Christina School Board Election Candidate: John Marshall Young

Next in our series of posts on our school board candidates is John Marshall Young, a candidate for the Christina School Board. I want to first point out an introductory paragraph from his website (link below).

I have decided to answer the call from our President to strive for “what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage”. I endeavor to help make our state and nation a better place for our children simply because I believe we owe the next generation of citizens even greater opportunity than we have been afforded. I am indebted to our country to have been born into a free society that allows for the pursuit of excellence and it is this tradition I seek to protect and defend. I have chosen my first foray into public service in support of the noblest cause: EDUCATION.

Occupation: Consultant
DOB: 2/20/1970
Residency: Gender Woods, Newark, DE
Education: BA- History, University of South Carolina, Columbia, current: MBA student at Lerner College of Business and Economics, University of Delaware, Newark, DE
Political Experience: Neophyte, proud.
Wife: Kathie, married 12 years. Son: Evan, 2nd grader at Downes Elementary in Christina School District
Website

Questions and Answers are below the fold…..

Why are you running for school board, and what are the top three things you’d like to accomplish during your term?
I am running for Christina School Board to drive outcomes. CSD is 19th in statewide testing and we need better results than we have experienced in the past. I am also driven to include the students and teachers in decision making rather than the entrenched administration. CSD has been victimized by Administration in the past and the School Board needs a clear and balanced break from that past. Thus, I want to bring 100% full financial transparency, regular pre-school board meetings with teachers and students to bring them into the process, and I would like to accomplish a systemic and meaningful transformation of outcomes (via multiple measurements) of our graduating students’ assimilation into society as productive citizens.

What are your views on school vouchers? Do you feel that we should have a voucher program in CSD?
I am actually ambivalent on vouchers, but not avoiding the issue. Charter Schools and choice are charged issues, often along Union/Non-Union lines. I actually believe that CSD can and should benefit tremendously from the best practices and successes of Charter schools. Unfortunately, I am not convinced that the current system of Charter School student selection is equitable, therefore I am not in favor of a systemic expansion of Charter Schools in Delaware at this time as I am unconvinced that CSD benefits from the “brain drain”.

What is your view on full financial transparency in CSD?
100%, period.

Which party do you belong to?
Republican. 2008 Presidential vote: Nader. I am a disaffected Republican who has not been convinced by President Obama yet. However, I must confess, his intellectual curiosity and energy have impressed me greatly. My lifelong childhood friend, an avowed liberal, has me reading Savage Inequalities by Kozol, and I am becoming a more informed citizen as I age. I am the opposite of the usual equation of becoming more conservative as I age. I am moving to the middle and even left as I age. I know the first word of my answer will send some contributors and commentators into a tizzy, but I welcome any addition questions to Lps2001@aol.com and I will answer ASAP and honestly! I actually follow this blog actively, concomitantly with my lessening impulse to disagree with it regularly.

[Ed. Note: Actually, no. I don’t care if you are a Republican. In school board elections, it matters what your ideas are, not your party registration].

Do you believe in Evolution? Do you feel Creationism has a place in CSD?
Yes. No.

It has been said about other school districts that there are “Have” and “Have Not” schools. First, do you believe this true of CSD? Second, if you do believe it is true, how would you address that imbalance?

Yes. A very long answer based on the historical and largely racial considerations in Christina. The primary way to attack the imbalance is to eliminate the de facto 7-0 voting propensity of the Christina School Board. This then will trigger an ability to coalesce around the idea of finding consensus on issues of city/suburb differential which is the CSDs “have/have not” basis. In addition, a 100% commitment to financial transparency will be instructive and assistive in this process.

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Thank you John. I wish you the best of luck on Tuesday. I wanted to add one more paragraph from his bio on his website, as in school board elections, issues are as important as the person himself.

My son Evan attends the Delaware Autism Program which is hosted in New Castle County by the Christina School District. Evan is the center of my marriage with Kathie as we learn from him everyday. While I do carry a special torch for his condition of Autism, I am even more focused on the noble goal of educational opportunity for all. To create a community and society where all children are afforded opportunity in an environment that promotes excellence is the highest calling I can imagine.