League of Women Voters of Ohio Education Fund
Hamilton, Warren County, OH November 2, 2010 Election
	Pat Bruns Answers Questions Candidate for Member; State Board of Education; District 4

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of Ohio and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. What are your Qualifications for Office? (50 word limit)

I have always sought best practices and leadership roles to create innovative and effective opportunities for student learning. My professional experiences included: Member, District Professional Development and Continuous Improvement Committees; Chair, Colerain High School North Central Evaluation, Student Outcomes and Colerain High School Art Department; President, Northwest Association of Educators.

2. What plans do you have to address your top three priorities? (100 word limit)

The board must advocate to all sectors in our state, the importance of equitable and adequate funding for all Ohio's children.

The arts play a significant role in encouraging students to synthesize learning and make connections that are relevant to their own lives. Teaching creative and critical thinking skills through the arts is a key component to a high-quality education.

The people who work with students need the appropriate tools and an environment that nurtures innovation and best practices. They need to be important partners in the decision-making process that impacts their students' ability to reach their full potential.

3. What can the State Board of Education do to ensure that all school districts comply with Operating Standards for Ohio's Schools? (150 word limit)

The State Board of Education, along with the Ohio Department of Education, should strive to have in place clear standards and adequate and transparent methods of assessing the operations of a school district. Reporting practices should be uniformly established for all schools that receive public funds. Consequences of non-compliance should be clearly established, including the expectation that the school submit a detailed plan to address the compliance issues within a board-approved period of time. Withholding public funds and/or other measures as outlined under current Ohio law would be an option the state could use in cases of extreme negligence of public funds.

4. What can the State Board of Education do to ensure that all community schools and nonpublic schools that accept state financial support (including vouchers) are accountable to the public? (150 word limit)

The State Board of Education has a responsibility to be good stewards of the public fund. All community and nonpublic schools that receive public funds should be subject to the same standards and reporting practices of public schools. I would support granting the Ohio Department of Education authority over all charter schools and sponsors as a further means of creating a more consistent system for all children.

I would also end the two-year grace period for charter schools on developing school report cards. The assessment tool should the first component developed for a charter school. As a teacher, I am always required to begin with the end in sight and develop assessments for actual student learning. Assessments must be clearly stated, observable and measureable. An institution entrusted with the educational well-being of children should be held to high standards of accountability that are established as part of the original charter.

5. What can the State Board of Education do to ensure a public school funding system that provides a realistic level of state funding, which meets the educational needs of students? (150 word limit)

With the passage of HB1 in 2009, Ohio has finally replaced the state's previously declared unconstitutional funding formula with the Ohio Evidence Based Model. Its core components of a high quality education will be phased in over ten years. It is the responsibility of the board to advocate for this method of state funding that will insure that all students in Ohio have access to a "thorough and efficient" education that prepares them for future challenges. Board member must reach out to all sectors of our state and be a strong voice for adequate and equitable educational opportunities for all Ohio's children, no matter where they live.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. Word limits apply for each question. Direct references to opponents are not permitted.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 7, 2010 07:32
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