Candidate Profile: Lisa Papa For Grosse Pointe Public Schools

Lisa Papas, a Grosse Pointe City resident is running for Grosse Pointe Public Schools.

Age: 53
Party affiliation: N/A
Family:Married to John Papas for 30 years. Raised their six children in Grosse Pointe. Gregory, 29, Alexandra,27, Kristina, 25, and Athina 23, are all graduates of Grosse Pointe South High School. Gregory, Alexandra and Kristina are also graduates of Grand Valley State University. Alexandra is married to Ben Rosi and lives in Denver, CO. Gregory also resides in Denver, Athina is a student, formerly attending Western Michigan University, and Andreas and Elena are a senior and sophomore at Grosse Pointe South High School. Kristina and her partner Abdellah Hadjeba are the parents of our first grandchild, Abdellah Gabriel. I am also the daughter of two teachers.
Occupation:High School and Middle School Music Teacher ten years. Previously employed off and on in family business 23 years. Managed opening of a new location.
Previous elected experience:No previous office held.
Family members in government:No
Campaign website: https://www.lisapapas.org/

The single most pressing issue facing our state is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.
The most important issue in the Grosse Pointe School District is the closure of two elementary schools and the reconfiguration of 5th grade to the middle school level. This has left two neighborhoods without an elementary school in walking distance, and placed very young children in a middle school environment. I would reverse those closures, and in the post covid environment, those buildings may be critical to keeping our class sizes smaller. There is a tremendous amount of development going on in downtown Detroit, and if the school district makes good decisions, our community should be full of families wanting good neighborhood schools.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?
I am the only candidate running for this school board that is currently working as a teacher. I also have the longevity of having raised six children in the district. I have been in every single school building, many of them multiple times. I understand curriculum issues, and the ways to help support our classroom teachers to give our students the best educational services we can provide. My familiarity with educational issues and policies coupled with private sector management experience makes me uniquely qualified to focus on the critical items that will make our district work for all of our students.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?
I have been an active volunteer in the community for many years. I ran one of the largest mother support groups in the 1990s. We had the largest number of paid members in the State of Michigan at one point. I also was the founding Director of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral Language and Culture School in downtown Detroit. This was a tuition based program, that I connected with the Wayne State University Modern Greek Department. The program brought many children from around the metro area to our school, and also increased church and Sunday School attendance. The program continues on since I left for full time employment. I also have spent my last decade building up choral programs in Title 1 school districts. I have raised scholarship money and written grants to provide opportunities to students in need. I directed full musical productions that provided my students with leadership and performance experiences that were well attended in the school and community. My choirs also performed for a number of community events over the years. I took many students on field trips, including college tours around the state of Michigan.

What steps should state government take to bolster economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic for local businesses?
Allowing businesses to stay open is the first step. During the covid shutdown, many local businesses were closed down, while big chain stores remained open. There should be an even playing field. As long as a business can provide safe measures, they should be allowed to stay open. The more people we have working, the less of a drain on the state economy there is.

How will you address the calls for racial justice and police reform?
In a school district, racial justice is making sure that every student has equal access to educational opportunities. My experience teaching children in poverty makes me very aware of how economic disparity can affect educational outcomes, and if elected, I will work hard to make sure every Grosse Pointe student has equal access to what we offer. As for police reform, I think most police are working hard to protect our communities, often at great personal risk. I think police and teachers need good training to deal with many of the situations they encounter. Good leadership handles situations where an officer or a teacher makes a bad decision, and makes sure that the person in question has due process, adequate training and follow up if appropriate, or in serious instances is removed from duty.

List other issues that define your campaign platform:
I am committed to promoting the arts programs in the school district, as well as making sure our special needs and medical 504 students are provided with a high level of service and accommodations in our classrooms. Many other districts were able to provide in person services for special needs services and our district did not. I also want to get on top of the loose accounting practices that our district has allowed to flourish, uncovering over a $4 million dollar surplus at one point. A district that does not know there is that much extra money, is not keeping on top of their budget.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?
My mission is to work hard so that our schools give the best educational experience possible to our students and that we make policies and procedures that benefit our families. I also believe that the teachers and staff have to be listened to and have a voice in the decision making. They need to be a part of the conversation, and many of the teachers have children in our schools as well. They need to feel that they can disagree with decisions without fearing retaliation. I know as a parent, that school district decisions impact our children. I know that when our children suffer, our parents and families do as well. We must treat our students as if they were our own.