ANNE ENGELHARDT

My name is Anne Engelhardt. I am very passionate about literacy and preparing our children for the future. I believe that our current curriculum in the elementary schools is not empowering our students to do their best. This is why we see poor testing scores and a low graduation rate. While living in Chicago for six years, I was involved with a school that has a high college success rate. I would like to incorporate some of their proven methods.

I grew up in Indianapolis and have lived in Avon since 2000. I am currently on the PTO board serving as treasurer and on the board for the Beacon of Hope Center for Women. My husband, Tim, and I have three children in Avon schools. I also have two grown children.

I have other concerns and ideas that I would like to share with you. These include the use of your taxes, teacher/student ratio, and teacher support. Please visit my website at www.avonedu.org to learn more.

I am asking that you please give me an opportunity to lead our school system to a level of excellence.

TRACI A KALISH

As I spend time in our classrooms, or walk down the hallways of our schools and hear the chattering voices of our children, it becomes a constant reminder of my passion for education. My name is Traci Kalish. I have been a resident in Avon for six years. My family moved here from Georgia, to begin a family business. I have been married to my husband Todd, for thirteen years. We have two boys, Tek and Briggs. Tek is in the fourth grade and Briggs is in the first grade. Our family is in the adoption process, and currently awaits a little girl, named Hatton from China.

I come from a family of educators. I have been blessed to have the opportunity to truly experience what is going on in Avon schools. For a brief time, I was a full time employee for Avon High School, and PTO Math and Science Activities Director. Currently, I am an active substitute teacher in our schools, Executive President of PTO for our six elementary schools, and involved in the Avon Education Foundation.

Thomas Fuller once said, 'If you have knowledge, let others light their candle at it.' I ask that you allow me the opportunity to share what I have experienced first hand in our schools, and continue to seek ways that we can improve.

ToddKalish@msn.com

These are the bios of the two candidates running against the incumbents. Mrs. Kalish is hand picked by Lloyd Acton but does seem to have some good experience and ideas. Do either have the backbone to stand up for our kids and make better decisions with our tax dollars and growth decisions? Read what the new candidates have to say and then decide May 6th. Do you want four more years of the same thinking that gave you what we have in Avon now or do you want new ideas for our kids that might improve Avon and raise it to a high level we expect from our leadership? The choice is yours.
THIS IS NOT A POPULARITY CONTEST. This is about our kids, learning conditions, and wise use of our tax dollars. Good luck

quote:

"These are the bios of the two candidates running against the incumbents. Mrs. Kalish is hand picked by Lloyd Acton but does seem to have some good experience and ideas." and
"Mrs. Kalish is the hand picked successor to Lloyd Acton. Say no to our board handpicking it's successors." and "As you said, the clic is still alive and well and Mr. Acton has hand picked Tracie Kalish to be his successor. "and
"Hand picked successor according to the Flyer, Mrs. Kalish."

This is the quote from the The Flyer on February 13, 2008: Such a move appears unlikely, however, as Acton has indicated he will support newcomer candidate Traci Kalish, who currently serves as president of the Avon Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO).

“I’ve talked to Traci a number of times and I feel good about who she is,” Acton said. “She filed for candidacy the very first day. She didn’t wait in the wings and I have so much respect for that.”

"Disgusted" has made four separate posts indicating that Mrs. Kalish is handpicked by Mr. Acton stating his source as The Flyer

Not how I read it. Indicate he would support means handpicked??? Really.

Go ahead restate it for a 5th time.

The big clue you miss is in the line, I have talked to Tracie a number of times. Why would he need to do that a number of times if he knows who she is and what she stands for? If you know someone by who they are and what they do, why talk to them a number of times? It says HANDPICKED all over his statement. In the Flyer article, he was speaking as a sitting board member and letting every one in Avon know, she is my choice and I want her on the board because she thinks the way I do. Considering the boards track record in the last ten years in academics and finances, that would scare me to death if I were Mrs. Kalish. I hope she has new ideas for Avon and a new direction because our board is not going in the right one from our current financial and academic status currently. I guess you missed that part. It also boggles my mind why a lady who lives in Wayne is so concerned about defending our board and their decisions? You have your own serious problems you should be writing about from your IDOE information online. I would worry about Wayne Township if you go there or have kids in it. You have some serious spending and academic issues you could be trying to improve. You have to realize when Acton publicly supports someone, it strongly indicates they think the way he does or wont support them. Is there a part of that you don't understand, or being from Wayne, do you just not understand how Mr. Acton and his current colleagues think about wanting to keep the board at their current level of thinking?
Hope that helps you understand if you really want to understand. My guess is you just want to support the current members since they must be friends of yours. Stick to Wayne Township problems of which you have many or at least speak about what you know by living here.

quote:

Originally posted by Disgusted with our board:
The big clue you miss is in the line, I have talked to Tracie a number of times. Why would he need to do that a number of times if he knows who she is and what she stands for? If you know someone by who they are and what they do, why talk to them a number of times? It says HANDPICKED all over his statement. In the Flyer article, he was speaking as a sitting board member and letting every one in Avon know, she is my choice and I want her on the board because she thinks the way I do. Considering the boards track record in the last ten years in academics and finances, that would scare me to death if I were Mrs. Kalish. I hope she has new ideas for Avon and a new direction because our board is not going in the right one from our current financial and academic status currently. I guess you missed that part. It also boggles my mind why a lady who lives in Wayne is so concerned about defending our board and their decisions? You have your own serious problems you should be writing about from your IDOE information online. I would worry about Wayne Township if you go there or have kids in it. You have some serious spending and academic issues you could be trying to improve. You have to realize when Acton publicly supports someone, it strongly indicates they think the way he does or wont support them. Is there a part of that you don't understand, or being from Wayne, do you just not understand how Mr. Acton and his current colleagues think about wanting to keep the board at their current level of thinking?
Hope that helps you understand if you really want to understand. My guess is you just want to support the current members since they must be friends of yours. Stick to Wayne Township problems of which you have many or at least speak about what you know by living here.

Easy Trigger. Did I push the right button? Did I call you out on one of "your truths"? I thought you only presented facts and truths and never put your spin on anything. You've asked people on the message board to check things out and I did by re-reading and quoting your posts and then checking The Flyer archives.

I live right across the county line, work in Avon, have read your numerous letters to the editor in The Flyer and The Star , and attend a large church in Avon (there is your clue). I do have several friends that live in Avon. I'm also very concerned and active about issues in Wayne Township.

I still don't get "handpicked" If Mrs. Kalish is head of the PTO, I'm sure she has had many conversations with school board members. I also think Mrs. Kalish and Mr. Acton are both are active members of the community. Maybe he visits Chick-Fil-A often? Maybe the live in the same neighborhood? Maybe they are friends? Maybe they attend the same church? Who knows. The article also stated that Mr. Acton had his papers reading to file in case he changed his mind (which he didn't). That would mean running against his handpicked candidate. Stating you support a candidate does not mean you handpicked them.

Anna

I also think you read too much into Acton's statements. Are sitting board members not allowed to talk to people who aren't on the board? Especially those who are avtively involved in the schools? It seems to me that someone who does as much for the schools as she does has likely talked with all of the board members "several times."

I many of your letters and posts you complain that the board doesn't talk or listen to others. Now you're complaining because they do.

Maybe is just that maybe. If you knew Lloyd you would know his role in controlling Avon as he has for 28 years. His big mistake was publicly stating his support for Mrs. Kalish as a candidate and choosing her to succeed him. If he ran after that, he would have had to run against his publicly supported successor and Mr. Buckley and Woodward who he went to bat for when they ran for the board four years ago.
If you and others have been active in Wayne to improve your problems, seems like you have a bunch of hard heads in Wayne who control your schools just like we do.
It is also amazing that everytime one of the candidates up for election run they seem to be promoted to president so they can point to that office and impress the voters. What should be observed is what their leadership has done to Avon while in office. That is the critical issue.
As for Lloyd, it becomes even more apparent of handpicking when he ran to see whose signs were lined up together and whose signs are lined up now. All three handpicked candidates have their signs pretty much together. If Avon wants four more years of the same leadership they have had for the last twelve, then break out your wallets and expect more of the same problems. Birds of a feather flock.

I just read that Lloyd Acton who was given the Governor’s Distinguished Hoosier Award by State Senator Connie Lawson. For the love of God, I guess this means Governor Daniels and Senator Lawson are involved in the vast Avon school board clique conspiracy. When was "Disgusted" going to bring this information to the community board?

My prediction is that "Disgusted with our board" will reply with first telling me to stick to my own Wayne Twp. business and then proceed to repeat the same points he has made in 99% of his previous 40 some posts. And then maybe he will start a new topic today or tomorrow with more of the same information because of the little asides and diversions in the previous 5 threads he has started.

Sending some love from across the county line, CH

Actually he was also head of the School Boards Association and early on in Avon did some very good things for the town like being part of and helping to build the first Avon volunteer fire department. He and his colleagues problems are spelled out on most of my threads. I do congratulate his recognition as a public servant. It is a fine honor and well deserved.
However, I am still waiting for someone, anyone to elaborate on the issues Avon has as good leadership and caring for our kids and taxpayers. We are electing three people who will lead this system, either down the same path it has been following which has been spelled out on here, or towards change and away from what obviously is not working well for Avon.
The school board signs are aligned in Avon as I knew they would be, Buckley, Kalish and Woodward all little ducks in a row. What is very sad about this is about a year ago, Mrs. Kalish wanted to go home to Georgia and leave Avon. Then Mr. Acton and Mr. Buckley came to her and voila, now she wants to lead Avon to new heights and "Education is My Passion" is to be found on her signs. Wonder when the passion struck her and the desire to forsake Avon suddenly waned?
A week ago, I sent her an email asking her what ideas she had to improve testing scores, overcrowding, declining grad rates, and how did she plan on suggesting Avon could do a better job overseeing the expenditures of our tax dollars? A week later, no answers. Maybe like her cohorts, she thinks Avon is doing just fine the direction it is going. Or maybe as I suspect, she has no real solutions how to go about improving Avon or at the most is very limited in her ideas to do so.
Again my sincerest congratulations to Mr. Acton on his honor and recognition. He is a good Christian man. He just happens to be in the last ten years what I and two thousand other citizens who voted against him consider him to be, a board member who should have stepped down about a decade sooner than he chose to do.
Thanks for bringing his award to the board. I did not know of it and he does deserve to be recognized for his contributions to the state association and to Avon in it's developing years. Nice post. BTW it is always good to hear from the other side of the county line and we do appreciate your tax dollars and church contributions in Avon since you work and go to church here LOL. Seriously, nice post and thank you for bringing it up.

I think it's much more likely that she doesn't want to correspond with you because of your reputation for twisting the facts, harassing people, and practically stalking anyone who doesn't do everything you say.

Just a guess though ... I don't know her and so haven't discussed it with her.

Or it could be because she doesn't have answers As for stalking, Shame on You, Never stalk or harrass. Change is badly needed and I PUSH and PUSH HARD for it and pray for it. Those who can not see the obvious deserve disgust and derision for what they have done to this fine system. We have serious issues that need solutions. When it comes to my kids future I demand better. Why my oldest is going to a private school and my youngest will be also when she reaches a certain age if we do not get a board that will change their course.

And the voters have spoken again. Congratulations to Anne Engelhardt, Traci Kalish and Kim Woodward. I wish you nothing but the best and am confident that you'll do all you can for Avon's schools and students.