Editor's Note: Third in a series of profiles of Traverse City Area Public Schools Board of Education candidates. Read the entire series in our election section at record-eagle.com/election.
TRAVERSE CITY -- Julie Davis is frustrated when people don't show up to public meetings.
Airing them on public-access television is a good alternative, she said, but even then they're limited to cable subscribers. Something more needs to be done.
If elected Nov. 3 to Traverse City's school board, Davis, 43, wants to experiment with online video streaming because "cable isn't always an option" for the district's widespread population.
"I never wanted to be one of those people," said Davis, an account clerk with Grand Traverse County's public works department, of inactive citizens. "I want to be involved."
Davis is running for one of two, four-year terms against incumbent Suzann Brooke and challengers Kelly Hall, Mary Ufford Manner and Julie Puckett.
Her daughter is in sixth grade at East Middle School. As such, she has a vested interest in district operations.
Michigan's financial health, and how it affects local schools, is the primary issue the district faces this election season, Davis said. She cited her accounting background as key to understanding balanced budgets and cutbacks.
The district must develop a long-term plan about what programs and services it will maintain as it deals with dropping enrollment and funding uncertainty from Lansing, she said.
The best cutback ideas won't involve direct classroom instruction -- possibly conserving energy or sending electronic handouts -- and will span multiple years, she said.
"It's just deciding what's most important," Davis said. "You need to have a stopping point at the other end."
But, she added, that will require administrators and board members to examine the types of programs offered so they can stem enrollment slides, as well as find ways to fund new programs like elementary foreign language.
Board members also act as "the liaison between the public and the administration," and as such have to practice oversight of the superintendent and his team, Davis said.
That doesn't just mean finances, she added, referring to discontent among teachers regarding negotiations.
Ultimately, she said, as a board member she would encourage her counterparts to vote based on their individual thoughts instead of trying to achieve unanimity.
"It's OK if there's some dissent," Davis said. "Every person on the board has a different perspective. I think they need to voice that."
About the candidate
Name: Julie Davis
Age: 43
Residence: Traverse City
Education: Graduated from St. Joseph High School in 1984; studied accounting at Grand Valley State University
Work: Account clerk for Grand Traverse County's public works department
Family: Husband Walt, 43; daughter Bryn, 11, sixth-grader at East Middle School
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