MIKE DOOLEY- Bossier Parish School Board District 1

Q. What made you decide to run for BPSB?

A. All the problems they’re having at the SB, and then they were talking about raising my
taxes again, and then their wasting money like it’s water.

Q. Why do you think you’re qualified to serve on the BPSB?

A. Well I work with kids every day through the Truancy Center and see a lot of problems
that they have in the schools: like discipline for one; the drop-out rate, number two. We
need to do something to get that drop out rate down and I think that’s going to be a two-
fold education. You’re not going to do it with just college kids. You teach some of these
kids a skill or craft and they make more money than a lawyer.

Q. Recently, the BPSB considered a tax increase to cushion against cuts in state
funding. Do you support a tax increase, cutting spending, or a combination of the two to
help cushion against state funding cuts?

A. You ought not raise any taxes until you have completely gone through your budget and
cut it to the bone.

Q. What is your position on the recently announced positions of Graduation Coaches,

Behavior Coaches, Response for Intervention Coaches?

A. It’s crazy. You’ve already got a deficit on your on your retirement system, you’re
running a deficit in your bank, now you’re going to hire more people. In my opinion to do
a job that Truancy does part of that job; your teachers ought to be discipline coaches. The
teachers ought to be able to discipline kids in the class. When they tell them to sit down,
you sit down. If you don’t, consequences are coming, and quit beating around the bush.

Q. What do you believe is the role of a School Board member?

A. I think it’s kind of like an oversight, make sure the school’s heading in the right
direction, making sure they’re not spending more than they need to on wasteful spending.
Q. What would you do to make the BPSS transfer policy more equitable?

A. Well there needs to be criteria. There needs to be an iron stick criteria. If your child is
going to move from Bossier to Airline you need to follow certain criteria which is set for
those circumstances, not because his mother teaches here. I think everything’s going to
have to be addressed through the superintendent. I know that’s going on right now. I see it
in truancy, where kids are going to different schools and they’re out of district. Now I
understand a hardship, you’re living in a motel, I can understand that. But, I heard from
some of the teachers and principles that they’ve got X amount of students that are from out
of district and they don’t know why that’s going on. But how would I address it? Go back
and put it in the policy.

Q. What are your plans to increase openness and transparency?

A. I can only speak for me. And that’s what I said from day one when I started running. I
even put my phone number on my push card. You can call me directly at the house. I don’t
have a problem with that.

Q. What are the biggest challenges facing the BPSS?

A. Money. Wasteful spending. And those run hand-in-hand.

Q. If elected to the BPSB, what will be your top priority?

A. My first thing I would like to do is to put air conditioning on all the handicap buses.
Every one of them. No. I had a nephew that had cerebral palsy and he’d get off the bus
and you couldn’t wipe his face. He’d get off draining wet. But that’s my first priority.
Second priority is look at where the money is coming from, and what we’re paying out. I
would eventually like to see us get weaned off the federal money, because we’ve
prostituted ourselves out to the federal government. Now they’ve gotten in our school
system and they’re telling us what we’re going to do and not going to do. And that’s not
good.

Q. Are there areas in the BPSS which you believe could be better served by
privatization?

A. I don’t know. I don’t know. Not right off hand I don’t. I’d have to get in there and look
and see.
Q. What specific measures can be instituted to provide greater protection for BP school
children?

A. I think they’re doing a good job. Another thing that you could do that I’d like to see
happen is that we’ve got children going to school and education is the last thing on their
mind. They’re fraternizing, their grades are horrible. The schools are having to baby sit
them. They cause problems for the teachers and the staff and everybody. I think one of the
things is be more strict. If you tell little Johnny to sit down, and little Johnny drops the f-
bomb on you, little Johnny ought to be gone. There ought not be any second chances.
Those who don’t want to learn, put them in alternative schools.

Q. What specific issues would you like to see with regard to the BPSS budget?

A. There’s something I don’t understand about the budget. The first thing you have to do,
and what I’d like to do is freeze the budget. I don’t know that I can. But we need to sit
down and look at where all of our monies are coming from - state, federal, our tax money,
the tax base – and then what we need to do is sit down and see where out money is going.
Number one is, we need to look at everybody’s job, what their position is, what are we
paying them, and are we getting the best bang for the buck. Does that include the
administration? Absolutely. Everybody. If you’re taking our tax dollars, you need to be
looked at.

Q. What is your political party affiliation?

A. Democrat

Q. What are your areas of agreement and disagreement with your political party?

A. I disagree with the tax and spend democrats. I disagree with the dragging of the feet of
the Republicans, and I’m leaning toward independent, unless the Republicans can sway me
and give me a good reason why I ought to switch.

Q. What is the primary source of funding for your campaign?

A. Donations, with no strings. That’s what I tell everybody. If you’re going to give me
this money and want a favor, keep your money. And everybody that has donated to my
campaign has said the same thing. We want you to do what’s right.
Q. Would your current job allow you the time to attend SB meetings?

A. Oh yeah. No problem. I just work part time. I don’t want a full time job. I had that my
whole life.

Q. What is the extent of your knowledge of the LA Open Meetings Law and the LA
Public Records Act?

A. They ought to be wide open. If you’re a pubic servant you ought to take all of your
votes out in the open. Everything you ought to do ought to be on top of the table. You
ought to be man or woman enough to stand by your vote. But people ought to be able to
see how you vote. Now I can understand issues with children that are sensitive. I
understand that. But when it comes to everything else, it needs to be in the open, cut and
dry.