Susan Albrecht
Education/Profession:
• Education: North Montgomery High School; Ivy Tech Community College, Technical Certificate; Earlham College, bachelor’s degree in psychology; Indiana University, teacher certification, master’s degree in counseling and counselor education • Occupation, current political office (if applicable): Wabash College Fellowship Advisor; currently CCSC board vice president
Position statement 1:
• What specific experiences and skills qualify you to be a school board member? Besides having a background as a public high school social studies teacher and a master’s degree in school counseling, I have served on the CCSC board for 16 years. I work in higher education, in a student advising capacity.
Position statement 2:
• What do you think are the most important issues facing the school corporation? Funding is always an issue, since the State of Indiana determines the balance of our operating fund (from which we pay staff salaries) and since local property taxes fund the remainder of our funds (covering transportation, technology, capital projects and debt service). Tough economic times and property tax caps limit our ability to meet the needs of our students and to appropriately reward our teachers. Of course, the most important issue of the moment is how we navigate student instruction safely and effectively in the era of COVID-19.
Position statement 3:
• What are some of the concerns you hear from students, parents and citizens of the school community? Right now, the major concerns all revolve around COVID-19 and finding ways to keep our schools and community safe, while ensuring our students are not falling behind in their education. Other concerns relate to career and college readiness, class size, student mental health, food insecurity, and family stability.
Position statement 4:
• How can you balance the budget and meet the needs of the students? Across my 16 years on the board, I have been impressed by the innovative ways our administrators have been able to meet the needs of student and families, whether that be securing grants, adjusting how we handle bus transportation, offering after-school programming or taking out very low-interest loans in order to complete necessary building maintenance and renovations.
Position statement 5:
• During and following the COVID-19 pandemic, what will you do to help the recovery of the schools in the district? In April, I requested the opportunity to meet with administrators weekly, in order to stay apprised of the issues under discussion, health department and CDC guidance and staff and family concerns. Fellow board member Kathy Brown and I have done so ever since. While the hybrid model for secondary students helped with distancing in the schools, we found that an unacceptable number of children were failing to thrive, academically and socially. We have worked to provide the best options possible for our students, families and staff, including mandatory mask use and increased cleaning and sanitizing.