Four candidates are competing for two open spots on Milan Area School’s Board of Education.

As the November election approaches, four candidates are vying for two available seats on Milan Area School’s Board of Education. To help voters understand their positions on key issues such as curriculum and budget priorities, Sun Times News sent five questions to each candidate. Below are the candidate’s responses to two of the five questions. Additional questions will be covered in next week’s issue. Candidates George Elder IV and Gary A. Taepke did not submit responses.  

Q: School safety is a significant concern nationwide with yet another school shooting in Georgia. How do you plan to strengthen or revise Milan’s safety protocols to ensure a secure learning environment for students and staff?

Cassie Prior
Thanks to state safety funding over the past three years, we’ve made considerable upgrades in safety features to our school buildings, including the installation of a state-of-the-art camera system. This new system offers real-time recording and review, making it easier for staff to access footage and respond quickly. The system also sends an immediate notification to staff and authorities making response to emergencies faster which allows the district to in turn provide prompt communication to families.

One of my key safety goals is to overhaul the entryways at all our schools. We’re aiming to establish a single, secure point of entry where visitors must pass through an access-controlled door with a fully visible vestibule before reaching the office area. The office area would also be secure and access to the school from there must be granted. This setup will allow the staff to control what parts of the school the visitor has immediate access to and eliminate unknown entrants that can slip into buildings which can occur with the setup currently in place.

Another goal is to equip the district’s buses with exterior cameras. These cameras will activate when the yellow flashing lights are on and remain operational throughout the stop, capturing images of vehicles that pass by illegally. The captured license plates will be shared with law enforcement for follow-up, aiming to deter dangerous behavior and protect the safety of students as they board or disembark from the bus.

Unfortunately, the safety funding for public schools was significantly reduced for this school year making these critical safety upgrades impossible with the budget the district is currently managing. To solve this issue, the district has put a sinking fund proposal on the November ballot. A sinking fund measure provides monies for certain school improvements and repairs such as the restructuring of school entrances. This also provides for the repair of aging infrastructure like boilers, roofs, and plumbing that currently comes from the general fund budget. This frees up funds from the general funds to do other safety items such as cameras on busses.

Carrie Karvonen-Gutierrez
Threats to school safety are nightmarish scenarios at the forefront of everyone’s mind. As a parent, spouse, and school board member, I am deeply personally invested in ensuring that our district facilities are safe spaces. I am pleased that our administrators have strong, trusted relationships with our local law enforcement, including our dedicated school resource officer and regularly review emergency protocols. In the past year, our district has made several key investments in safety resources. I am proud that our Board recently approved a major investment in new, integrated camera systems across the district and replacement of door locks across all buildings. The new camera system offers major advances in surveillance and monitoring and integrates tailored, real-time notifications of potential threats. 

I believe that it is important for us to next investigate and invest in improved systems for in-building communication and visitor management. Further, we must continue to stay apprised on best practices for threat identification, risk mitigation, and emergency preparedness so that we can continue to update and improve our protocols and inform all stakeholders. Finally, we must continue to foster a culture whereby students, staff, and community members feel safe reporting suspicious behavior and concerns about potential threats and where we continue to rigorously investigate such information.

Q. With ongoing debates over censorship and curriculum content, including race, gender, and history education, how will you ensure that Milan’s curriculum is inclusive and representative of all students’ backgrounds?

Carrie Karvonen-Gutierrez
To ensure that Milan’s curriculum is inclusive and representative of all students’ backgrounds, we must implement a multifaceted approach that prioritizes the importance of student belonging and inclusion and the importance of diverse communities. To do so, we must continue to support and amplify the many identities held by members of our student body. This includes focused professional development to help our educators develop skills and strategies to effectively address and incorporate diverse viewpoints in the classroom; regular review and updates to educational materials to reflect the broad spectrum of identities and perspectives present in our modern society, and creating spaces and places for students, families, and community stakeholders provide feedback on areas for improvement and evolving needs. 

I support robust policies that prohibit bias and bullying based on any aspect of one’s identity, including race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic status, and disability. By actively promoting a culture of respect and inclusion and holding individuals accountable for violations, we ensure that all students can learn and thrive in a safe and equitable environment. I also support policies and initiatives to promote equity, ensuring all students have access to the resources and opportunities they need to succeed. Safe spaces and environments that foster inclusivity are necessary to support every student’s success and to prepare students to be responsible citizens in a modern society.

Cassie Prior
It is important that we continually work to foster collaboration with educators and the community to create a curriculum that meets students’ needs and mirrors their experiences. We can further this effort by forming advisory committees with diverse students, parents, and community members who can share their insights. It is also crucial to establish a regular review process to keep the curriculum relevant and inclusive, incorporating feedback from students, parents, and teachers to address any gaps or biases. 

Transparent communication with the community about curriculum changes and the reasons behind them will further support these efforts. By implementing these strategies, Milan Area Schools can maintain a curriculum that not only navigates current debates about censorship and content but also creates an educational environment where every student feels acknowledged, valued, and empowered.