Ohio Board of Education Third District
Matthew D. McGowan |
Dawn E. Wojcik |
Charlotte McGuire |
Bio: I am a U.S. Army Veteran and a lifelong resident of SW Ohio with a passion for service. From 2009-2012, I was one of three elected Libertarians in the state of Ohio, serving as a Councilman for the city of Cheviot. I currently reside in Liberty Township, Ohio with my wife and four children, where I serve as a County Development Coordinator for the Libertarian Party of Ohio and the Vice-President of the Lakota Sports Organization. I attended two of the most prolific schools in the state, graduating from Cincinnati LaSalle High School after completing grade school at the now defunct Cincinnati Academy of Physical Education (CAPE). I hold a Bachelor of Science Degree in Information Technology from Capella University, one of the pioneers in online, competency-based education. I feel it is this diversity of educational background that gives me a unique perspective on how best to address the problems facing public education today. |
Bio: Ms. Wojcik, a University of Dayton graduate, taught English at Morgan City High School, Louisiana, for 3 years and English/Spanish at Northmont City High School, Clayton, Ohio, for 27 years. A leader in the Ohio Education Association, she advocates for students and public education. |
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How do you plan on providing quality education to all students? We can best provide a quality education for every student by empowering parents, teachers, local administrators, residents, and yes, the students themselves to determine what works best in their districts. They are the real stakeholders in public education, and have a vested interest in the outcomes of the students in their schools. The assumption that the state or federal government knows or cares more than they do is part of what’s wrong with public education in the first place. |
How do you plan on providing quality education to all students? I plan to collaborate with other members of the State Board of Education to change the punitive narrative about public education. The over-reliance on high stakes testing and the labeling of students, teachers, and schools as failing has created an atmosphere of fear for students, their parents, teachers, schools, and the communities they serve. I plan to reduce time spent testing, increase time spent teaching, and to provide support for those who face challenges meeting standards. |
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What actions do you plan to take to optimize the use of funds for public schools? Parents, teachers, and local administrators know what works best for their districts. They should have the opportunity to decide how funds are spent, based on their own needs, rather than the dictates of the state. I will work to ensure they have the ability to do so. |
What actions do you plan to take to optimize the use of funds for public schools? As a member of the State School Board I do not have budgetary authority. I will recommend policies ensuring that Ohio’s tax payers’ investment in public education provides a high quality education for all students. I support policies that focus resources and support for the classroom. I want every student in the state of Ohio to be prepared for life-long learning. |
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What do you see as the most significant challenge facing the education system in Ohio? How do you plan to address this? Our current standardized testing/evaluation model has to go. Pressuring and/or shaming children because they may be a few weeks or months behind the majority of their peers accomplishes nothing in the terms of helping them learn. It is counterproductive at best, as is holding them back from moving on with their peers based on these natural differences in ability. It is time for the public education system to move away from testing based on arbitrary standards, and back towards encouraging the natural inquisitiveness of our students by focusing on providing them with the skills they need to become successful, engaged adults. This is not something that can be accomplished by our elected officials, or in some Board Room in Columbus. It is time to take responsibility for education away from the bureaucrats and put it back in the hands of teachers, parents, and students. |
What do you see as the most significant challenge facing the education system in Ohio? How do you plan to address this? The greatest challenge facing public education in Ohio is the mythical punitive narrative that our students, teachers, and schools are failing. Currently, high stakes testing results are used to punish students, teachers, and schools in all school districts. The fear generated by this method is holding students, teachers, and schools back from becoming the best they can be. I plan to change this narrative by helping develop policies that allow our schools to celebrate their successes and implement changes that help them to prepare every student for life-long learning. I want the Ohio School Board to lead the way to encourage adequate and equitable funding to every school district and to have vigorous accountability that acknowledges the individuality of each student. |
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