Surrounded by about 20 supporters, Cheryl Catlin yesterday announced her candidacy for the Toledo Board of Education, calling herself the candidate for education reform.
Currently, too many children in the Toledo Public Schools are being underserved, Ms. Catlin said yesterday at the Kent branch of the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library.
With a focus on math, science, and technology fields, national reports predict that 70 percent of the jobs of tomorrow will require postsecondary education.
Ms. Catlin, a graphic and Web designer, has been critical in past years of the district s performance and test scores, especially among its African-American students.
Yesterday, she said 58 percent of all African-American children in the system last year attended a school with a D or F rating from the state.
She is a member of several community groups, including the Urban Coalition and the African American Parents Association, which have been critical of the district s performance, discipline policies, and minority hiring.
Ms. Catlin said she has an eight-point plan that will be explained in the weeks leading up to the Nov. 6 election. Among her ideas are to provide a quality education for each community school to ensure equality, and eliminate excessive punitive disciplinary measure.
Asked if her own children attended a Toledo Public school, Ms. Catlin said her son went to Maumee Valley Country Day School through the eighth grade and will begin at St. John s Jesuit High School in the fall.
She said the TPS schools that he would have attended which would now be Scott High School are failing and not good enough.
Two seats on the board are up for grabs in November. Four others also have declared their candidacy for the board:
wRichard Brown III, a staff auditor for Toledo City Council overseeing the city s sewer overhaul project.
wHarold Mosley, a 27-year Toledo police veteran, currently assigned to the department s special victims unit.
wChris Myers, a University of Michigan Web master who unsuccessfully ran for the board in November, 2005.
wLisa Sobecki, president of the Ottawa River Elementary Parent-Teacher Organization, chairman of the district s Parent Congress, and a member of the Point Place Educational Task Force.
The Lucas County Democratic Party already has endorsed Mr. Brown and Ms. Sobecki. Ms. Catlin also is a Democrat and was a precinct chairman. Mr. Myers is a Republican.
Current board member Darlene Fisher attended Ms. Catlin s news conference and said she would make a good board member.
I think she is going to heighten some of the quality issues we have, Ms. Fisher said. She will put out some ideas the district should really look at.
Contact Ignazio Messina at: imessina@theblade.com or 419-724-6171.
First Published August 2, 2007, 11:14 a.m.