Thursday, September 11, 2014

Kendall Morlan for Mark Twain Union Elementary School District Board



My name is Kendall Morlan and I am running for a board position for Mark Twain Union Elementary School District.  Both my children are products of MTUESD.  My daughter is now a sophomore at Davidson College in North Carolina, and my son is a 7th grader at Mark Twain Elementary.  I have been closely involved in their educational experience.  I served on the Copperopolis Elementary School Site Council for 4 years, and I volunteer in the after-school Homework Club.  I am the community leader for Copper Hills 4-H Club and have been involved with 4-H for 10 years.  

I believe that I am uniquely qualified to serve on the board of Mark Twain Union Elementary School District.    My parents are retired educators.  My mother was a top-level district administrator and my father was a high school teacher and coach. Their views were often in conflict, and I learned how to appreciate both sides of an issue.  Additionally, my sister was a special needs student, and my daughter was a GATE student.  I believe this diverse experience will help me to bring people together to accomplish the goal of preparing our children to be successful in a challenging world.

 "Striving for Excellence"
          
I graduated from CSU, Chico with a B.A. in Communications, and later received a B.S. from CSU, Northridge in Interior Design.  I was a business owner for 5 years, a stay-at-home parent for 15 years, and now work part-time at Saddle Creek Resort in Copperopolis.

My campaign slogan is “Striving for Excellence”.  This is not just a slogan for me.  I believe our school district is a great one, but I also believe it can always be better.  I would like to bring back music education and the GATE program.  I plan to be a close watchdog of the Common Core program.  Safety is another important issue, and this is something I worked on to improve with the School Site Council, and will continue to monitor and improve. 

I am the only resident of Copperopolis running for the board.  If I am elected, I will join Maggie Rollings, who is the only current Copper resident on the board of five members. With only two schools in the district, I believe Copperopolis needs more representation on the board.  However, I pledge to serve the best interests of both schools in the district equally, with integrity and accountability.   My son now attends Mark Twain Elementary School, and I have a vested interest in the school’s success!   I have the ability to be patient, fair, and rational as a board member, and my ultimate goal is to serve the needs of all students in the district.  I would be honored to have your vote on November 7th.

I would love to hear your thoughts and concerns!
Please contact me at kendallm@aol.com or (209) 840-3289.