Meet Saline Board of Education Candidate Matt Shoemaker

Saline Area Schools voters will elect four Board of Education members on Nov. 3: three four-year seats with no incumbents, and one two-year seat.

Running for the four-year seats are Carl Spina, Afifa Corrigan, Christy Lillie, Matt Shoemaker and Andrea S. Roe. Running for the two-year seat are Charlie Hirst, incumbent Tim Austin and Deandre J. Calbert.

In this article, Matt Shoemaker responds to the same questions so voters can compare their views.

Name: Matt Shoemaker

Biography

• My wife and I have 4 kids, 11 years old and younger in the Saline School District
• Graduated from Eastern Michigan University, played baseball there as well
• I am on the Champion Advisory Board for EMU
• Member of the EMU Hall of Fame
• Played professional baseball for 16 years, 10 years in the majors
• Player representative for almost a decade for the MLBPA (players association)
• Substitute teacher for 3 years
• Very involved in the community and with youth sports
• Coach youth baseball, basketball, football, and soccer

Why do you want to be on the board of education?

I have four young children in this school district. My wife and I want to make sure our our children have a great place to grow up, as well as gaining a great education. I want our city to thrive. I want our schools to thrive, I want our community and kids to thrive. I’m running for School Board to support our teachers and staff, expand opportunities for our students, and help every kid succeed - in school, on the field, and in life. Students do their best when they feel supported, when they're heard, and when they're given the opportunity to succeed. I want to make sure every student leaves Saline prepared to succeed in whatever comes next.

Why should voters elect you?

My absolute main concern is the students. Everything we do should go to the advancement and achievement of our students. I’ve learned great teams succeed when people are supported, everyone has a voice, and you work toward something bigger than yourself. When my wife and I chose where to raise our four kids, we came home to Michigan and chose Saline because of its schools and community. Now, I want to give back. My education and career have given me a great deal of experience in a wide range of topics. I graduated from Eastern Michigan University and then went on to play in the MLB. I was a substitute teacher for 3 years. For my career as a professional baseball player, I worked extensively with the union and in CBA negotiations (collective bargaining). I was our direct player representative for almost a decade, so that knowledge and experience will only help foster future teacher and administrative relationships, as well as encourage successful negotiations with the common goal of helping our students thrive.

At the district level, what are the three issues you care about most?
What changes would you like to see in these areas?

I want to make sure our students are our number one priority. I want to expand opportunities for our students, and help every kid succeed in school, on the playing field, on the stage, and in life, wherever that may take them.

I want to support our teachers and staff and want them to know their experience matters and their voices are heard and respected. When the administration and teachers are working together, in unison, the district is flourishing, and more importantly the students are thriving. When/if there is dissension, there can be division, and the students are often the ones who inadvertently suffer. It will always be important to make sure teachers and support staff have proper funding and resources in order to do their job effectively and efficiently to maximize the learning potential of each student.

I want to make sports and extracurriculars accessible to every student. As briefly mentioned in an earlier answer, baseball, other sports, and substitute teaching really taught me that great teams succeed when people are supported, everyone has a voice, and you work toward something bigger than yourself. This is such an amazing life skill that everyone can improve on.

How would you describe the current state of Saline Area Schools?

I am very excited about the current state of Saline Area Schools, and I believe it's only going to get better. I believe we are on the upward trajectory of greatness once again. Our student enrollment has been declining over the last five years, so the goal is to get enrollment back up. I've talked with several people in the community, and people have said as we continue to get our academics and athletics stronger, Saline can be a powerhouse across the board once again. It starts with recognizing greatness and achievement do not always look the same for every student. Our responsibility is to make sure every student leaves Saline prepared to succeed in whatever comes next. Doing that requires both high expectations and multiple opportunities to reach them. Saline’s new strategic plan takes an important step in that direction by recognizing multiple pathways to graduation and success. For one student, achievement may mean earning admission to a highly competitive university. For another, it may mean completing a career or technical education program, beginning an apprenticeship, entering the skilled trades, joining the military, or moving directly into a career. Same with athletics and extracurriculars. Giving students all the resources and facilities we can will only open doors for them.

Hypothetical: The district learns it will have a one-time $10 million
fund to spend. What are your priorities for spending it?

The number one focus should always be keeping money in the classroom to directly help student achievement. We should always be providing necessary upgrades and tools to create a more productive learning experience across the board. After that, when we have extra funds, I love the idea of building/creating a state of the art sports/athletics/extracurricular facility. The budget and extra funds should also help provide top tier resources and facilities for athletics and extracurricular activities. Given our seasonal changes, it would be highly beneficial to have an indoor facility that would allow for year round practices and competition. Once again, talking with many people in the community, I was told we were almost there previously with a project like this. This would also be a benefit to the budget because it could be rented out when otherwise not in use by the district. Both of these will directly and positively help student enrollment.

There’s a tough issue. It’s become clear that your opinion does not
match public opinion. When it comes down to it, do you stick to your
guns or vote in line with the public?

I think it is great when there are differing opinions. More work often gets done as a result. You have to have tough conversations, and that is why there are seven people on the board, not one. The board is seven people, one voice. Being an effective board member requires learning where the board’s responsibilities begin and end, understanding district policies and finances, and recognizing that no individual board member has authority on their own. On tough issues, we have to have tough conversations. Hopefully the board always votes unanimously, but that isn't always the case. When great discussions take place, there will often be times of unanimous votes, but most likely not every time. With that being said, we have to be open to our opinion changing, based on facts, good discussion, and ultimately what is best for the students. That change in opinion will sometimes happen, and sometimes you will stick to your guns. Seven individuals will inevitably disagree at times. That’s not a problem; it is just simply part of good governance. The important thing is how we handle those disagreements. We need to challenge ideas without attacking people, listen before reaching conclusions, and remember that once a decision is made, we still have to work together. A successful board isn’t seven individuals pursuing separate agendas. It’s a team focused on doing what is best for Saline students.

More News from Saline

• Meet Saline Board of Education Candidate Afifa Corrigan In this article, Afifa Corrigan responds to the same questions so voters can compare their views.
• Meet Saline Board of Education Candidate Christy Lillie In this article, Christy Lillie responds to the same questions so voters can compare their views.