Jennifer LaTosch Gets Vacant School Board Seat (video)
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Jan. 14, 2013)
Attorney Jennifer LaTosch was sworn in Monday night to begin a one-year term on the Ferndale School Board. The position was left vacant by 20+ year veteran and longtime past President Chuck Moeser when he resigned to focus more on retirement.
LaTosch stood out among three candidates mainly because of her involvement with the District’s strategic planning process. She and her partner Kat are also active in the LGBT community, adding an element of diversity to the board. “I want someone who is willing to become intimate with our strategic plan,” said Board Trustee Nan Kerr-Mueller. Trustee Amy Butter echoed that sentiment saying she wanted someone who could “hit the ground running” because a year was such a short term to begin with.
“I grew up in Oakland County and went to public schools for kindergarten on through high school. In fact my mom was a school board member for 12 years,” LaTosch said in her interview. “I have two absolutely amazing boys in the 2nd grade at Kennedy and when my partner and I started our family it was imperative for us to live in a community that was open, diverse, and supportive of all families. We wanted our kids to be proud to say ‘I have two moms,’ and Ferndale is clearly that community
“It’s also as important for us to know that our kids have access to the best education possible and I have to be honest, I was a little concerned being an outsider. I’d heard some of the rumblings about the schools. I saw our neighborhood kids go to Royal Oak and to Berkley. I poured over the reviews and the data. But we also heard from some of our friends and neighbors absolutely wonderful things about our schools….I can’t imagine raising my kids anywhere else.”
Having gone through the process herself of choosing Ferndale Schools, and having been part of the strategic planning committee, LaTosch is also aware of the challenges the district faces in terms of enrollment, funding, and image. “I also recognize our schools need help and they need work like all other schools. So what that means is with my commitment to stay in Ferndale Schools, that I am 110% committed to volunteering for and in our schools. I can feel he energy in the community and our excitement to raise up our schools and take them to the next level. But I am also very award of the discontent and the concern that are swirling around the financial obstacle.”
LaTosch and the other two applicants, Lakesha Hill and Mercy Servio, arrived to an unusually packed meeting room as dozens of union members came to take a stand against pay cuts that have been proposed as part of the collective bargaining process. They were given three minutes for opening remarks and then took questions from the Board. LaTosch told the Board that she would be interested in running for the position next year.
For more on Ferndale Schools go to www.ferndaleschools.org.