The News-Herald

Election Questionnaire

Date questionnaire completed:

9/20/13

Office sought: Mayfield School Board

Political Party: Independent Name: George J. Hughes Age: 79 Date of Birth: 3/7/34 Place of birth: New Orleans, Louisiana Home Address: 931 Aintree Park Drive, Mayfield Village, OH 44143 Length of residence in that community: 16 years Twitter: No Facebook: No Campaign web site: No Occupation: Retired (former Police Chief of Gates Mills, OH 1973-1997) Elected office experience: Sixteen years as a member of the Mayfield School Board First elected in 1997 and re-elected in 2001, 2005, and 2009 Non-elected office experience: Chairman of the Suburban Police Anti-Crime Network 1985-1997 Member of the Board of Trustees for the Cuyahoga County Critical Incident Debriefing Organization 1993-1997 Mayfield Alliance executive committee member 2011-2013 Education: Fortier High School in New Orleans, La. 1951 Loyola University of New Orleans 1969 Bachelor of Arts Degree with a Major in Criminology and a Minor in Psychology Marital status: Divorced Name and age of Children: Daughter Sue age 52 and son Patrick age 43, both Mayfield Graduates Organizations: International Association of Chiefs of Police, Mayfield Alliance, Hillcrest Rotary Sunrise, Ohio School Board Association, National School Board Association. Should you be elected, what are the three specific areas youd like to change, address, improve or further research and how specifically would you go about it: First I would like to improve the achievement of all students, especially those having difficulty reaching an acceptable educational level. This can be accomplished by working with the other Board Members, Superintendent and Treasurer in both formulating policies that foster that as well as empowering the teachers through appropriate staff development while conforming to the State mandates. Second I would like to continue to enhance our security both in the school buildings, the sports facilities and playgrounds, and the transportation vehicles. This can be accomplished by working with the other Board Members, Superintendent and Treasurer to provide appropriate policies and funding for specialized equipment, specialized training for staff and students, and continuing the important relationships with the four communities emergency services. Third I would like to enhance the Career Technical Education Programs (Excel TECC) by providing opportunities for more students to participate by expanding the programs where there is a waiting list and adding new courses that are related to careers that are becoming available. This can be accomplished by working with the other Board Members, Superintendent and Treasurer, to provide policies and funding to determine where space would be available or create new space for additional students in offered courses and for new courses that would enhance student success in a chosen field.

Whether for past accomplishments or future goals, why should voters elect you? It is not just about electing me, but all three of the incumbents because this may not be a good time to make changes in the Board. There are a myriad of changes being mandated for public education. These being the New Ohio State Standards for curriculum that includes Science and Social Studies as well as the Common Core for Mathematics and Language Arts. Then there are the new Teacher Evaluations and Principal Evaluations that require a more rigorous look and that include student achievement as a measure. The current Board has just recently hired a new Superintendent who thus far has made a seamless transition, but is still learning the culture of Mayfield. To keep in step with the evaluations described above the Board has just implemented new Superintendent and Treasurer Evaluations as well as a Board self evaluation instrument. I and the other two incumbents have spent many hours learning about all of the above, by attending seminars, reading printed and on-line materials and having in-depth meetings with each other and the Superintendent and Treasurer to assure that we are all on the same page as we move forward. The District is further impacted by the new State rating system which has been changed and upgraded to include more factors as well as requiring a greater percentage of successful students, which is a good thing. The incumbent Board Members have been indoctrinated in the specifics of what changes are needed and we are in the process, with the Superintendent and Treasurer, to put the necessary policies and procedures in place to accomplish a successful result for our students and the District. During my sixteen year tenure on the Board there probably has not been another time where there were so many major critical changes happening at the same time that makes the continuity of the Board so important. In spite of it all this Board has been fiscally responsible approving cuts totaling $3.75 million in the last four years, allowing the current levy to last for at least four years instead of the traditional 3 years; negotiated a new four-year contract with all of the unions; and making sure that all positions being filled were carefully evaluated for their need. For me personally, in addition to my sixteen years on the Board where I have served as either President or Vice-President for 10 years, I have also been a 41 year volunteer in the schools in various capacities, and supported and worked on many levy campaigns. I believe that continuity has been helpful for me to understand the culture of the District. It is only through the commitment and generosity of the residents and businesses that the District has been able to keep pace with the necessary renovations and enhanced educational opportunities for the students. I look forward to serving the District for another four years as a Board Member and in any other way possible beyond that.