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Susan Curlee
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Susan Curlee is on the Williamson County School Board and represents District 12.
A Texas native and mother of 2 Susan has lived in Franklin with her husband Bob since 2000.
1.
Scenario: I am a new parent , my child is getting ready to start school and I want to know what Common Core is : How do you explain this to me?
There has been so much misinformation about Common Core. How Common Core came to be is complex, and difficult to answer in short. What parents need to know is that the standards and increased focus on testing have not been proven. These standards were never internationally benchmarked. Nor were the standards developed by states. As a matter of fact, the only two educators on the validation committee refused to sign. Common Core is truly an experiment on our children and the only ones benefitting appear to be the special interests standing to profit from testing and other common core aligned materials and programs. Thus far, Common Core is not only costing our taxpayers extraordinary sums, it is driving experienced, quality teachers away from the profession.
2
Why are you against Common Core? Are there any positives to Common Core?
The increased focus on testing is a big concern for myself and countless others nationwide. Teaching to a test not only drains precious instructional time and funds from our public schools it doesn’t encourage critical thinking skills essential to life long learning. As a parent, the increased emphasis on data collection is also a major concern. FERPA has been stripped and it is not clear who has access to data collected on our children and what they are doing with that data.
If there are positives to Common Core, no doubt teachers would want to keep those elements proven over the course of time. Regardless I feel it is important to empower teachers to teach and create an environment for students to learn, not take tests.
3
Wed. July 1st, Nashville law firm Branstetter, Stranch and Jennings announced that its client, Williamson Strong, will appeal the Registry of Election Finance’s May decision that the group is an unregistered PAC. To say this has been a hot button issue would be an understatement. What is your initial reaction to this news?
I recently posted the following statement regarding the law suit:
Once again, Williamson Strong has gone too far. The federal lawsuit against the Registry of Election Finance will hopefully be thrown out based upon lack of merit. This action will only further expose our community and county to more legal expenses and other costs due to the fact that Dr. Looney, in his official capacity, actively conspired with Williamson Strong. That comes directly from the ruling of the election commission based upon the fact that the most damning evidence came directly from Dr. Looney’s official WCS email.
If Williamson Strong cares so much about our community and our schools, they should take the high road, approach the Election Commission and ask for relief of their fine as long as they agree to register as a PAC and operate within the boundaries of Tennessee Election Law. My experience with The Registry has been that all members are reasonable, intelligent people. In my opinion, The Registry would consider such an appeal. In contrast, nothing good can come from this lawsuit.
4
You have 2 daughters attending FSSD, is being a mother and public figure difficult sometimes , especially when the public forgets how to #BeNice?
Fortunately, the majority of the community has been extremely supportive and appreciative. Juggling the demands of motherhood and public service can be a challenge, particularly for independent thinkers who like to research issues and topics in order to make well informed decisions like myself. What many in the county many not know is the majority of District 12 is zoned for FSSD K-8 and WCS (Page or Centennial) 9-12. My daughters will attend WCS for high school like so many children in our neighborhood. Regardless of how one’s neighborhood is zoned, we should all be proud of both school systems in Williamson County.
5
Last Question:What’s the biggest misconception do you think your detractors have about Susan Curlee, Board Member District 12?
I’m a parent in this community who ran to serve and to make a difference. My education and background is in economics, strategic planning and marketing. I am a person that seeks data and is accustomed to being equipped with information to make well informed decisions. Because of my background, I tend to ask lots questions in an effort to seek to understand. I realize that this makes some nervous, and others will assume ill intent which is out of my control. If I have had one goal since being elected to the school board it has been to advocate for policies that put more information into the hands of the very people we are elected to serve. One of those primary goals is to ensure Williamson County Schools are accountable to taxpayers. I believe in a very transparent, accountable system, especially for a publicly funded institution. We need more dialogue, as well as more transparency, to make sure there is accountability and our schools thrive.
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