Steve “Hudson” Cotariu is an educator, veteran, and small business owner. With an MBA in finance from The Wharton School, Cotariu can understand the budget and help identify areas for improvement. He spent four years teaching physics at the college level and in his own business helps kids build confidence and communication skills while they learn magic. Cotariu spent 13 years in the Army. He knows how to get the job done and has the drive and discipline to do it.
There are two primary challenges facing the school district: budget shortfall and poor student performance. Only 55% of our elementary students are meeting standards in math or reading. State funding is based on enrollment, but only 1/3 of the eligible C-I students attend our schools. The rest either homeschool or attend other schools. Improving student performance will encourage parents to send their children back to C-I schools and go a long way toward addressing our budget shortfall.
The horse is already out of the barn and the budget has already been cut to barebones! The school district has been running an unsustainable budget for several years now, masked by COVID funding. In the short-run, a levy is probably necessary to keep the schools at a minimum performance level. Unless we start getting students back into the classroom, through better education in the basics, we will face more budget issues in the future.
Reading by third grade is the great equalizer in education. We need to continue to push the Little Miners and Little Rangers programs until every eligible child attends! This requires reducing or eliminating costs to the parents, especially for the lower income ranges. State and private company grants need to come into play here, given that we have no more room in our budget.
Current school board meetings lack meaningful interaction with teachers or parents. The school board needs to hold informal information sessions and conduct parent surveys regularly. The PTA should have easy access to the school board and serve as an additional conduit of information to the board.
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I currently have 4 children that attend ISD 182 and want to make sure our school is the best it can be for the students that attend. I want to build a trusted relationship between our school district, families, and community. Over my 15 years of living in this community I have been able to build meaningful relationships as a real estate lender and would look to continue to do this over the next several years.
My top three areas I would like to focus on is Financial Sustainability, Community Trust, and Student based decision making. I feel these three items are places our district can improve on and obtain more support as a result. With trust and support our district can thrive moving forward.
If we have to continue to make cuts, I am wanting to make sure all the cuts having to be made make the most sense for the students that attend our district, along with staff and other community stake holders. I also would like to instill a more collaborative effort in making sure we engage the students and community members of our district.
I would look to address these from a commonsense standpoint.
I engage with teachers and families as a coach, parent and volunteer within our school district at this time. I would not look to discontinue doing this if I am elected to our school board.
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First and foremost, I have kids currently enrolled in the district. I believe we need more board members who are in the schools regularly and interact with teachers and staff. I am a self-starter who wants to find solutions to problems and wants follow through and accountability. I see the need for fresh ideas and people to bring trust and transparency back to our school board. I am not one to stand on the sidelines, but someone who wants to be actively involved in finding solutions and innovating new ideas. I believe communication is key.
Declining enrollment, lack of funding/revenue, poor communication and transparency. Our community is full of innovators, I think we need to do a better job of bridging the gap between the school board and the community/school staff. I plan to hear ideas and not only listen but take action or give feedback. As an effective communicator, I plan to bring trust and accountability from the board. Change is going to take time, but if we do nothing - nothing changes.
From attending meetings, I know continued budget cuts are not going to fix the lack of funding from the state. We need to find other areas of revenue and also seek out ways to evolve as our education needs have changed post-covid. Parents want options and education is changing.
I think offering support and guidance for our administration and staff is key. For example, if we have a loose discipline policy that is not followed for all students - bias will happen. I think talking about issues or disparities and being open to hear all sides is important. Also, giving the teachers support to do what they are trained in - teaching. If they have support, they can create a welcoming classroom and get to know their students personally.
I will always strive to get direct feedback from those who will be affected the most by the decisions being made. In order to do this, one must remain active in and around the community and school. All too often decisions are made by people who are not going to be directly affected by that decision. Without speaking and getting feedback from those who will be implementing the new policies or procedures, we are doing our school and staff an injustice.
