Archive: News

On May 16 voters will go to the polls to elect two Board of Education members, plus vote on whether to approve a $21,553,679 budget and resolutions to fund school busses and fitness equipment.  Anne Drake and Sandi Dhimitri are running unopposed to retain their seats on the School Board.

Anne Drake is a lifelong Lansing resident.  She lives here with her husband Rick, and has two daughters, Rebecca (16) and Meaghan (12), and two step-sons.  She works in the billing office at the Tompkins County Mental Health Clinic.  She is the senior Board of Education member with two terms under her belt, running uncontested for a third term.

Qualifications she brings to the School Board are an understanding of budgets and natural skills.  "I just bring myself," she says.  "I listen well to other people."  Drake met for an exclusive interview with the Lansing Star last weekend to talk about why she is running for another term.

Lansing Star:  Why are you running for your third term?

Anne Drake:  That's a good question.  At one point in time I had decided I was not going to run.  I thought six years was enough.  With the new Superintendent, with Dr. Lewis coming in...  We still have to hire a business official, we're still going to have to look for a new Principal for the Elementary School.  (Laughs) I guess I'm not through causing trouble!

I think stability is something that we need.  I really was struggling.  I told my children and my family I wasn't going to run again.  I waited until the last minute to turn my petition in.  No one else had submitted theirs besides Sandi (Dhimitri, who is running for a second term unopposed).  As much as people complain about what the School Board does, I don't see anybody stepping forward.  So I felt like I had to continue.

LS: What are the key challenges for the School Board now and in the near future as you see them?

AD: Stability.  The Superintendent needs to stay there.  We need to hire a Business Official.  In my six years that I've been here, we had superintendents eight times.  (Interim Superintendent) Tiffany (Phillips) was here three of those times.  Elementary School Principal three times.  Middle School principal three times, High School Principal two times.  Business Official five times, plus we're going to be hiring the sixth one.

LS: What do you consider your key accomplishments in your tenure on the School Board?

AD: If I've helped one student along the way somehow, I consider that an accomplishment.  I've done many things.  The one accomplishment that I wish were completed is the policy manual.  We're still working on that.  That's another reason I'm staying, to get that policy manual finished.

LS: In what ways do you think the District suffered the most from the revolving door leadership in the District Office?

AD: I don't think that it shows that we suffered, but it's been hard.

LS: Do you mean it doesn't show in terms of grades, success of graduates going to college and that kind of thing?

AD: All of the above.  Even the workers, it's difficult for the workers in the business office with people constantly going in and out.  It's hard for them.  Everybody has different ways of working.

LS: What about the Superintendent's office?  That's a revolving door that it seems has been spinning really fast.

AD: Let's hope it's closed.  Even the secretary's position.  That's been revolving, too.  There have been several secretaries for the Superintendent.


LS: What do you think is the most important thing to fix?

AD: Long range planning is something we have been striving for.  Everyone has their own ideas.  When Bob (Service) was Superintendent he had some excellent ideas.  Of course he left, so we had to start over again.  That is something we definitely need to look at.

LS: Are you on that committee?

AD: I'm not on that committee.  Bonita (Lindberg) and Sandi (Dhimitri) are on that committee.  I'm on the Facilities Committee.

LS: Do you see other priorities?

AD: We need to get stability all over the campus.  Then we can go from there.

LS: The teacher's union has had six years without a constant leader in the Superintendent's office.  Do you think they have become more powerful as a result, and is that good or bad?

AD: When I first joined the Board the teachers' morale was very low.  Over time I've seen it pick up.  We have a very strong union, I believe.  I think they are together, they're not pitted against each other.  I think if you're happy in your job and you like what you're doing it filters down to the kids.  It makes the kids happy that they're there.

LS: I've heard a number of people express a concern that the Board may have driven away superintendents.  Do you see that as true?

AD: I don't see it as driving away superintendents.  We all have our own opinions.  Some people are more strong willed or voice their opinions in a different way.  Mr. Service left due to personal reasons.  Corliss (Kaiser) left because they came seeking her, she didn't seek them.  I think it was just unfortunate circumstances.

LS: It's just been a streak of bad luck?

AD: I believe it was bad luck.  We were fortunate enough to have (Ray) Buckley here for the 30-some years he was here.  It's hard to fill somebody's shoes that has been there that long.

LS: Especially these days.

AD: Times have changed.  People have got to learn to change with them.

LS: If space were not a consideration how would you split up the grade levels among the three schools?

AD: When I went to school here the Elementary School was K-6 and the High School, which is now the Middle School, was 7-12.  There was no middle school.  In 1974 they built the High School and that became 9-12.  My class was the first class that went through the new building from 1974 to 1978.

I can understand people's reasons for wanting the fifth graders in the Elementary School and I can understand others' reasons for wanting them in the Middle School.  It's the way of balancing things in the Middle School that needs to be looked at to see what's best for the kids.

LS: If you were starting from scratch and could put all the support services, music, art and so on wherever you wanted them without the baggage of what we have now, what arrangement do you think would be best for the kids?

AD: I think having a combination of music and arts in all the schools would make it a perfect place to be.  If it was my choice I'd put the fifth graders back in the Elementary School and let them have music, arts and drama.  Let them take slower steps to get them into the Middle School.

LS: How about the sixth grade?  In a perfect world should they be in the Elementary of Middle School?

AD: In a perfect world.  Like I said, times have changed and the kids are growing up faster.  They're seeing more out there.  The Middle School is the place for sixth grade.

LS: There is clearly a tug of war in the District between the perception of what's needed to remain competitive in programs and facilities and what taxpayers can reasonably bear.  I know you disagreed with the Board on the budget.  You seemed to be really struggling with how your vote would go.  You seemed to be saying you understood both sides of the issue, and you may have answered this question with your vote:  do you think the proposed budget is the best balance between what we would like to have in the District and what we can afford?

LS: I'm worried about our budget.  I'm worried about the Capital Project going forward.  People are moving out of the District because they cannot afford to live here any more.  Taxes are getting too high for them.  I know our students need certain things.  And there is a difference between needs and wants.  As it has been proposed our budget is adequate.

I struggle with that, I really do.  I am concerned with the older citizens of this community.

LS: And not always older.

AD: No, not always older, but those are the ones you hear from most.  We've got problems in this community with poor people.  It's a struggle for them.  I know that people move into this District because of the schools.  They say we have the best School District out there.

LS: How do you think the budget is going to realistically affect the capital project's chances of being passed?

AD: I think that the budget probably will pass.  With the facilities Committee looking at the needs of the District... if people understand the needs, they are more likely to pass it.

LS: A number of people have observed that the Board of Education is dysfunctional in terms of board interaction just among itself, the seeming undermining by some Board members of overall Board decisions, hiring experts or officials and not seeming to trust them. These kind of issues.  Do you think that it is?

AD: There are seven people with seven opinions.  In years past you couldn't always trust what was being told to you.  Some of us are struggling with that.  Some Board members have strong opinions.  I think one of the things that is good about this Board even though it seems dysfunctional, is that there are people who have different opinions are are not afraid to express them.

LS: Do you think Board decisions are better as a result?

AD: I do.  We're not a board that rubber stamps everything.  We look into details.  I think that's a good thing.

LS: Lansing is above average in test results and in sending graduates to college and so on.  What do you think is needed to keep us in the lead and what should the Board be doing to address it?

AD: Technology is very important these days.  Our technology is OK, but it's not adequate.  I think we're behind the times.  We need to start looking further ahead and get closer to that goal, because some of the schools around us are passing us by.

LS: Are you talking about equipment, programs, staffing or all of the above?

AD: Equipment and programs.  We could have so much more.  We're behind in technology, we really are.  We're antiquated.

LS: How should the Board address that?

AD: We should look at long range planning, funding.  It's difficult trying to balance everything.  I'm just hoping that some day we can get there.

LS: What else would you like to say about the election?

AD: Well I think it's unfortunately that nobody has stepped forward to run for the School Board.  This is giving something back to the community you live in, to be a part of it.  I've been on the Board for six years and I thought I was done.  Not seeing someone new step forward is a disappointment to me.  You hear people complaining all the time, but you don't see them stepping forward and doing something about it.

That was one of the main reasons I got on the School Board six years ago.  I started going to School Board meetings and I only heard what you hear in the public meetings, you don't know the situations behind the scenes.  People will never know unless they start getting involved.

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