Brian Krajewski bakdutch@gmail.com
1. Please tell voters a little about yourself, how long you have lived in the district, and why you want to serve on the Lowell Area School Board of Education.
Originally from the West Side of Grand Rapids, my wife and I bought property (‘98) and built our home in 1999 as our 2 children (Derek and Danielle) were beginning school. We chose this area for 3 major reasons:
1. Lowell Schools
2. Lowell Community
3. Ability to hunt out my door / back yard
What we have found since then is a community very similar to the one where we grew up - taking care of each other and taking care of the most vulnerable (Sick, elderly and youth) is paramount.
My wife and I met in High School and were soon married after I graduated from Ferris State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Plastics Engineering Technology. We were both born and raised in Catholic homes and attended catholic schools. We are now active St. Patick members enjoying the catholic community within the Lowell Community. My children were graduates of Lowell High School in 2014 & 15. My son Derek went to Cornell University earning a degree in Industrial and Labor Relations while wrestling 4 years collegiately. My daughter Danielle attended my Alma Mater, Ferris State, where she also received her degree in Plastics Engineering Technology. My wife Julie has been a lifelong employee of Spectrum and Priority Health where she has held a number of Pharmacy related positions over 34 years.
My career has provided we with many different opportunities to work with people of many countries and be a part of organizations that have allowed me to lead teams of people to accomplish their goal as well as the companies I represented. The following is my brief, chronological career path
I started my career during College at Cascade Engineering with the help of earning the Cascade Engineering Scholarship for 3 consecutive years. It was there that my work foundation was set. Fred Kelly built a company that encouraged growth by allowing and encouraging ALL team members to Always be curious, reward exploration, celebrate success, team first – and always have an inquisitive mind. After nearly a decade of working directly for Cascade Engineering, my area became part of Joint Venture with Dow Chemical where I became a Senior Program Manager. During my six years at DOW I had the opportunity to be part of cutting edge technology and the deployment of that technology globally. In 2004 I made a family decision to leave DOW and return to employment that allowed me to stay closer to home and family. It was at this time that I joined a relatively new Medical Device company, ATEK Medical, where I led operations and engineering for over 6 years. During this time, I had the opportunity to learn and continuously improve my Lean Enterprise knowledge and experiences. I’ve carried this knowledge throughout my professional and personal career including to the Lowell School board. In 2010 I had the opportunity to enter both a new field and industry as I joined Priority Health and eventually Spectrum Health leading the various Information technology areas including Office of the CIO and the Portfolio Management Office. In 2018, I left Spectrum Health to become Chief of Staff within the Medicare Business Unit at Blue Cross and Blue Shield Michigan. During this time, I had the opportunity to lead many high impact roles and programs that are still used today. In the fall of 2023, I decided that it was time to leverage all of the experiences that I have gained working for great companies and organizations (Including Lowell Area Schools Board of Ed) and venture out on my own. Today, I am consulting for healthcare companies as they navigate and improve government programs (i.e. Medicare/Medicaid) and as they develop cutting edge AI technologies for healthcare.
I have had a very blessed life and career and feel very fortunate to be a part of this GREAT community and to bring these experiences to the Lowel Board of Education
2. In what ways have you invested, volunteered, and engaged with the district and the Greater Lowell community?
Giving is something that my parents instilled in me, giving back is something that the Lowell Community made an integral part of my adult and family life. Before we moved to Lowell, my wife and I decided to bring to bring our 4 year-old son to a Lowell Youth Wrestling practice, and as Paul Harvey would say “the rest is history”. After a short time, I was elected Club president where I helped led the organization out of bankruptcy due to embezzlement (due to Frozen bank funds, our family donated the initial funds to allow Lowell to be one of the charter members of MYWAY youth wrestling). Soon after, I started to assist in fund raising and coaching for the Lowell Youth Football program and Touchdown club. I mention this as it was athletics that were a catalyst for what was to come next. Half way thru my daughters 1st grade year at Bushnell, her best friend was diagnosed with cancer. A few short days later, the family asked my wife and I to come over to their home on a Saturday afternoon. It was that Saturday afternoon that changed my life forever. The family asked me if I would lead a bone marrow drive for their daughter who needed a transplant. It was during that 12-week time period that I realized just how special the Lowell Community was. I had the privilege to work alongside some of the most creative and selfless people I have ever been associated with. During that brief time, we lead the fundraising effort that provided access to over 1,100 bone marrow registrants. The national bone marrow registry at that time considered it the largest self-funded registry they had seen. From that registry, many Lowell Community members and surrounding area members have been “matches” and have been a part of changing others lives. A few short years later, I had the opportunity to be part of the development and launch of the first “Pink Arrow” supporting wherever I could. This quickly led me to be a part of the Chartier Member group for Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids, Lowell committee and leading the fund raising and renovation of the Lowell Senior Neighbor and Gilda’s club clubhouse. In 2011, I continued my volunteer leadership and became a Lowell School board trustee and later serve as Vice President and President where I still serve this day. These experiences have led me to realize that Servant Leadership is, and always will be, a key component of my life.
1. Please define what you understand “parental rights” to mean regarding public school districts, what you know about mechanisms LAS has in place to support parental rights, if you see those as inadequate or lacking, and if so, what you would propose as a board member to address concerns.
Parental Rights are the ability to direct the education and care of THEIR children thru their upbringing. Parent have the right to choose the education they desire for their children (both public and private) and they have the right to be involved with the community and schools system that their children are engaged in.
Lowell Schools have policy, procedure and operating mechanisms to ensure that parental Rights are honored for their children.
2. In recent years, LAS has added an elementary math coordinator, literacy coordinator, after-school tutoring programs, summer school, and middle and high school mental health support. Work is underway to determine how successful the programs and projects initiated with Covid-era ESSER funds have been, and whether they can be maintained when those run out this school year. Some may continue by using the district’s general fund, and others only if there are new grants available.
If there are not adequate funds or grants, some tough decisions will have to be made that may not be unanimously popular. What sources might the BoE explore to help make those decisions?
The situation that you’ve described is the current state of schools across the state. At Lowell, the school board has closely monitored the ESSR dollars granted along with the programs that they have supported. We’ve challenged the administrative team continuously thru these grants and subsequent programming that they must be prepared to keep our budget balanced as the funding is eliminated. We were very fortunate to have an administrative team and teachers that leaned into the available funding and build temporary programs that allowed Lowell Schools to emerge after the pandemic as one of the leading school systems quickly regaining our test score positive trajectory that we had pre-pandemic. The benefit of the ESSR funding allowed educational teams the ability to “take care of students” in creative new ways. This opportunity was only possible due to the “one time funding”. As with nearly all “pilot” programs that I have been associated with throughout MY career, one must look to the results and data in order to decide if the program should move into an operational state (ie. continue). This is currently happening throughout our district. Funding is finite and fixed. Programs need to be evaluated on their own merit – did they produce the desired results that they were intended to produce. Once this is verified thru results/data, these programs are evaluated against existing programs – does one program deliver better results than another program – can it replace it. It the answer is that the program has additive value rather than replacement value, the program must be evaluated against other programming across the district and needs to be evaluated against the goals set forth by the administrating and school board. Keeping in mind that the school systems mission is that “Lowell Area Schools, in the spirit of high expectations, ensures all students will master essential skills, empowering them to become lifelong learners and contributing, responsible members of our global community “ Learners today, leaders tomorrow, Red Arrows for Life. This means we must take into account all aspects of the programs impact on our students during the evaluation process of the program. This may include adding program best practices to an existing program, stopping one program and replacing it with another, placing a program on pause or continuing the Pilot leveraging balance fund dollars as evaluation continues or exploration of new funding bear fruit.
3. How would you assist a parent or community member in addressing an issue when they are asking you to solve a problem or make a change that is outside your scope as a board member?
At this point, if I choose to accept it, I become a community member, parent, or friend – not an elected school board member. I have assisted many parents and friends over the years navigating complex businesses and organization. In most cases, I help inform those that ask the question how to engage the system to get their questions answered or to help them make decisions for their family. There are processes in place to address issues that arise at all levels of our school system starting with the direct – Have dialog with your child’s teacher and school administration.
There are times that decisions are made by other governmental institutions and elected officials that impact our children and our community. As a tax payer and citizen, I have the access and ability to have discussions with these institutions and officials to express my concerns, my position on the issue and even my thoughts on what I believe would be best.
4. Besides core subjects, students learn teamwork, initiative, respectful debate, informed decision-making, and critical and independent thinking. Please articulate the value of learning these skills in school.
The skills you’ve described above are essential to the continued maturity of youth and young adults to be productive members of society. The skills you mentioned are needed in your current and future personal and professional lives. I can tell you that I myself was blessed to be part of family and school systems that held these attributes and skills as foundational. These skills lead to healthier and more productive members or society.
5. ‘Feeling safe’ in school varies given learning styles, peer group/social dynamics, and home situations for the more than 4,000-plus members of LAS staff; administrators; parents; elementary, middle, and high school students; as well as for those with special needs. What is the BoE’s role in striving to meet and simultaneously balance all of these?
The Board of education role is to keep student and staff physically safe - #1 priority.
Safety, in my opinion is reflected in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs along with the increase of safety as one moves up pyramid of hierarchy.
The foundation is physiological needs (Shelter, food, water, clothing) followed by Safety and security (health, employment, social ability, family).
The board of education’s role, that I have been a part of is providing safety, security and shelter for our students and staff. I also believe that the school system is an integral part of OUR community that can provide parents, guardians and family members access and information on other avenues of support to help ensure that the 2 foundational elements of “Maslow’s needs” are met.
The top 3 sections of Maslow’s hierarchy are “Love and belonging”, “Self-esteem” and “Actualization”. These cannot be met unless the first 2 are covered in some form of varying degree. These top 3 move from Physical to Psychological needs and are the foundation that parents strive to meet. As a healthy society, we should all work together to provide resources to our most vulnerable along with the caregivers supporting them.
6. Lowell Area Schools has implemented policies and programs supportive of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; social-emotional learning and Positive Intervention Behaviors and Support. Are you supportive of each of those items? Why or why not? Is there anything you would advocate as a board member to affect or improve upon those areas?
As a current board member, I have supported each of these programs as they have and continue to evolve. I have been part of the monitoring of these programs as a BOE member and I have provided my input and perspectives that I have gained thru my experiences in various industries and environments
To go into more detail, I want to provide my definition of each in order to not be misunderstood given that there are many opinions of what each is.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion – This is a framework which seek to promote the fair treatment and full participation of all people, particularly groups who have historically been underrepresented
Social Emotional Learning – The development of social and emotional skills that emphasize importance of preparing students to become knowledgeable, responsible, and caring members of society when they reach adulthood.
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports – A program that is focused on improving and integrating all of the data, systems, and practices affecting student outcomes every day.
Throughout my entire life I have always believed that you must “seek first to understand”. This to me means that we must understand people as individuals and that have had THEIR life and historical experiences affect and shape their lives. Without understanding this, we react from a point of ignorance versus compassionate intelligence.
I have always believed that leveraging data to make informed decisions is paramount to success. If you can leverage data to be proactive and prevent failure than you have move forward and matured into building a system that prevents issues vs finding issues (PBIS)
Social and emotional learning is a key component of our mission and tag line. It has been part of the fabric of our school system well before it became an acronym.
When you look at these 3 programs by which they are being deployed as part of our school system you can see how they continue to maintain the fabric by which our Lowell Community was built. You need to look and listen to the details of the program versus the descriptions that are broadcast in media and other social platforms
7. What steps have you taken so far to learn the main issues that face this district and/or the current board? What are the top three areas of focus for the district as you see it?
As a long-standing board member, I am aware of the issues facing us today as well as the issues that we have overcome in the past. Combining what we have done and why with what we are doing now with an eye on where we want to be in the future is key to continued Lowell School system success;
Issues facing us today
Continued programming that supports Academics, Arts, Athletics and life skills providing all students the best opportunity for a life full of successes along with the emotional support and tools to navigate life when unforeseen obstacles present themselves
Leveraging facility bond dollars to maintain and enhance properties in the most fiscally responsible way providing long term use and community pride.
The continued to decline in overall census population which translates into lower enrollment and funding. Impact is less dollars to do what we do today and what we want to do in the future. We must think creatively on how to solve this problem from both revenue and delivery perspective.
8. Do you think the current process at LAS for receiving, investigating, and resolving a request to remove a book from the district libraries is thorough, fair, and respectful of all parents’ rights?
Yes I believe it is currently fair, and as all process should be, continually evaluated and improved if, where and when needed based on data. I also continue to support that each parent or guardian has the ability to remove any and all materials they feel do not support the values that they believe in. The processes that are in place today provide individual rights to restrict/limit what is appropriate for their son or daughter.
9. How can or should LAS set itself apart from other area districts to attract and retain qualified staff and support positions, given budget constraints and talent shortages?
In order to attract and retain talent we must first be competitive in the market place. We must have a desirable work environment and we must have a culture that people want to lean into, continuously improve and be a part of.
If compensation is equitable, what differentiates us from other school systems. This is the question we must all ask and answer. Do teachers feel supported to be highly successful in the profession they chose? Are they held accountable to deliver and compared equitably across their peers - both in district and abroad? Are members of our entire school system able to continue to grow, learn and provide their personal fingerprint on the process and outcomes of our district.
As a board member, I continually look to our administrative and union leadership to continue to build and support an environment that attracts the best talent for our schools and support for our greater community
10. How many school board meetings have you been to or watched recordings of, and do you see the current board as lacking in any area?
I have been a consistent participant in the School board meetings for nearly 14 yrs supporting todays calendar schedule of Board meetings and workshops in addition to disciplinary meetings, end of fiscal year financial meetings and training / all day weekend workshops.
Our school board is there to review direction, approve goals, hold our Superintendent accountable to those goals, provide our industry and experience perspective to our school administration while representing our constituents.
I feel our board continues to be balanced in respect to diverse industry and leadership insights / perspective that each bring to the board.
11. School boards are multi-faceted and dynamic, and serving can be challenging, time consuming, and complex. How would your personal and professional strengths and skills complement the Board? How would you handle differences of opinion to stay focused on the goal of improved student learning?
I feel that during my tenure on the board I have brought my authentic self to serve the Lowell School district and my constituents. I bring and understanding of various business and leadership perspective to the board and ask challenging questions to our administrative team and our Superintendent similar to those that are asked if executive leadership teams and CEO’s prevalent in other industries.
I am grateful for the time I have been on the board and if the constituents of the Lowell School system so wish, I would be honored to continue to serve them.