What's on your mind about Fayetteville schools?

I'm talking to many of you about your interests and concerns for our schools. But I can't meet all of you individually, so let me hear from you here! What's important to you about our schools that you think a school board member should be thinking about? Just click on "comments" and add your thoughts!

My Family's Fayetteville Education Story

In 1994, Linda and I plus our three kids (Matt, Brian, and Meredith—in the upper right part of the photo) were leaving one of the nation’s best school districts for my new job in Benton County, and we didn’t know where to make our home. We did our homework about school districts in Northwest Arkansas, and there was no doubt. We moved to Fayetteville and I commuted 45 minutes each way. We never regretted it.

Some of the facilities were new and great, some not-so-new and not-so-great. Almost all the teachers did a spectacular job of challenging our kids. And whether it was football, GT, choir, literary magazine, drama, basketball, or teen leadership, we could see that our kids were getting the best that the district and the community had to offer. No doubts. No regrets.

If we were moving to Northwest Arkansas in 2008 instead of 1994, would we make the same decision? Would Rogers’ AP test scores, or Bentonville’s music program, or Springdale’s new high school make us think twice before choosing Fayetteville? The truth is we’d have to think twice. And there WOULD be some doubts.

But the decisions we will make on the Fayetteville school board in the next three years could put us back to the place where a decision FOR Fayetteville would create no doubts. Where the district and the community would unite instead of split. Where new families would know they would never regret choosing Fayetteville Public Schools.

I ask for your vote and a chance to use my experience to make a choice for Fayetteville an easy one for the next family – just like yours and mine.

My Answers to Morning News Questions

The good people at the Morning News made us limit our answers to 50 words--smart move on their part, but tough for those of us who like to talk! Here's what I told them.

E-mail address: mikefayar@gmail.com

Education, name of school and graduation dates if applicable:

Pasadena (CA) High School 1977

University of Southern California (BA-Journalism) 1981

University of Michigan (MBA) 1986

Occupation and Employer: Human Resources Director, Saatchi & Saatchi X

Spouse, name and occupation: Linda L. Malony, International President, Gamma Phi Beta Sorority

Children, names, ages and schools they attend:

Matt Malony, age 25. Graduated Fayetteville High School (2002), Vanderbilt University (2006). Currently in 1^st year at UAMS Medical School

Brian Malony, age 23. Graduated Fayetteville High School (2003), University of Southern California (2007).

Meredith Malony, age 21. Graduated Fayetteville High School (2005). Currently a senior at Wheaton College

Please respond to the following questions in 50 words or less per question:

1. Why do you want to serve on the Fayetteville School Board? Please list specific reasons.

I want to serve on the board so that at least ONE former teacher is part of the deliberations on important issues. I’m passionate about education: as a parent, volunteer and especially when I took a 5-year sabbatical from my 20-year business career to be an English teacher, co-department head and swim coach.

2. Do you favor building a new high school at a new location; rebuilding a new high school at its current location; or doing nothing and why?

I favor a facility that accentuates our great teachers and our successful programs. If we CAN’T find a $50MM+ buyer for our current location, I favor a 10-12 rebuilt FHS at its current site. If we CAN find a buyer, I favor a 10-12 new school at the Morningside site.

3. One of the issues new school board members will deal with is new attendance boundaries for elementary schools to alleviate crowding at some schools. What factors do you consider important for drawing new attendance boundaries for elementary schools?

Keeping neighborhoods together and minimizing walking distances are priorities. Since we can’t satisfy everybody, we need the best possible process: start with an open mind, encourage organized community input, deliberate based on principles and priorities, and maintain a bias for action. We used this process on the recent high school committee, and it works.

My Answers to Northwest Arkansas Times' Questions

Since we all like to give long answers, the Times needed to edit us a bit. If you're interested in the full answers I provided, they're given below.

Northwest Arkansas Times

School Board Candidate Questions

Mike Malony

mikefayar@gmail.com

1. Tell us about your background, why you decided to run for school board and what do you believe your qualifications are? I’m a 20-year business manager whose passion for education led to a 5-year sabbatical as a high school literature teacher. I returned to the business world 3 years ago, when I finally accepted that I couldn’t continue to teach high schoolers, coach swimming, serve as department co-chair, volunteer in support of my kids’ extra-curricular activities and at our church, be a good family man and continue my marketing consulting practice all at the same time. But I never lost my passion for educating future generations. I can apply my experiences from both teaching and business to the decisions that the Fayetteville school board must make in the next few years, so that our schools can be as great for the next generation of kids as they were for mine.

2. Please list in details your thoughts on the high school situation. Everyone I talk to agrees that FHS needs a better facility. And, like many of them, I see a shifting foundation in the decision on the best way to get one. I served on the latest community committee, which got the charge to find the best location for a single, 9-12 high school under the assumption that the current property could be sold for nearly $60 million. With those three assumptions in place, the choice became clear to the committee members. I started out thinking there could be no better location than the current one, but supported our committee’s recommendation of the Morningside site. So are those three assumptions still relevant? I think two are not. The offer is off the table, and the community hasn’t bought into the 9-12 recommendation. Therefore, the Morningside site needs to be rethought. I favor continuing to negotiate with the U of A, because the voters want the board to make smart economic decisions before they approve a millage increase. And I favor a review of the 9-12 recommendation. It drives many factors in the site choice. Can we stay at the current location? I would love to, but the community doesn’t ask the board to make decisions based on emotions. In the end the board has to understand the new assumptions and bring the voters the site plan that makes the most of the limited funds we have.

3. How do you think the district should approach re-drawing attendance zones? We all agree that keeping neighborhoods together and minimizing walking distances are very important. But school boards must literally draw the line somewhere, and that’s why we need the best possible process to do so. I’d like to see a similar process followed for decisions on rezoning that was used on the committee I recently served on that evaluated high school sites: start with an open mind, encourage organized community input, deliberate based on principles and priorities, and have a bias for action. This does not guarantee that everyone will be happy. But it creates the best environment for trust.

4. What are some qualities and qualifications you would look for when hiring the next superintendent? The search process can easily identify those with the right academic background and work history. I see two more elements that matter to Fayetteville’s families, teachers, and students. The first is the ability to relate to those with varied viewpoints in our community. Listening creates trust. We in Fayetteville are as varied as the Arkansas weather, and each of us needs to be heard. The second is a deep understanding of the basic process of education: helping kids learn. Our superintendent needs to major in the majors—what does it take for kids to learn?—and the minors will fall in line over time.

5. Are the any other issues affecting the district that you are concerned about? Three other issues are of particular concern to me. First, I am concerned with the lack of a voice on the board that has classroom teaching experience. I have 5 years of it. None others running or on the board have any. Second, I believe our district has not provided the curriculum coordination necessary from middle schools through high schools, and that particularly affects lower-performing students. When I taught in Springdale, there were multiple professionals in “curriculum coordinator” roles. But not in Fayetteville. I saw the disconnect in the language arts classroom, and it needs to be addressed. Third, I am very interested in alternatives to classroom education for those students who are ready to learn at a faster rate or who want to learn subjects that may not support a full classroom. With today’s technology, we can provide this. Why can’t a junior high kid who wants to learn Mandarin take one period in the day to work at a computer with speech recognition software, then take a standardized test to show her progress?

6. Do you have any family members who work for the school district or in education? Have you ever worked for the Fayetteville School District or other school districts? I have no family members in the district or currently in the field of education. My parents are both retired teachers, and my wife is a former teacher. We have three children who prospered from elementary school through high school graduation in the Fayetteville School District. I have been an employee of both Fayetteville and Springdale schools, teaching American literature to 10^th and 11^th graders (from 2000 to 2005).

7. Background information:

• Mike Malony
• Age 48
• Human Resources Director at Saatchi & Saatchi X
• Thompson Murray Children’s Foundation (secretary and board member), Fox Run Property Owner’s Association (board member for 10 years)