Dear Ferndale 115,

We have 4 children, ages preschool through 8th grade, and we have lived in the community for 15 years.  Our kids attend Ferndale Public Schools, and we are very invested in the school district.  The upcoming School Board election is important and affects all of us  - parents & students, residents, property owners, and community members.

We are supporting Kristy Stoll (mom of 2, parent at Kennedy Elementary) and Nan Kerr-Muller (mom of 2, parent at Roosevelt Primary).  We know all of the candidates, and are choosing to vote for Kristy & Nan because in addition to both being very involved in the schools & community, they are the only candidates that currently have students in the district and will continue to until 2024.

Their message is "Moving Forward Together" and we really value the positive word they are spreading about Ferndale schools, students & families.  There is a lot more information about them on their website: 

www.nanandkristyforschoolboard.com

Please consider voting for Kristy Stoll & Nan Kerr-Mueller, and regardless of your choice, please vote on Tuesday, May 4!

Warmly,

Molly Bascom-Keller & Dan Keller

I am supporting Nan Kerr-Mueller and Kristy Stoll for Ferndale school board because they continue to impress me with their energy, education, dedication and commitment to serve our district.  Having my peers serve on the Ferndale Board of Education is extremely important to me, because they more closely understand our current generations' needs, wants and expectations.


Jill Lamphier
Mother of 3, ages 5, 7 & 9

I am supporting Nan Kerr-Mueller and Kristy Stoll for Ferndale school board because they are committed to helping families stay in the district and assisting in insuring that there are programs for all children, including gifted and talented programs.

Robin Hanks

They bring enthusiasm, smarts and a wealth of energy and new connections to the board table.  I hope my Ferndale, Royal Oak Township, Pleasant Ridge and Oak Park neighbors will join me in voting for them on May 4th!

Thanks Crystal and Ferndale 115 for keeping us connected to one another!  You are a good neighbor!

Bridget Deegan-Krause

Vote for Kristy Stoll and Nan Kerr-Mueller for School Board

When my children were still preschool-age, we were at the park and I struck up a conversation with another mom whose kids had grown. “Where did they go to school?” I asked her. “Ferndale High,” she said. I must have made a face that indicated some concern, and she reassured me of their great experience at FHS. Then she said, emphatically, “It’s up to the parents. They have to work to make sure our schools are good.”

I am happy to know two parents who have stepped forward to take that challenge by running for two open positions on the Ferndale School Board. Nan Kerr-Mueller and Kristy Stoll are passionate and committed moms of elementary-age kids. They have wasted no time becoming involved in their sons’ schools, volunteering in the classroom, at parent-teacher meetings and at school events. Their contributions have benefited both their own kids as well as their classmates. As school board members, they can make a difference in the lives of kids throughout the district.

Kristy and Nan bring a lot of experience to the board: Kristy has an extensive business and marketing background, and Nan is an educator with tremendous experience and respect for the needs of our teachers, administrators, and staff. They both have their fingers on the pulse of this community and its concerns. I believe their connection to the families in our district is extremely important. Kristy and Nan are approachable and empathetic. They will listen and relate to all district concerns. Their circle of peers is far-reaching, from Ferndale to Pleasant Ridge, as well as Royal Oak Township and Oak Park. And it’s not just elementary-school families, but all families.

One of their priorities for the district is maintaining its financial stability. These are difficult times for schools as state and federal funding continues to decline. Keeping our district well financed and supporting its many outstanding programs is a top priority for Kristy and Nan. And of course it matters deeply to them, as their children would be directly affected by any cuts.

Nan and Kristy are also focused on such goals as improving district unity, involving more community volunteers, and getting teachers and support staff back under contracts. They don’t like to see families sending their kids to other school districts because they perceive a problem with Ferndale schools; Kristy and Nan want to work to keep our neighbor kids here. Also, they are interested in working to move the school district elections to November, to cut costs and to increase voter participation.

Another part of Nan and Kristy’s campaign that has impressed me is their interest in maintaining a dialogue about school district issues. They have told me how much they love talking with voters and hearing their concerns. Members of our community, with or without children, care about what the school board does. As board members, Kristy and Nan will strive for more transparency.

It has been so exciting to watch many community members come forward to endorse or recommend Nan and Kristy’s campaign: Mayor Craig Covey and Council members Scott Galloway and Melanie Piana; the Ferndale Education Association (the teachers union); Chris and Krista Johnston, owners of Woodward Avenue Brewers, the Emory and the Loving Touch, to name just a few. You can see a full list on Nan and Kristy’s web site: www.nanandkristyforschoolboard.com.

That conversation in the park has really stuck with me, as my three children have entered Ferndale schools and I’ve seen firsthand what a difference parent involvement can make. Nan and Kristy are ready to make a difference for the whole district, and they are in it for the long haul. Their kids are on track to go to Ferndale schools through the year 2024. They are simply asking for the same opportunity their opponents have had, to serve while their children are enrolled in the schools.

Some say this is not the time for change on the board, but is there ever a “right” time to run for office? Schools are constantly facing new and serious challenges. Kristy and Nan are ready to take on today’s challenges, those affecting their children and all others enrolled in our schools or considering our district.

Please vote on Tuesday, May 4, for Nan Kerr-Mueller and Kristy Stoll.

-Amy Butters

Dear community members, 

My husband Dale and I are huge fans of Ferndale Schools and currently have children at the elementary, middle school, and high school level.  Our children have had an amazing education here within a tremendously supportive community.  When we wanted more space, we would not even consider moving outside the district, and instead added on to our home in Ferndale.  We have  been actively involved both with our childrens' activities (mostly musical, but also in scouting and sports) and with wider district efforts such as the Fine Arts Boosters and the Diversity Committee.  While I've been pleased about my childrens' education thus far, I have to admit that I've had concerns about the future.  These concerns have turned into excitement with the candidacy of Nan Kerr-Mueller and Kristy Stoll.  I know that many of you, as I do, applaud the work of our current Board of Education.  We are familiar with the work they have done, Chuck Moeser for now 20 years, over a span of time in which there were many challenges for our schools. 

I appreciate that Nan and Kristy have been not only respectful of their predecessors but also want to fight to preserve and to build upon the strengths of our District, most notably the fiscal responsibility that has been demonstrated, its diversity which has been celebrated, and the unceasing support of fine arts programs as well as the other opportunities with sports and clubs that we should never take for granted in a world where the importance of such programs have been easily dismissed. 

So if things are good, why make a change?  My response would be that we can preserve what's great and keep getting better; anyone who says otherwise is selling this community short.

What's different about Nan and Kristy is that they bring fresh voices and perspectives to conversations and decisions about our schools.  They were motivated to answer a call from Superintendent Gary Meier to grow new leaders within the district.  I am firmly convinced that one reason their campaign has been so successful is that many parents and district residents feel they have not had a voice in decision making.  Our Board of Education has representation mainly from those whose children are either graduated or soon to graduate, with only one member currently with elementary aged children.  One of the most positive aspects of our district is the involvement of parents, particularly at the middle and high school levels, but we all know that this involvement begins at the elementary level.  Both Nan and Kristy have elementary aged children; Nan is a parent at Roosevelt and Kristy at Kennedy.  They understand that parents entering our schools now are long past the restructuring process and their needs and feelings can be very different than those whose children attended neighborhood schools, or who went through the time of transition. 

Further, Nan and Kristy have worked to reach out to parts of our community that are underrepresented on District committees.  These women have a longterm investment in the district and a very forward-looking focus.  They are also focused on outreach, transparency, and improving unity; our district cannot thrive if we don't work together to promote our schools and to keep our local families coming to Ferndale Schools.  Negativity and division will never accomplish this goal.  This is a primary concern for my family.  It is our job to make sure that my youngest child has the same opportunities as her older sisters.  Recently, I learned from a friend that hers are the only children attending Ferndale Public Schools in a block that has 40 children.  While I know that we cannot convince every family of the educational opportunities here, it does seem that we could do better in reaching out to those families - and much of that must come from a unifed community of parents.  

In addition to their enthusiasm and positive outlook, these women bring credentials and commitment - Kristy has an extensive business and marketing background, and Nan is an educator with tremendous experience and respect for the needs of our teachers, administrators, and staff.  They have received endorsements from many community leaders as well as our educators' union.

I hope that you will consider bringing Nan Kerr-Mueller and Kristy Stoll on board to The Board; I strongly believe they will bring a positive, future-oriented viewpoint along with intelligence and commitment.

Sincerely,
Carissa Gaden

Dear Readers,

I am writing to express my support of and confidence in Nan Kerr-Mueller and Kristy Stoll for the Ferndale Public School Board of Trustee seats.

In the current election, a number of issues involving our schools have been brought to the debate table. But for me, none are as important as school financing.

Schools today are facing extremely difficult financial circumstances. State and federal funds continue to decline, as education standards and mandates continue to rise. Educators are constantly asking themselves, “How do we pay for this?”

I’m proud to say the Ferndale Public Schools have been navigating these stormy waters well. Through innovative revenue-generating plans such as opening new schools like University High School and selling our services to other districts, they have been able to manage the gap. But until the economy turns around, this is going to be no easy job.

As a parent of two children in the Ferndale Public Schools, I regularly lose sleep over these issues. To know my history is to understand why.

In 1981, my childhood school district, the Alpena Public Schools, became one of the first in the nation to go bankrupt, shut its doors and send its entire student body home indefinitely.

Kids usually count the days until vacation, but this was no vacation for us. On that October day something we took for granted and deep down loved, was stripped out from under us by adults who didn’t see a value in funding our education.

I remember the “Black Friday” arm bands we wore in protest, the “For Sale” signs in our high school lawn, my friends’ older siblings being interviewed by Good Morning America and the names of every school board member who refused to fight for us. I remember the tears and disbelief.

Several weeks later the district passed a bare-bones millage that sent us back to school, but with virtually nothing. No buses, no sports, no arts, no music, no afterschool activities, packed classes and fewer class hours.

Nearly 30 years later, I still have difficulty discussing this time in my life. It profoundly affected me, my family, my classmates and my community. It shaped my career choices and activism path. (My husband and I are committed Ferndale School District  volunteers contributing our time to the Ferndale Education Foundation, Ferndale District Ambassadors, Superintendent’s Advisory Council and PTA, to name a few.)

Because of the importance of school financing it has been suggested that this is an inappropriate time for challengers to run for a seat. I disagree.

While I truly appreciate the work of our current board, I am confident it can handle new faces, especially two who are passionate, smart and have a vested interest in the district since their children are currently enrolled.

With confidence I will be voting for Nan Kerr-Mueller and Kristy Stoll on Tuesday May 4th. I absolutely believe these women share my concerns about school financing. I could not endorse them if I did not feel completely comfortable in their understanding of the issues.  Kristy has a strong business background she will use to thoroughly analysis our finances and look for ways to save and generate new revenues to keep our outstanding programs in place. And Nan brings an expertise in grants to constantly search for new dollars to fund additional programs. These talents are reassuring to me.

But most reassuring is the fact that what happens in our schools will directly affect their children. Unlike their opponents who watched their children successfully graduate from our district, Nan and Kristy still eat, sleep and breathe these experiences daily.

 I know in my heart the incumbents also feel extremely passionate about our district. They are committed citizens and I will be forever indebted to their work. My vote Tuesday will not be against them, but rather for a new generation to follow in their lead and serve while their children are attending the schools.

With confidence and for more reasons than I have room to write, I’m endorsing Nan Kerr-Mueller and Kristy Stoll and I’m hoping many of you will do the same.

Please vote Tuesday,

Gigi VanderWeele

With many thanks to Chuck Moeser and Carol Frederick for their hard work, I'm supporting Nan Kerr-Mueller and Kristy Stoll in next week's election for Board of Education.  Nan and Kristy will bring strong skills in financial analysis and grant management along with a genuine commitment to enhancing the accountability of the school district and the diversity of the school board's representation--generational, geographic and socio-economic.
Kevin Deegan-Krause, Ferndale