Thank you to Al Gui for providing a written response to our questionnaire to help parents and citizens vett the candidates for State Board of Education (SBE). The responses of other candidates will be published as they become available. PLEASE NOTE: Stop Common Core in Michigan does NOT endorse candidates.
Al Gui State Board of Education Candidate Questionnaire Answers
1. Many parents complain that the members of the State Board of Education are not accessible to them. How do you propose to remain accessible to parents and citizens if elected?
This is one of the main reasons why I’m running for State Board of Ed. To remain accessible, I will keep in touch with parents, teachers, administrators and local School Board members across the state and attend as many local school Board meetings as I can . It will be another opportunity to hear from parents beside State Board meetings. I also plan to go to parent-teacher conferences at local schools and visit classrooms. This should not be done in an intimidating way to school administrators or teachers, it has to be done in a constructive way. Going to at least three school districts every week is feasible. Regular surveys are also on my agenda.
2. Have you been endorsed or received funding from special interests or lobby groups such as GLEP?
No ! I even don’t know what their agenda is.
3. Governor Snyder articulated a vision for Michigan education that is no longer K12 but from P-20 from “Prenatal to life-long learning.” Do you support a P20 vision for education in Michigan?
Governor Snyder did a great job shutting down a high school that did not make any academic progress despite this school having received $ 5. 2 million to improve education in three years. As far as P-20 education is concerned I cannot comment on that because this is the first time I’m hearing about it. The only thing I’m aware of is EEA. Is EEA a success?
4. Do you support adoption of the LGBTQ guidelines as provided by the MDE?
No. I want to focus on academics. I respect people’s rights to choose whatever orientation they want to choose, but I think we do not need to add more confusion to what we are already dealing with in many schools as far as discipline and security issues are concerned. I taught in some schools were girls were afraid to go to the bathroom. Moreover I have two daughters. I’m not comfortable with boys having access to the same bathroom my daughters are using. Creating more confusion, removing the sense of boundaries from children’s lives is not how we help kids, especially when we know many youngsters are in jail due to a lack of guidance. I’m not going to feed the prison system and I’m not going to dictate to other parents what I would not tolerate people do to my own children, it a matter of common sense and moral integrity.
5. In December of 2015, the State Board of Education adopted a set of seven goals for Michigan “Making Michigan A Top Ten State in Ten Years.” According to State Superintendent Brian Whiston, these goals are the motivation for the LGBTQ guidelines and many other controversial reforms related to workforce development/competency-based education. Do you support the goals articulated in their initiative, “Making Michigan a Top Ten State in Ten Years?” (https://stopcommoncoreinmichigan.com/2016/05/goal-political-agenda-michigan-
top- 10-10-years/)
No. I want to focus on academics. I respect people’s rights to choose whatever orientation they want to choose, but I think we do not need to add more confusion to what we are already dealing with in many schools as far as discipline and security issues are concerned. I taught in some schools were girls were afraid to go to the bathroom. Moreover I have two daughters. I’m not comfortable with boys having access to the same bathroom my daughters are using. Creating more confusion, removing the sense of boundaries from children’s lives is not how we help kids, especially when we know many youngsters are in jail due to a lack of guidance. I’m not going to feed the prison system and I’m not going to dictate to other parents what I would not tolerate people do to my own children, it a matter of common sense and moral integrity.
6. Do you support Governor Snyder’s creation of the 21st Century Education Commission?
How would this commission improve meaningful professional developments for teachers? How would this commission help teachers handle discipline issues in some school districts where school administrators are more interested in ‘evaluating teachers ’ than supporting teachers? These are some keys questions I would ask. Anyway, not knowing the mission statement and the methodology of that commission, I cannot comment on it.
7. The Michigan State Board of Education is considering the adoption of new social studies standards. Do you support the C3 Framework for Social Studies or any set of “Michigan standards” using the C3 Framework as the foundation?
No. I’m wary of what could be behind those standards.
8. Do you support a parents right to opt-out of an assignment, survey, assessment, or data collection which the parents deem inappropriate or a violation of their privacy?
Yes.
9. In April, a bill to repeal and replace Common Core, science, social studies, and aligned assessments was introduced into the Michigan House (HB 5444) and Senate (SB 826). Do you support HB 5444/SB 826 as introduced and passed out of the Senate Education Committee.
Colbeck knows very well were I stand on that. We met on several occasions in Canton MI, in Farmington Hills MI etc. Also in September 2015 at the Detroit Science Center in Detroit MI I was with Michelle A.Frederick, Tamara and many other STOP Common Core advocates at a conference, we all said No Common Core.