Meet the candidates: East China School Board election

Eight people are running for the East China Schools Board of Education this election season.

There are eight East China School District candidates vying for a pair of seats with six-year terms in November. Although each candidate has expressed different reasons for running, one thing they have in common is advocacy for public education.

East China Board of Education trustee candidates include Debbie Bourgois, Lindsay Chopp, Travis Deraedt, Dion VanKehrberg, Michael Westrick, Kimberly VanBaak, Ronald Miller and Suzy Schweihofer-Lustre. Chopp and Westrick are incumbents.

Debbie Bourgois

Bourgois has been an on-and-off substitute teacher for the East China school district since 2013. She was also an adjunct professor at St. Clair County Community College in 2019. Bourgois said she is concerned about public education and wants to protect it.

“There seems to be some backlash against public education and public school teachers,” Bourgois said. “I’m very much in favor of public education.”

Bourgois said public education is a social contract, meaning everyone is given a basic education regardless of their socioeconomic status. She said she wants to ensure that everyone receives a quality public education.

“For me, it really boils down to supporting public education,” Bourgois said. “Education should not just be for people with a lot of money.”

Bourgois served on the SC4 Board of Trustees from January 2017 to December 2018. She said she can take that experience and use it to keep education fair in the East China school district.

Lindsay Chopp

Chopp is one of two incumbents in the East China school board election and has served as a trustee on the board since August 2021, after she was appointed to fill a vacant seat. Chopp grew up in St. Clair and went through the East China school district. She said she wants to be a voice for the children in the East China area.

“From my work background, I know how important it is for children to feel safe and grow up in a positive environment,” Chopp said.

Chopp is a prevention educator at the St. Clair County Child Abuse and Neglect Council.

Chopp said she wants to make sure the children and parents in the area flourish. She said she wants to shift focus back to the basics of education, both academically and socially. In academics, Chopp wants to keep learning standards high in the core subjects. Socially, she wants to create positive interactions between staff and students.

“It goes without saying that COVID had a negative impact on children’s learning,” Chopp said. “It’s important that kids are interacting and staying in school.”

Chopp said that her passion lies with children and their education. She wants students in the East China school district to meet their basic needs and more.

Travis Deraedt

Deraedt wants to bring transparency and accountability to the East China school board. He said he wants to be a voice for the parents of the district and also be the person they can go to for concerns.

"People ask the board questions and people want to be heard," Deraedt said. "I'm going to be that person for them."

If elected, Deraedt said he wants to look into the use of district funding and ensure that it is being used effectively. He said he does not have a set agenda for the school board election. He wants to represent the parents and make them feel heard by East China Schools.

"If I'm elected, I'm going to ask (the parents) what they to see happen in the district, take that general consensus, show the board what people want and then vote on it," he said.

Deraedt said he is not a politician. He said he is a blue-collar worker who wants East China schools to have the best education available.

Suzy Schweihofer-Lustre

Schweihofer-Lustre has an extensive history with East China schools. Five generations of her family have attended the district. Additionally, she started her teaching career in the East China and Anchor Bay school districts for 12 years, starting in 2000. Schweihofer-Lustre said she is running for school board because she believes the district is the most valuable asset to the community.

“I have always been proud of the quality education provided by the East China school district,” she said. “I have a vested interest in preserving and improving the quality of education in the district.”

Schweihofer-Lustre has three areas she wants to focus on if elected to the board: safety, transparency and high academic achievement. She said the safety of children should be a top priority of the district. She wants to make sure the district has a comprehensive safety plan developed by experts.

With transparency, Schweihofer-Lustre said she wants to ensure school board members are accessible, receptive and responsive to the community. As for high academic achievement, she said many students have fallen behind because of the pandemic, and she wants to see a focus on academic intervention and support for all students so they can be successful.

“We need to have strong academic programs so our children are prepared to become productive members of society,” Schweihofer-Lustre said.

As a former educator, Schweihofer-Lustre feels she will give valuable input as a board member. She has a strong desire to positively contribute and serve the community she holds near and dear to my heart.

Ronald Miller

Miller recently retired after working in public education for 37 years. He was the principal of St. Clair High School for 19 years and the assistant principal for 12 years before that. He was also a teacher for seven years, primarily in the Ionia school district. Miller said he brings a solid understanding how public education functions.

“I believe that my experience would lend a positive, stable tone to public education at a time when it needs it,” Miller said.

Miller said he is a supporter of a fair public education and the success of East China schools. East China, like all districts, is a big operation that requires a lot of people to run. Miller said he wants to keep it a successful district.

“It’s important to express to the community that what we are doing is to benefit their child’s experience,” he said.

Miller said he hopes his previous role as a principal will show the community that he is a stable, knowledgeable and hardworking candidate.

Kimberly VanBaak

VanBaak has a background in special education teaching for Detroit schools. She is running for the East China school board because she wants to create a trusting relationship between the board and the community. Additionally, she wants to bring academic focus on to the core subject- reading, writing and math, critical thinking and civics.

"We need to offer pivotal programs for the students," VanBaak said.

VanBaak also wants parents to be involved in the district. She wants parents to volunteer and participate in the classrooms. Outside the classroom, VanBaak said parents should be involved in school board discussions.

"To have and keep parents involved, maybe do open forums and roundtable meetings instead of one meeting a month," she said. "Also, have surveys to see what areas need to be addressed and what areas are doing great."

VanBaak wants the students of the district to succeed academically. She said she wants parents to be able to choose the best education for their children.

Dion VanKehrberg

Vankehrberg said he has deep roots in the Blue Water community. He grew up in St. Clair and is a business owner in the broader area. He owns Salon Dion of Marysville and is a real estate agent with Keller Williams. Vankehrberg said he wants to create a school district that parents and students are satisfied to attend.

“I know some parents have pulled their students out of the district and I want to provide a better solution for them so they can get the schooling they're wanting for their children," he said.

Vankehrberg wants to focus of the district to be on academics. Additionally, he wants to work on communication between parents and teachers. He wants parents to participate in their children's education.

"Parents should have full knowledge of what's going on in their children's classrooms," Vankehrberg said.

Vankehrberg has a Facebook page set up for people to send him questions and find out more about his campaign. The page is called Dion Vankehrberg for East China school board.

Michael Westrick

Westrick has been on the East China Board of Education since 2019. He is running for reelection because he wants to address the declining proficiencies in core subjects such as reading, writing, math and history. He believes this trend can be reversed for East China schools students.

"I want to work in conjunction with board members and district representatives to ensure educational goals are transparent, focused and supported financially," Westrick said.

He also wants to ensure the new East China Innovation Center will be used effectively to give students a greater degree of hands-on learning experience.

Westrick received his bachelor's degree in biochemistry from Michigan State University. His career in the specialty chemical industry saw him as a scientist and a corporate leader. Westrick said throughout his career he has traveled globally and had the opportunity to interact with people all over the world.

"Based on those interactions and the speed in which many technologies are advancing, we as a community need to ensure every student is prepared to compete globally," he said.

Another area Westrick wants to address is investing into East China's Pre-K through third graders. He wants to work with the other board members to evaluate how investing into these grades could build capabilities and confidence into students, and ensure they have positive outcomes in the district.

Contact McKenna Golat at mgolat@gannett.com or 810-292-0122.

This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Meet the candidates: East China to have eight people run for election