Eric J. Silverman - candidate for CH-UH Board of Education

Eric Silverman

ERIC J. SILVERMAN

2884 Fairmount Boulevard 44118 Age: 44

Children: 0

E-mail: ejsboe@sbcglobal.net

WEB: ericjsilverman.com

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION:

Education: B.A. Miami University (Ohio)

Occupation:Associate, Special Projects, Hometown Threads

Qualifications: I served 8 years on the CH-UH School Board in the 1990s and 7 years on the CH-UH Library Board. For the last 12 years I have been president of the Cleveland Heights High School Alumni Foundation. Over the course of the last 3 years I have served on numerous District Facilities committees, attending every one of their meetings.

Community: See above 

QUESTIONS and RESPONSES:

1. Student performance: There is no one thing that is a magic cure for academic performance. The Board must do EVERYTHING within its powers to improve student achievement. Owing to the structure and role of the Board, two of the things it can do are among its most pressing issues: passing the bond issue for facilities and hiring a Superintendent in 2014. Having been part of four similar CEO searches and spending hundreds of hours over the last three years on facilities, I know the questions to ask and the expectations we should have.

2. Budget:Our current administrative team already takes advantage of multiple opportunities for collaborative purchases, partnerships and has had tremendous success with seeking out grants, so I doubt I can articulate something they have not considered. Failure to pass the bond issue means the District will have to either continue to defer even more maintenance on our buildings or allocate funds away from instruction to insure a safe environment. As our representation in Columbus is in the minority party, we should see if comparable districts in Republican areas of the state would join with us in lobbying for mutually beneficial changes.

3. Improve schools: As I state in question number one, the two most pressing issues are passage of the bond issue and hiring a Superintendent in 2014. Our next Superintendent must be someone who will not only work towards the academic improvements we want, they must also be someone who can oversee a massive construction project, infusing bricks and mortar with educational spaces that will benefit our students and our community. We must do all of this while keeping a close eye on our operating budget, seizing every opportunity possible to reduce or contain costs.

4. Communicate: Over the last ten years the quality and distribution of information about our schools has improved. The issue is are people willing to believe it. My hope is that in the coming years we will be able to garner greater support from our peers on the two city councils so they will encourage people to move to the Heights and utilize the public schools. When the schools say good things about themselves, it is viewed as PR. When civic leaders say those same things, people are more inclined to believe it. We need their support now more than ever.

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Volume 6, Issue 10, Posted 8:41 AM, 10.02.2013