Ohio State Board of Education District 11 Candidates: Beverly A. Goldstein, Mary Rose Oakar

State Board of Education District 11 covers the Cleveland region, including northern and central Cuyahoga County and northwestern Lake County.

Incumbent Mary Rose Oakar, a former Congressional representative and state representative, faces former teacher Beverly A. Goldstein.

To create this voters guide, StateImpact Ohio posed a set of questions to every state Board of Education candidate. We sent the same survey to every state Board of Education candidate. Candidate responses were limited to 200 words.

[View Full Ohio State Board of Education Voters Guide - All Districts]

	Beverly A. Goldstein	Mary Rose Oakar
	Courtesy of Beverly A. Goldstein	Courtesy of Mary Rose Oakar
Age	64	72
Campaign website	View	–
Social media accounts	Facebook, Twitter	–
Education	BA Michigan State U, 1968, French, Speech and Hearing, Education; MA Michigan State U, 1972, audiology, speech pathology; Ph.D. Kent State U 1982, audiology, speech pathology, rehabilitation	M.A. John Carroll U.5 Hon. Doctorate degrees.
Experience	My education-related accomplishments include • minoring in K-12 education, • student teaching in Michigan, and • teaching in the Dept. of Defense overseas school system. • former special education consultant to school systems, • former vice president of the Beachwood Schools Foundation Board, • received 5 personal State of Ohio Awards, and accepted a 2009 Beachwood Schools Foundation national law-enforcement-agency award for a national security program which I implemented at BHS in 2008.For the past six years, along with other patriotic Americans throughout the country, I have been researching content problems in US social studies textbooks and I published an article about this problem in 2009.	Served in Cleve. City Council, 16 yrs. in U.S. Congress, and the State Legislature,; I am an educator: taught at East High, Lourdes Academy, Cuyahoga Community College,, Cleve. State and Ursuline College
Which party are you a registered member of?	This is an inappropriate question. Voters can research this, but the race is non-partisan. [Public records indicate Goldstein is currently registered as a Republican.]	Democratic
	Beverly A. Goldstein	Mary Rose Oakar
Why are you running for state Board of Education?	Cleveland schools are at a “make or break” moment. Their representative on the SBOE must take an active role in representing Cleveland students regardless of passage of the CMSD levy. My goal is not only to help Ohio become a national leader in education, but to represent my district’s unique needs.  I will work towards developing more opportunities for children in our district for a better education and improvement in future success.Improve OH social studies curriculum: 1. Require on-going study of our founders/founding documents 2. Require continuous focus on American and Ohio exceptionalism 3. Correct inaccurate history in current social studies textbooks 4. Transition to virtual tablets & textbooks for every student 5. Strongly support school choice, e.g. home schooling; strengthening charter school credentialing and accountability to ensure charter schools are teaching students to abide by US and Ohio laws, and not laws of international bodies or specific religions 6. Identify how we might better meet the needs of home-school educators and students 7. Augment HS college prep & vocational education by better alignment with Ohio’s emerging industries 8. Place gifted children in separate (test into) regional facilities with ability-based curricula 9. Improve placement strategies for children with special needs	To ensure a quality education for all students whether they are special needs, gifted or average.
	Beverly A. Goldstein	Mary Rose Oakar
Why should people vote for you?	First and foremost, I am a solutions-based hard worker and a reliable individual.  I have always been an advocate for education, for children and for early detection of learning problems, which I have worked on by drafting and helping pass Ohio legislation and implementation.My own experience with special needs children, and as an audiologist, has given me insight into both the importance and the intricacies of education policy – I understand that schools need both resources and flexibility in order to tailor programs that best serve their students. Likewise, I understand that parents want, need and have a right to control how their children are educated, and I will work to protect the interests of parents like me.  In addition, I am focused on social studies curriculum issues and will bring such matters to the full Board for deliberation and action.	I have the experience, and the credentials as a teacher, to assist  in the education of young people…It is important for them, our region, and our Country.
	Beverly A. Goldstein	Mary Rose Oakar
How can the state Board of Education improve educational outcomes for Ohio children?	The overall structure of K-12 education must be reviewed, a few components at a time, through a long range plan. Many aspects at the state level need to be simplified and downsized, and probably some regulations eliminated.The SBOE needs to charge itself with locating best-practice outcomes and implementing them in Ohio.  Areas which are determined to be excellent or very good should be allowed to continue as is, while areas which are below average to unacceptable must be changed.  Education needs to focus out learning outcomes of students and their chance to be successful American adults, their abilities to move on to the work force, post-secondary education and/or college/university. Everything done by the SBOE needs to be based on improving academic and vocational outcomes of our students.	The State Board has enormous responsibilities: we hire the State Superintendent, devise the regulations for laws passed, set standards, and decertify those individuals hired by the School Community if their conduct is problematic.
	Beverly A. Goldstein	Mary Rose Oakar
What should the state Board of Education do about the problems with school attendance data?	The State Board of Education should provide support to local boards of education to assist them in addressing this issue by improving curriculum and students’ tools for learning, as well as the other programs I have outlined above. Demonstrating improved educational outcomes will, in the long term. convince parents and students that the schools are important and relevant to them, and they will return to take advantage of an improved system which will result in a jobs, income, and true self-esteem.In the short term, the schools must be made safe so parents will be confident that their children will not be endangered by school attendance.  The SBOE should assist the local schools, of whatever type, in this, as well.	I have questioned the audit  done by Auditor Yost. For example, he based his audit of Cleveland Public Schools on 57,000 students; Cleveland has 43,000 students. His audit is flawed. We need to have the Legislature and the Governor re-instate Parent mentors; they cut the budget so drastically that teachers have very large classes,, and truant officers, in many cases, were cut. We need to make truancy a priority…it must be.
	Beverly A. Goldstein	Mary Rose Oakar
What would you look for in Ohio’s next state superintendent?	Proven leadership skillsA proven ability to work effectively within a bureaucratic milieu in conjunction with a proven ability to analyze the essential tasks of such bureaucracy and to develop and implement an effective plan to trim a bureaucracy to succeed, on an ongoing basis, in carrying out those essential tasks, as has recently been done in other areas of the Ohio state government (e.g., office of the Treasurer, and the new state budgeting process)Effective interpersonal and communication skills In depth knowledge of school funding issues Holds my positions on the problems with social studies curriculum and the need to correct these problems Commitment to arrange for each child 24/7 access to on-line curriculum materials Strong supporter of school choice Strong supporter of transparency in schools so parents can observe to what their children are being exposed	Somene who has an educational background and is sensitive to the diversity of students whether they are from rural or urban areas.  He/She must be sensitive to the federal law which states that all students must be educated to their capacity.  I will not vote for a leader in education who has never taught school.  The leader of our schools must be industrious, honest, and have administrative experience.  But, most important, this person must love the field of education, and be committed to a quality education for all students.
	Beverly A. Goldstein	Mary Rose Oakar
Is there anything else voters should know about you?	If elected, I will make myself accountable to people in my district. I am running to be their representative, and it is my responsibility to make sure I am helping parents and educators advance our children. I will make myself available to PTAs and local school boards within my district and will be responsive to their feedback on the SBOE’s performance.	I believe in Public Service, and will work very hard to ensure a quality education for young people. I will try to get my colleagues to understand the value of early childhood education which should be a priority.