Christina School District District B Seat

Christina School District currently has 2 seats up for election on May 9, 2017. Because there are 7 total candidates between
both seats, their responses will be divided into two separate documents. One for the District G Candidates, one for the District
B Candidates.

Justin Day, Angela L. Mitchell, Monica Moriak, and Karen E. Sobotker are candidates running for
election to the District B Seat on the Christina School District Board of Education. It should be noted
that Candidates Jeffrey Day (District G) and Justin Day (District B) are not related.

1. Please tell us what your connection and relationship is with the School District in which you are
seeking election to the Board of Education.

Justin Day: My association with Christina started in 2009 when I purchased a home in
the Pike Creek area of the district with my wife, Steph. I am a strong supporter of public
education and the opportunity it provides kids for success.

Mitchell: I attended the Christina School District growing up Leasure, Pulaski, Kirk and
Gauger Schools. My siblings and I are products of the district. I now have three children
who attend schools in the district, and I live within its territory. My three children
motivate me to do all that I can to ensure that they have the support and opportunities
necessary to succeed. My oldest child, Jonathan has Autism. Our experience as a family
with a child with significant needs has prompted me to get more involved in advocating
for those with developmental disabilities. Love is an action, and I envision taking action
as setting an example, for not only my children, but for my community as well.

Moriak: My involvement with the Christina School District runs deep. I jumped in with
both feet when my oldest started kindergarten at Wilson Elementary School in 2003. As
both my children moved through school, I have volunteered in the classroom, on field
trips, on committees, and at events at both the school and district level. I have chaired
numerous PTA committees including Reflections, membership, yearbook, teacher
appreciation, and field day. I was President of the PTA at both Wilson Elementary and at
Shue-Medill Middle Schools. I have worked on numerous referendum committees over
the years and been an active member of the Citizens Budget Oversight Committee
(CBOC) since 2010. I have been a mentor at Wilson, Shue, Newark HS and currently Sarah
Pyle Academy. I have taught Junior Achievement at Wilson since 2007 and will be
teaching JA to three classes of kindergarten this Spring.

Sobotker: I have a 14 yr.old son with Down Syndrome in the REACH program at Shue
Midell
Also I have an eleven year old at Shue in the 6th grade.
2. In your opinion, what is the purpose and function of an elected Board of Education?

Justin Day: The purpose of an elected Board of Education is to establish a vision for the
district and create policies that are executed by the Superintendent and staff.

Mitchell: It is the duty of board members to work with administrators and community
members to make decisions and set policies to ensure the success of our children. More
than a position, I see the role of an elected school board official as being a voice for
those in their districtparents, students, and educators. I see elected officials as people
who are committed to serving---to help improve the educational prospects for our
community and society. Simply put, their function is to make an impact beyond the
boardroom and into the community.

Moriak: The Board of Educations job is to keep an eye on the big picture. It has one
employee, the superintendent. The board needs to work with the superintendent to
implement the strategic plan. The board is the face and voice of the district as it interacts
with the community. It needs to work with the community to develop a vision and work
with the superintendent to bring that vision to life.

Sobotker: First and foremost is to give good representation keeping the best interest of
parents, students in mind.

3. What are your opinions on A) School Choice overall, B) Magnet Schools, and C) Charter Schools?

Justin Day:
i. School Choice: Parents should have the ability to choose where their kids go to
school. With respect to Christina, I believe we should focus on filling gaps inside
the district and developing an action plan to make Christina more competitive
within the surrounding districts.
ii. Magnet Schools: Parents should have the ability to choose where their kids go to
school. With respect to Christina, I believe we should focus on filling gaps inside
the district and developing an action plan to make Christina more competitive
within the surrounding districts.
iii. Charter Schools: Options for parents is a good thing. Again, we should focus on
making Christina more competitive within the surrounding communities.

Mitchell:
i. School Choice: I certainly understand that school choice is often a well-intended
concept and can appear positive at first glance. However, it is a band-aid for
 systemic issues and exacerbates inequities. Though an individual student may
benefit from school choice, most are deeply harmed. A desire for school choice
reveals an entrenched issue: the lack of funding and resources allocated to public
schools. We need to address these deeply detrimental problems rather than look
to individual alternatives. This is all the more important because school choice
dramatically and disproportionately favors wealthy students without educational
or physical disabilities. Therefore, those students most vulnerable are left in
public schools without sufficient resources to address their needs.
ii. Magnet Schools: While magnet schools were first established for admirable
reasons, they are a small scale, individualized antidote to a larger problem.
Syphoning away students with academic and creative talents harms diversity and
reveals deeper issues within the public school system. If public schools were
properly resourced, student talents could be fostered properly making magnet
schools unnecessary and public schools the model of education they can and
should be throughout the nation.
iii. Charter Schools: Like magnet schools, a number of charter schools are well
intentioned. Regardless of intent, charter schools significantly cripple public
schools. Charter schools remove valuable funds from public school education.
Moreover, since charter schools are independently operated, they are not held to
the same standards and oversight of public institutions. The result is that special
needs children and those students at greatest risk are often turned away or are
given sub-standard support. This, of course, creates greater challenges for public
schools forced to address the challenges of these student populations while
suffering the detrimental effects of limited resources.

Moriak:
i. School Choice: School choice is here to stay. It is generally good for individuals
but generally bad for communities since it splits up communities; kids in the
same neighborhood end up going to many different schools. It makes it harder
to work together to improve the local community with people being pulled in so
many different directions. Simple things like carpooling become more difficult.
We need to make sure that all children have an opportunity to take advantage of
choice even as we work to find a way to use school choice as a positive in
Christinas future. Christina can use choice at the high school level to allow
students to choose the high school that best fits his/her needs, not just the one
assigned. Christina needs to highlight the unique programs in their schools and
expand on these. This could create destination schools that both our students
and students in other districts could choose.
ii. Magnet Schools: Magnet schools are a good idea especially at a high school level
as kids interests start to coalesce around more singular goals or activities. They
 offer more opportunities for individuals who may not do as well at a traditional
high school or who have a passion for a specific subject. We must ensure that all
students have an opportunity to take advantage of these options and not limit
these schools to a select few.
iii. Charter Schools: Charter schools sound like a good idea in theory, but in practice
they are 50/50 in results. Charter schools are designed to fulfill an unmet need in
the district, but in reality they provide a near-private school education using
public funds. Many lack oversight and coordination with the district in which they
are located. One idea to improve the relationship is to create opportunities for
teachers from both charter and traditional schools to work together to share
successful lesson plans from the classroom.

Sobotker:
i. School Choice:
ii. Magnet Schools:
iii. Charter Schools:

From 2000 until 2014 l have been a virtual facilitator opting to educate students
through cyber schools. Each child's learning capacity is different. It is good to
provide options such as school choice and magnet schools.

4. Where do you stand on school vouchers? How would they benefit or harm public education?

Justin Day: Tax dollars should remain with public schools.

Mitchell: Proponents of school vouchers argue that it allows parents more choice about
the school their children attend. Others also argue that vouchers encourage institutions
to improve performance to compete. Both of these arguments are greatly problematic.
Education cannot operate on free market principles like a business because public
schools cannot be equated with private schools in terms of structure or resources.
Certainly an individual student may benefit from the program by, for example, being able
to attend an elite private school. But this is to the detriment of most other students.

The school voucher system poses a great risk to the strength and efficacy of the public
school system. The system creates the potential for student discrimination. Furthermore,
it encourages legislators to turn to a small scale alternative rather than addressing the
sizable challenges of the public school system. Public schools should be properly funded
rather than viewed as a last resort. Moreover, the voucher system distributes
funds to private schools which should be used to improve public schools. This is a vicious
cycle that can contribute to an increasingly struggling public school system. In this
 unfortunate cycle, public school children, especially special needs students and students
at risk students, become collateral damage and their futures.

Moriak: I am not for school vouchers. Taxpayer money is for public education. If you
take your child out of the public school, you forfeit public funds. I see no benefit to
public education from vouchers. It seems to set up our public schools to be tuition-like.
Charters, in some ways, are a way around vouchers, creating private like schools using
taxpayer money. Our society is severely harmed by an uneducated and undereducated
public. I have not seen any evidence that communities are helped at all from the use of
vouchers.

Sobotker: The benefit of the use of vouchers is choice_ the harm may be a loss in public
school education revenue.

5. Do you believe that poverty affects education and educational resources?

Justin Day: Of course.

Mitchell: Yes.

Moriak: Yes.

Sobotker: Yes.

Why or Why Not?

i. Justin Day: Children who lack food and other basic resources are at a significant
disadvantage. We need to work towards a fair and equitable education for every
child.

ii. Mitchell: "Poverty certainly affects education and educational resources.

Students cannot merely choose to separate the challenges faced at home from
their responsibilities at school.
Food insecurity, domestic unrest, an inability to purchase school supplies---these
are just some of the many issues that can impede academic performance for
students from poorer backgrounds. We cannot reasonably ask students to
perform to their potential without understanding such issues and helping
students navigate such challenges to the best of our ability. The unfortunate
irony is that students and schools facing the most difficult obstacles are often
 those allotted the least in terms of educational resources. This cannot be
acceptable in a society which champions equity and opportunity.

iii. Moriak: Poverty most definitely affects education and educational resources.
Maslows hierarchy of needs shows that children arent ready to learn until
their basic needs are taken care of and they can routinely and consistently count
on those needs being met. Beyond the very basics of food, water, and safety,
there is the need to feel a sense of belonging and an ability to form relationships.
This becomes very difficult when children are changing schools from year to year
or week to week. Not only does changing schools interrupt learning even in the
most supported environment but with those in high poverty, the stress
associated with the reason behind the change adds another layer of complexity
and makes learning more difficult. Just because a child is physically in a
classroom, does not mean he/she is actually able to take in any of the lessons
being taught. Ignoring this does a disservice to the child, the teacher, and society
as a whole.

In addition, poverty lowers the resources available to the school, not only in lower
property values (lower tax revenue) but also in outside resources. Schools today
thrive when they have a large amount of parent and community involvement. In
less poverty-stricken areas, there are volunteers to help out with extra activities
such as class parties, school events, and field trips, as well as donate money to
help cover extra costs that might occur. Such schools are in a much better
position to make up the difference in budget cuts through donations and
fundraising, something poorer communities have a much more difficult time
doing.

iv. Sobotker: I grew up in the rural impoverished South then to an impoverished

section of Philadelphia. Yes poverty affects children in a myriad of ways. In 2000 l
began an annual summer educational enrichment program in Nicetown North
Philadelphia for inner city youth to combat the poverty stigma and uplift our
neighborhood children.

We partnered with The Free Library of Philadelphia; Bartrams Garden, Morris

Arboretum.

6. Delaware provides special education supports and resources for children with higher levels of
need in grades 4 through 12 but not for children in grades K through 3. Should Delaware
expand support for special education needs to K-3 children? Why or why not?
 Justin Day: Yes, we should consider all options that enable every student to realize their
full potential.

Mitchell: "Yes---Studies have shown definitely that the early years of a childs life are the
most significant in terms of intellectual development. This is all the more important for
children with special needs. We owe it to them to provide this vital support when they
need it most. This is not only an investment in individual students and families, this is an
investment in our society. The greater effort we put forth in these critical early stages, the
higher the chance these students will reach their potential and the greater the chance
they will become high functioning citizens.

Moriak: Special education needs to have resources available to support all children at
whatever level or age they are at. Today, we are able to identify kids with special needs
at much younger ages. Therefore, the sooner they get intervention and support, the
more successful they will be. Our brains are designed to learn certain things at specific
times. Once that time passes, it may be possible to learn it, but it is much harder, takes
longer, and requires more resources.
Sobotker: Yes Delaware must expand to prepare these children. Early intervention and
education helps l attest to this having a 14 year old with Down Syndrome. He attended
elementary school in Michigan and Pennsylvania K-6

7. Below is an excerpt from a Baltimore Sun story summarizing recent legislation making its way
through the Maryland legislature focusing on suspension & expulsion policies for students in
Pre-K through 2nd grade. Please share your thoughts on this and how it could pertain to
Delaware schools.

Justin Day:

EDITORS NOTE: An oversight by Blue Delaware did not afford Mr. Day the opportunity to
respond to this question when the questionnaire was initially sent. A follow-up
communication with this question has been sent to Mr. Day. This document will be updated
when we receive a response.

Mitchell: I believe this is a wise decision on the part of the Maryland legislature. These
early years, prekindergarten through second grade, are deeply formative years---years
where the lives of students can be dramatically altered for better or worse. In large part,
behavioral issues constitute an opportunity to teach rather than harshly chastise. This is
an important fact often overlooked. Because these years are so formative, an overly
drastic punishment, such as suspension or expulsion, has the potential to do irrevocable
harm to student self-perception. In labeling a student as a menace at this early stage
 there is the unfortunate potential for both future educators and the students themselves
to envision this label as a reality. Instead such incidences should be viewed as valuable
chance to shape future behavior: an investment for both the student and the community.

Moriak: I would go a step further and say that suspensions and expulsions need to be
seriously curtailed. Children who misbehave are dealing with other issues and the poor
behavior is a symptom - a cry for help. Schools need to have programs in place to find
and work on solving the cause. By giving tools to the child to deal with the issue, the
child can return to the classroom and continue to learn and grow. Schools need the
resources to work with the student and family to find and alleviate the cause. This is a
great opportunity to engage the local community in finding solutions.

Children in these situations dont need to be in the classroom, but that is not the same
as a suspension or expulsion. They are not able to learn while this is going on and there
is no reason to force a child in a class who is just going to be a disruption, then no one is
learning. We need programs in place that gives children of any age an opportunity to
work through the issue and regroup before returning to class. We also need to recognize
that for some kids, being in that class is too stressful and alternatives need to be found.
Just because a child is physically in a class does not mean that they are mentally ready to
learn.

Sobotker: I am supportive of this legislation. Sometimes a child's home is the problem

therefore yes more intervention and support is needed.

8. Governor Carney has repeatedly said that the Delaware Department of Education will be
refocused as a support service for schools and districts. What are three items or services that
you would ask the Governor to prioritize?

Justin Day:
i. Centralization Determine areas of overlap and consolidate like services.
ii. Technology Optimize K12 Network.
iii. Implement an improved funding model.

Mitchell:
i. Special education services
ii. Minority support
iii. Autism

Moriak:
 i. I would love to see the Delaware DOE become a support service. I would like to
see more support for school climate issues, helping districts find programs that
have had success in other districts around the country and bringing them to
Delaware.
ii. Also, the DOE should help districts find creative ways to use current funding more
efficiently especially with regards to poverty, special education and English
Language Learners (ELL). It would be great if there were a way to find grants and
partnerships that could support these initiatives at the district and school level.
iii. Lastly, I would like to see better collaboration and coordination between school
districts: traditional, vocational, and charter. The DOE should facilitate these
relationships.

Sobotker:
i. After school programs
ii. Special Education
iii. Drug safety and awareness

9. Governor Carney's proposed budget for fiscal year 2018 places tens of millions of dollars of
State public education funds at risk of being eliminated. Now that the budget process is in the
General Assembly's hands, what words of advice do you have for our legislators?

Justin Day: Engagement In order to have a greater appreciation of the potential

impact, all State Representatives and Senators should be active participants in school
forums and activities.

Mitchell: I would tell them to look to the future---look to our children. Look at the most
vulnerable populations in the state and envision how they will be impacted before you
vote. I want you to think of children like my son Jonathan and remember that to limit our
childrens opportunity is to cripple a generation.

Moriak: To Governor Carney and the General Assembly who are promoting the idea of
shared sacrifice.

Shared sacrifice isnt really shared when one group will have to decide between buying
food or buying medicine or buying gas or paying an electric bill; another group may
have to cut back on entertainment or buying extras; and a third group wont really notice
any difference in their day to day life. Although the cost may be shared, only one of
those three groups are truly sacrificing.
 Sobotker: Having two children in Delaware public schools please increase funding for
Delaware public schools.

Personally I am anti recreational alcohol and all drugs.

However we have a major drug epidemic and we are lost of the facts. HB110 calls for the
legalization and taxation of cannabis with 20% earmarked for education if passed. Too
many of are kids use alcohol as the gateway drug to hard drugs. Educators first must
know the facts Cannabis and give the truth about how alcohol kills and alcohol is
legal_maybe if HB110 passes less children and adults will not be harmed as much by
alcohol and its vices_ maybe these recreational users of alcohol will switch to cannabis
which isn't toxic or destructive to families like legal alcohol.

Pass HB110 which will bring more money for education_ just a thought.

10. Please share any additional thoughts or comments you would like us to share when we post
your responses and know that we sincerely thank you for taking the time to respond to our
questionnaire.

Justin Day: If given the opportunity to serve on the board, I want to implement policies
that will:
i. Enable every student to realize their full potential.
ii. Provide the Superintendent and staff the flexibility to innovate.
iii. Promote sharing and best practices among district teachers and administrators.
iv. Optimize technology resources to maximize benefits for students and teachers.
v. Develop partnerships with the businesses, institutions, and associations in our
community.

Mitchell: I am here because someone cared for me---my parents, teachers, mentors, and
administrators. I have accomplished what I have accomplished because people at
different levels of the educational spectrum invested time and effort to ensure I was
given opportunity through education. This will be my goal if elected to the Board of
Education: to serve as a voice for students, parents, teachers, and my community.

Moriak: I dont have all the answers. There is no magic solution. We have a long way to
go before we get to where we want to be. Its going to take a lot of work, a lot of
discussion, and not everyone is going to be happy. In the end its about what is best for
the entire district: traditional, choice and charter; not about an individual student. My
goal is to help move us in the direction we want to go.
 The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step - Lao Tzu

Sobotker: I have been Virtual Facilitator over twenty years(Cyber schools such as K-12;
Agora; Connections Academy; PA CYBER ; PALCS

Mother of nine
USAF Veteran
Masters of Law & Public Policy

As an educator now since 1982 my first position was as a triage and cpr instructor in the
USAF _I found a love for teaching.

In my humble opinion l prefer the classical mode of teaching which includes knowledge
of Latin and Greek; Calligraphy and Cursive handwriting.