Elect John Cruz

for Common Sense Education | Vote May 5th!

And Help me to

• Increase Public oversight so you know how your tax dollars are spent.
• Form District Partnerships to strengthen our community, city, and schools.
• Get Kids on the right track for Jobs in Michigan so they aren’t forced to leave our state after high school or college.
• Spend what we have properly. We don’t have the budget of some of our neighboring school districts, so our dollar has to stretch as far as we can make it.
• Introduce clear, Common Sense policies to make our schools work.

Over the past many years both as a student and as a private citizen of Mount Clemens, I have watched many people come through Mount Clemens Schools. There are many different names and faces with many new ideas and plans. Yet despite the new faces, numerous questions remain unanswered:

• Why is it that so many new people come through the district and things are no better at the end of the day?
• Why is there no accountability when things go wrong?
• Why, 8 years after a $60+ million bond issue, are students telling me that there are days where the heat in the high school fails to work?
• Why do we still not have enough textbooks?
• Why are we still shutting people out with good ideas, saying “It’s Mount Clemens, you don’t understand. Things don’t work like that here” ?

This, ladies and gentlemen, is just the beginning. Each day we are losing more and more students to neighboring districts who have now opened up to school of choice. They feel that there is more being offered elsewhere and that the environment for learning is better. We need to change this now.

We need a back-to-basics approach that uses common sense to improve our district and the educational opportunities for our children.

We need to be financially responsible and have accountability for everything that happens. There is no reason why tax payers should have to ask “What is all my money going towards?” when they see little improvement in the quality of education or the test scores. We need to teach our children fiscal responsibility in schools so they do not end up in debt and unable to balance their checkbooks as adults.

It simply does not make sense, and it’s time that someone started asking these questions and getting results.

We need solutions for getting our children the best possible education we can provide. A vital part of that is getting people on the School Board who understand today’s challenges for learning. Someone who understands technology, civics, and the school system from both sides of the fence.

We need transparency on the board, so we know what is going on with education policies. Once elected, you will be able to come to this website and read about what I voted on and why I chose that course of action. Board members feel that they are safe from the public eye because people don’t attend the meetings or watch them on public access television (after all, who can blame you). With me, that is going to change.

Mount Clemens has suffered from enrollment drops in recent years. Students are finding that there is simply more being offered in neighboring districts, our secondary education approach needs to be revolutionized, and brought up into the 21st century. This standard “run of the mill” approach to middle and high school environments simply doesn’t work, and drastic changes are needed to change this.

This is why, after persuading from my peers, I’m running for the Board of Education. Working together, we can achieve the results that parents, students and teachers have been asking for.

Election day is May 5th 2009; don’t forget to vote!

Please note that more items will be added to this website as I finalize my platform in other areas, so check back soon!