Kevin Binkowski

Age: 48

Profession: Computer Information Systems Specialist III and Project Manager in Facilities IT Management at the University of Alabama at Birmingham

Have you ever held an elected office? No

Question: What are your top priorities you hope to accomplish if elected?

Answer: If elected, my top priority is to bring my 30-year career experience in technology and facilities management to the board. I am the only candidate who can bring this unique perspective and expertise to our local school system. The individual talents and experience of all board members, such as technology, facilities management, education and business, can combine to benefit the school system as a whole.

Technology is a driving force affecting the landscape our students will encounter upon graduation. To maintain our school system’s high level of excellence, it is important that the school board stay current in the technology offered to its students and teachers. I will work with other board members to develop plans and processes in order to keep technology up-to-date before the need arises.

In my career as a Computer Information Systems Specialist, I work in the day-to-day facilities management for the University of Alabama at Birmingham, not only for the campus, but also for UAB Hospital. I understand the importance of maintaining the buildings, systems and all of their components. Although we have new construction at the high school, we also have facilities issues to address in all of our city schools.

As a 40-plus year resident of Cullman and a graduate of the Cullman City School system, I have a strong desire to give back to the schools who provided so many opportunities to my family and myself. With no child in the system any longer, the time for me to serve is perfect. I am able to make informed and impartial decisions for the best of the system as a whole.

Q: What are the school system’s greatest challenges and how can the board overcome them?

A: Cullman consistently ranks as one of the best places to raise a family in Alabama. The Cullman Economic Development Agency and our city government officials work diligently to attract new businesses, which results in new families moving to Cullman. This is a wonderful advancement for the growth of our city, however that growth poses an ever-increasing challenge for the school system in terms of the facilities to serve our students in a more-than-adequate manner. It is also no secret that many out-of-district students seek admission to Cullman City Schools because of the excellence in education and extracurricular activities we offer.

I seek to bring my knowledge of facilities management to the board to help create solutions for the issues of space to benefit current and future students. Our school system has developed and implemented effective strategies for the near future and my goal as a board member is to continue building on that strong foundation. I believe it is our responsibility as school board members to plan 10, 20, even 50 years ahead to provide the technology, facilities and environment for our current and future generations of students to thrive.

Q: What are the top two aspects of the Cullman City Schools?

A: Our outstanding students are the most important aspect of Cullman City Schools. Their accomplishments are well-known and well-documented locally, statewide and nationally, not only academically but also on the field of competition and the halls of performance. Our students devote many long hours to study, practice, competition, performance and community service. They challenge themselves with AP, Pre-AP and advanced classes and earn higher than average ACT scores.

Most of our students also participate in extracurricular activities. They maintain the balance of athletics, band, drama, and clubs with their academic performance. Our extracurricular participants are ambassadors for our city, representing Cullman well in every game, match, competition or performance. They demonstrate good character, great integrity and excellent sportsmanship. It is our responsibility to provide these students with a safe and productive environment as well as the necessary tools and opportunities so they may continue to excel in reaching their highest potential.

Secondly, our teachers and administrators are an integral part of the success of Cullman City Schools. Our system is blessed with teachers and administrators who are selfless and truly care about each individual child. These professionals log countless hours by providing the best possible education and experience for each student.

They go far beyond the requirements of their respective job descriptions by furthering their own educations to earn advanced degrees, obtaining National Board Certifications and attending numerous workshops all so they may serve our students better. Our teachers and administrators take a personal interest in the needs of each student, knowing them and calling them by name.

Their influence on our students is exhibited in excellent academic performance and relatively few disciplinary issues. We are fortunate to have this group of selfless leaders in our schools and classrooms each day.

Q: What can the school board do to better ensure graduates have a career path forward, whether it’s attending college or professional trade?

A: The Cullman City School Board must provide the most up-to-date technology available to students and teachers in order for our students to be successful. Computers and technology will be a part of a daily life, whether our graduates continue to college or enter the work force. There are few professions or occupations which can thrive in today’s economy without the use of computers and technology. It is vitally important for the students of Cullman City Schools to continue to have access to iPads, computers and other forms of technology as part of our curriculum.

We must work to provide the best facilities possible and use the existing space to its best advantage. With our rate of current growth, we must make intelligent and informed decisions on the best way to handle the increasing demands on the system. Cullman will continue to grow and we must ensure that our local schools can handle the increased population without compromising the excellence in education for which we are so well-known.

Being mindful of securing funds and being good stewards of the money we receive from tax revenue and grants is also very important. We must consider not only the needs of academics, but also the needs of our numerous extracurricular activities.

Accomplishing these tasks and the other responsibilities of the board will require the combined efforts and expertise of each board member. To successfully manage this school system, it will require not just a single matter of education, business or technology, but rather the combined efforts of all board members who can bring a wide range of knowledge to the table.

Q: Transparency in Public office: In relation to the transparency to information, actions and proceeding of elected officials serving on governmental councilor boards or other, what is your intent for ensuring residents are served by open meetings, access to records and publishing of public, legal, notices in the most accessible medium for the largest number of residents/tax payers that serves the community you serve?

A: I will always be in favor of open meetings and ensuring the board complies with Alabama State Law with respect to the posting of meetings and the agenda of those meetings. The parents of our students and our citizens deserve no less.

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Chris Branham

Age: 40

Profession: Owner of Branham Truck Accessories LLC and Line – X of Cullman

Have you ever held an elected office? No.

Question: What are your top priorities you hope to accomplish if elected?

Answer: It is important that we produce well rounded students with real life skills that can be applied in a competitive work force. We are already on a successful path and we must offer every opportunity for success through AP classes, Fast Track, Dual Enrollment, Distance Learning and Wallace State. We have an abundance of resources available to us to prepare students for their future.

Q: What are the schools greatest challenges and how can the board overcome them?

A: Because our successful community is growing, it has put space constraints on our schools, especially at the elementary level. School leaders and community stakeholders will need to come together to determine the best plan in moving forward to address this, as well as the traffic flow around the schools.

Q: What are the top two aspects of the Cullman City Schools?

A: Our students and their families are certainly strengths for our system, as they are fully invested. However, our faculty and staff at Cullman City Schools are second to none and we owe much success to quality in education. In addition, the school system benefits from strong partnerships with local businesses, city council and community development.

Q: What can the school board do to better ensure that graduates have a career path forward, whether it is attending college or professional trade?

A: As a business owner, I recognize the need for all types of skills needed, from hands-on vocational trades to college professions. I believe in offering students the tools and environment where they can learn and develop in their chosen areas of interest and at their own speed of achievement. There is no limit when a child’s natural gifts are developed to their greatest potential.

Transparency in Public office: In relation to the transparency to information, actions and proceeding of elected officials serving on governmental councilor boards or other, what is your intent for ensuring residents are served by open meetings, access to records and publishing of public, legal, notices in the most accessible medium for the largest number of residents/tax payers that serves the community you serve?

A: I believe in transparency and intend to follow the letter and intent of the law as an elected official. In addition, I plan to keep the community well-informed through the media and stakeholder meetings. I value input from the community.

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Susan Martin Hauk

Age: 60

Profession: Mental Health Therapist with the University of Alabama School of Social Work – Youth Services

Have you ever held an elected office? No.

Question: What are your top priorities you hope to accomplish if elected?

Answer: If elected, I want to the Board to carefully look at all Cullman City School programs, academic and extracurricular, to ensure that each student is provided with continuous opportunities to help them explore his/her future possibilities. It is important that we help them discern their interests and aptitudes through all grades, exposing them to our business and industry communities in earlier grades, and then in later grades provide them opportunities to be involved in relevant classes, training programs, and extracurricular activities that fit those needs.

This means we need to think creatively about all of our school programs, both traditional academic courses and those geared toward technical and professional skills training. Of course ensuring adequate funding for such broad-based programming would need to be a priority so that all programs at all grade levels, and students receive equal attention and adequate funding.

Q: What are the school system’s greatest challenges and how can the board overcome them?

A: A major challenge the Board faces is the need to provide adequate learning facilities to meet the growing number of students enrolling in our system. This is not a recently identified concern but one that has grown more immediate. For several years I have been hearing citizens offer “solutions” to this problem, but the suggestions I’ve heard seem rather short-sighted.

The Board will need to develop a comprehensive plan to accommodate our immediate student growth but at the same time plan for the on-going growth of our community that will inevitably lead to continued student population growth. As this is done we need to keep in mind the revenue stream provided by our out-of-district students so that we don’t jeopardize a steady source of needed income.

I also feel we need to carefully evaluate our course offerings at the high school level. We need to provide sufficient arts-related opportunities along with the regular academic curriculum, and we need to explore avenues for offering our students who are more technically inclined with adequate course offerings to develop skills that will prepare them for entrance into the workforce. I also feel our school system needs to develop an equitable and adequate funding plan for all of our athletic programs, regardless or sport or gender, to ease the burden on parents and the booster clubs.

Q: What are the top two aspects of the Cullman City Schools?

A: Cullman City Schools has many outstanding faculty members at all our schools, bringing about a strong academic standard in our state. We have also been blessed with visionary leaders who try to listen to parents and students to help all achieve their goals, but also seem to support their teachers, ensuring positive work environments that will engender loyalty to and pride in the system as a whole.

The Cullman City School System has also benefitted from the strong support it has fostered with the City of Cullman, community leaders, businesses and its parents. I feel this good will can be expanded by strengthening current stakeholder relationships and building new ones. We are in a prime position to expand the role of the business and industry communities in partnering with our schools to advance the opportunities we can offer our students.

Q: What can the school board do to better ensure that graduates have a career path forward, whether it is attending college or professional trade?

A: The City School System has, to varying degrees over the years, partnered with Wallace State Community College and the Cullman County Career Center to offer our students creative ways to explore and advance their career options, but I think we can broaden and strengthen these relationships in all areas (academics, arts, technical training programs).

I would also like to see the City School System develop partnerships with Cullman’s successful industries to provide more technically oriented students “on the job” opportunities, similar to the distributive education and co-op learning programs of the past.

We have developed a healthy Advanced Placement program for those students who are interested in this purely academic path, but we must also meet the interests and needs of students who are not and do not want to be AP students as well as those more inclined toward careers in the arts, technical and skilled training fields.

Transparency in Public office: In relation to the transparency to information, actions and proceeding of elected officials serving on governmental councilor boards or other, what is your intent for ensuring residents are served by open meetings, access to records and publishing of public, legal, notices in the most accessible medium for the largest number of residents/tax payers that serves the community you serve?

A: Transparency is crucial to ensure the public is always made aware of the actions of the Board. Such transparency will help alleviate misunderstandings, misinformation, and suspicion, while promoting the feeling of involvement opportunities for the whole community. I feel it is important to use all available media outlets (newspapers, social media, radio) to ensure all meetings are publicized as early as possible, and, other than Executive Sessions, open to anyone who wishes to attend.

Granted, some “called meetings” occur on an ‘as needed’ basis, but by using social media outlets a large number of Cullman citizens can be notified quickly that a meeting has been called. Additionally, each school uses a number of ways to transmit communications to parents. Why couldn’t these also be used to communicate to parents notices of Board meetings? Of course, public records are always available upon request.