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Dear Editor:
As previously shared, an individual board member can’t make financial or other decisions on their own. A quorum is required for the board to conduct business. Once a quorum is constituted, a simple majority of voting Members is required to approve an item of the board’s business.
Good board governance requires the School Board and Superintendent to work together as “One Team” with transparency and accountability. This teamwork ensures that we keep the best interest of the district and academic excellence as the primary focus.
Last year, The Current reported that Carmel Clay Schools had found itself in an unusual and unexpected position that could lead to a reduction in a planned pay raise for some employees and the elimination of a small number of teaching jobs.
Decline in enrollment
Despite ratings as one of the best places to live and one of the fastest-growing cities in our country, Carmel Clay Schools experienced a decline in enrollment in our elementary, middle, and high schools.
I believe that the political divisiveness is causing parents to consider other options, including private schools and other districts. The parents I talked to are incensed that Carmel Clay Schools put an end to parent-teacher conferences, prevented parents and grandparents from having lunch at school, and suspended parents from commenting at school board meetings.
Uniting our community
If more parents choose charter and private schools, our district may have to reduce planned pay raises and eliminate some teaching jobs. It will make it much harder for our Superintendent and his leadership team to recruit and retain the best teachers and focus on academic excellence.
We are at a pivotal moment where the urgency is now.
I am running for the school board to unite our community and support our teachers.
I am the transformational leader that our school community needs.
I will be a strong advocate for our students, teachers, parents, and community.
I will inspire and motivate our community to be more engaged and involved in the education of our children.
Looking to the future
If elected to the Carmel Clay Schools Board of Trustees, I want to look back on four years with happiness because we succeeded in uniting our community and convincing families like the Woodsons to choose Carmel Clay Schools.
Together we will achieve this goal of ensuring that Carmel Clay Schools is the first choice for parents and teachers.
Sheldon Barnes
Candidate for Carmel Clay School Board, District 1
Sheldon, you talk about leadership. Can you give an example of an organization that has benefited from your leadership? Also you mention that an individual board member cannot make financial decisions on their own, but do you think an individual’s financial decisions can impact a group?
Hello Alex – I am the President of Barnes Residential LLC, our family’s small business. We started this business under my leadership. It started with studying for and earning my Real Estate Broker license in 30 days. This demonstrates my learning agility. I led the way by registering the business as an LLC, applying for an EIN, and opening up a bank account to separate the finances. I applied what I learned in the Tucker School of Real Estate to purchase our first property free and clear. I represented the business as the real estate agent, saving us 3% on the purchase price.
We decided only to purchase properties that we would live in. Our second project was challenging because it required extensive renovation, and it occurred during a time when labor and material cost was very expensive. Under my leadership, we completed the renovation on time and within budget. Today, both properties are rented with long-term tenants and little to no property management overhead.
We believe in buying low and selling high. We are waiting for the property market to bottom out before we invest again.
It also looks like you did not pay your HOA dues and were sued by your homeowners association. Can you elaborate?
Yes, it occurred after a job loss. I drove for Uber and Lyft during that time to make ends meet. I also started a company called Luxly where I shuttled people to and from the airport. I prioritized our mortgage, utilities, and food to ensure a positive cash flow. I never went into the negative or missed a mortgage payment. There were days I purchased enough groceries with Uber and Lyft tips. The lender for our vehicle was gracious enough to defer two payments. Once our family recovered we ended up paying off that vehicle.
Carmel Schools can experience a similar job loss if parents choose charter and private schools. If this happens, the skills I outlined above will come in handy on the school board because our school corporation will have to find similar creative approaches to bridge funding gaps. Unfortunately, it starts with scaling back promised raises, hiring less, and subsequently laying off teachers!
Yes, a school employee can make a decision as long as it is within the approved school board finance policies (6000). Important policies include Fiscal Planning (6210), and Budget Preparation (6220). They outline the roles and responsibilities regarding financial planning and budget preparation.
Other policies include Small Purchases (6450), Use of Credit Cards Policy (6423), Travel Payment and Reimbursement (6550), and Internal Controls (6445).
The responsibility of the school board is mainly to approve and monitor. They also work with the Superintendent and others to ensure that the 6000 Finances policies are followed.
I feel like I am the only candidate going into this level of detail on policies.
Completely ignores the impact of a worldwide pandemic on education and community interaction. Also ignores fact that some people were unruly at school board meetings in attempts to force their agenda into schools. Do not see Sheldon Barnes as a unifier of the whole community.
Hello Bruce – I did not ignort that some people were unruly at school board meetings. I believe that the school could have pursued the least restrictive option for addressing the disruption. This could involve suspending individuals for one or more school board meetings. These individuals would still have the opportunity to view the school board meeting replays and contact the school board via email. We live in a Republic. Suspending public comment for everyone amounted to collective punishment. What did you and I do to warrant silencing our voices? The disrupters and only the disrupters should have been punished.
People with children in our special education program may be familiar with the term least restrictive environment. Again, the school should choose the least restrictive option to address the situation.
The candidate has been if nothing else persistent, although …
The image being projected is manifesting as one of personal ambition rather than , as the rhetoric suggests ; community well being.
The intentions may well be noble but the messaging would benefit from a less adversarial, hypersensitive-on-every-point type of delivery.
Quiet confidence relies on both components of adjective & noun employed to be effective.
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Thank you, Frank. I will take this feedback into heart going forward. Believe me, and believe in me. This campaign is about our community.
Early in the campaign season, some of the Democrats I talked to planted doubts in my mind. I write these letters to assure our community they are in good hands if I am elected. I felt pressured to prove them wrong. Recently, my focus has been quiet confidence, including practicing my speeches for upcoming public engagements and candidate forums. Frank, I will listen to you and take your advice!