Elections 2011: Dana Appel is Running for Revere School Board

As part of our 2011 election coverage, Fairlawn-Bath Patch will provide profiles of each of the candidates running for office. These profiles will offer biographical and issue-oriented details about each of the candidates to help you, the voter, make more informed decisions at the ballot box.

Watch Appel and other Revere candidates speak at Richfield Candidates Night

Name:

Age: 50

Political Affiliation: Non-partisan race

(According to the Summit County Board of Elections, Appel is registered Republican)

Occupation: Business Manager, G. Michael Appel, DDS, LLC

Office Sought: Revere Board of Education

Previous Offices Sought or Held: None

Candidate statement:

As a Revere parent, I have a unique perspective. The first of my four children entered kindergarten at Hillcrest in 1993, back when the building was under construction and many classes were being held in temporary trailers. He and his two eldest sisters are now in college and graduate school. In 2008, we started the process all over again when my youngest child entered kindergarten. She is now a third grader.

Through the years, I have volunteered in offices and classrooms and worked at fundraisers and school events. I have been privileged to work beside many dedicated teachers, building principals and support staff.  Most recently, as a member of the community group CHIPS, I have spent countless hours observing school board meetings and work sessions. Always, I have been impressed with the preparedness and professionalism of Revere’s administrative team.

Revere, like all school districts in Ohio, faces challenges in the coming years. As our state legislators attempt to get our $8 billion budget deficit under control, districts like Revere will almost certainly see a reduction in funding. Taxpayers, who rallied around our teachers and passed an operating levy in May, cannot be expected to pass an endless stream of levies.

Our community, under the leadership of a principled Board of Education working with a strong and supported superintendent, must find ways to maintain the excellence we have come to expect at Revere while keeping costs under control. Several years ago, under superintendent Jon Ritchie, the board established a strategic plan that seems to have been abandoned with the turnover in leadership. As a board member, I would advocate revisiting that plan, evaluating the district’s progress, and updating it as a first step toward responsible fiscal management.

Finally, I would like to state that I am very pleased with the slate of candidates for the Board of Education. Every candidate has the ability to provide the district with capable leadership. For this reason, I am very optimistic about the future of Revere.