of Education was able to narrow the field of six candidates to three to fill the seat vacated by former board President .

The board held a special session Monday night to interview six applicants for the position and will reconvene on Wednesday to interview the three who remain in the running.

“I’m looking for someone who has roots in the community,” said Trustee Tammy Reynolds. “Someone who has a flavor or sense for Chippewa Valley, who will be a team player, donate their time and be passionate about the position. We need to consider these qualities.”

Other qualities the board considered in their discussion of candidates were geography–living north or south of Hall Road–and connection–having children currently in the district. However, the board unanimously agreed that none of these issues would make or break a candidate’s qualifications for the position.

“Geography isn’t a deal closer, but it is a consideration,” said Vice President George Sobah. “You don’t have to have kids in the district to represent the community. Many members of the community do not have kids in the district.”

The board must make its decision by Thursday. The individual appointed to fill the vacant seat will serve in that position until May 2013. If that individual wishes to remain in the seat, they must run in the 2013 general election. That seat’s term will end in 2015, however, and two other seats will be up for election to six-year terms.

The six individuals who applied for the seat are: Maria Bell, Jim D’Angelo, Michael Deyak, Dale Heid, Euel Kinsey, and Mark Tyza. Tyza, who was unable to make Monday’s meeting due to being hospitalized, will have the option to interview as a first-round candidate on Wednesday. The board selected Bell, Deyak and Kinsey to interview in the second round.

Meet the Candidates

Maria Bell

A longtime Macomb Township resident, Bell has one son currently at Iroquois Middle School.

While her son was at Shawnee, and then Sequoyah Elementary, Bell served as PTO president and Community Action Coalition representative. Bell has continued her work as a CAC rep at Iroquois.

“I was very active when my son was in elementary school,” Bell said. “He’s moved on (from many of his activities) and I kept thinking, ‘What can I do to help more, to be more involved in the community?’ I really love Chippewa Valley Schools.

Bell said if selected, she would run for election in 2013.

“I want to keep active in the community and contribute more as a parent, not just a business person,” she said. “This is an opportunity to do that. I feel like I’ve offered a lot in our schools and could offer fresh ideas and opinions coming as a parent to the board.”

Bell said she is quick to learn and enthusiastic.

“Once I get into a position, or job, I’m in it 100 percent and there’s no going back,” she said. “I can be positive and strong at the same time. I feel I am capable of making decisions that would benefit all, not just one side or the other.”

Like the other applicants, Bell said she feels funding will be the district’s biggest challenge in the near future.

But what is Bell’s opinion on:

Proposal A: “Has it worked? Not so much.”

Zero Tolerance: “I definitely agree with it. The way society is these days, there’s a lot of leniency with kids. It should be enforced even further in my opinion.”

Privatization: “I don’t see any benefit to privatizing.”

Michael Deyak

A 1973 graduate of Chippewa Valley High School, Deyak has lived in the district for more than 40 years.

With a background in accounting, technology and finance, Deyak said he believes his finance background and leadership ability would be assets to the board if appointed. “I want to put my resume to the benefit of our children and our school district,” he said.

The parent to a 2010 graduate of Chippewa Valley, Deyak said he has had tremendous involvement in the district from volunteering at family fun nights to attendance at sporting events.

“I love this school district,” he said. “I have a passion for the district. It gave me the basis to go on and be successful. It gave a basis for my daughter to be successful. I want to give back to the community. I want to work together as a team to continue to make Chippewa Valley the best school district in the county.”

Deyak said if selected, he would run for the seat in 2013.

“We have challenges in our finances in the taxes coming in and being able to educate our children so they have the opportunities that our children have had or do have,” he said. “We’re not out of it yet.”

But what is Deyak’s opinion on:

Proposal A: “I think it needs to be looked at again. I’m not a fan.”

Zero Tolerance: “I’m all for it. It’s hard enough to go to school and learn without all the other outside factors. I’m a fan of zero tolerance. There are always exceptions to the rule.”

Privatization: “I’m not a fan of it.”

Euel Kinsey

An attorney, Kinsey is a longtime resident in the Chippewa Valley School District, having had one daughter graduate with a second still a sophomore at Chippewa Valley High School.

This is Kinsey’s second attempt at appointment to the board.

“I’ve had no inclination or felt compelled to run against anyone,” Kinsey said. “When an opening developed, I offered myself again to the board. This is probably a silly time to get involved because of all the (financial) problems, but I scared myself learning the Local School and Government Fiscal Accountability Act and realizing the Catch-22 of the governor’s proposed budget.”

Kinsey said he believes his background in law will assist the board in the coming months as the state government continues its financial assessment of school districts.

“Unofficially, I’m not sure how constitutional some of these provisions in the law are and I’m not sure where the battles are going to be fought,” he said. “I don’t know how this is going to play out. When Proposal A was enacted, Chippewa got the short straw … I fear politics right now. To some extent, it seems as if education, for some reason, seems to be something that the legislature thinks it can do without. We have all of these federal mandates, and yet they’re leaving us without the tools.”

Kinsey said if selected, he would be interested in running in the 2013 election.

When his daughters were younger, Kinsey helped coach Science Olympiad and support the band program and he continues to provide behind-the-scenes legal support for PTOs and nonprofits in the community.  

“I’ve led and I’ve followed,” he said. “My leadership style would be as a consensus builder. I’m not a bull in a china shop. I look at all sides of a problem and look for best in a situation.”

But what is Kinsey’s opinion on:

Proposal A: “When Proposal A was enacted, Chippewa got the short straw.”

Zero Tolerance: “Some things are mandated by law–assaultive crimes, etc. I would have to look at that to really give you a good assessment. I’m not sure how much of that should be left to administrators on a case-by-case basis. On that policy you want to avoid litigation. I’m not sure if in all cases it is a good idea, but there are times when you don’t have a choice.” Kinsey said he would not tolerate drugs, alcohol or weapons.

Privatization: “I don’t think that it’s necessarily a good solution.”