Questions and Answers
1. Tell us about your background, why you decided to run for school board and
what do you believe your qualifications are?
My background includes seven years of experience on the school board. Currently I am serving as its secretary. I also am a parent of two students currently attending Fayetteville Public Schools and one graduate who is attending the UofA.
Before that I was an employee of IBM for fifteen years which started my love of technology and experience in marketing and finance.
I am one of five who have graduated from FHS in my family with two more to follow.
I believe I am qualified for this position because in my seven years of service on the board I have become known for my research on issues, my fair approach to decision making and my passion for technology which put laptops in the hands of every teacher and reduced the student-to-computer ration to 3 to 1. With these tools in place, we are now ready to fully map the vision for a 21st Century education in Fayetteville Public schools. I am running again because I am well versed in the issues that are before the board. I am ready to take on these challenges TODAY. With five hundred hours of service in the past year I have proven my commitment to our students and the responsibilities of a school board member
2. Please list in detail your thoughts on the high school situation.
a) The proposal to sell the current campus to the University of Arkansas to help subsidize new construction. If an agreement could be reached I feel we would be lucky to have a cash inflow as a consideration in this decision. Since we are not eligible for funding for construction from the state, the possibility of selling our property to the UofA gives us another option to consider.
b) The proposed change in location to Morningside Drive. FHS Select Committee II spent many hours studying the location of the new high school and decided upon a recommendation of Morningside Drive. The board followed their recommendation and if the financial terms can be worked out I would support that site.
c) The delays in putting together a millage proposal for the voters. This statement is an opinion that I disagree with. I don’t feel there has been any delay. This is the largest decision our district has made in many years. If the University were to purchase the property it would be one of their largest acquisitions as well. Those two points factored with the many issues of what Fayetteville wants its high school to be, 1 vs. 2 campuses, location, grade configuration etc. do not imply a rushed decision is appropriate. The board developed a plan utilizing two very active committees. Community input was gathered from focus groups and public input sessions. We poured over data accumulated from administrative input, internet articles and studies written on these topics. As elected officials we have based the decisions made thus far on many factors. This decision will affect students and our community for many years to come. It is now time to move forward, but putting up a millage without educating the public and putting together a plan would be irresponsible.
d) The decision to keep one high school versus two and add ninth grade to the campus.
With the controlled slow growth in FPS we can keep one campus and add the ninth grade and still have many years before a second campus is required. While Northwest Arkansas has had exponential growth in some areas FPS have not seen that same growth. For example from 2002 through 2008/09, during the huge growth period for Northwest Arkansas, FPS as a district, averaged 4% growth or an average of 40 students per year over those eight years. Bentonville, Springdale, and Rogers averaged 70%, 42%, and 20% growth respectively over the same time frame which is an average student increase of 616, 631, and 286 per year. I do not see a growth catalyst in the next 10 to 20 years that will give FPS the huge growth our neighboring districts have experienced. Growth in FPS has pushed us to the limits of our current building and in need of a plan for the future. Taking our economy into consideration we need to work toward one new campus now and plan for the time when we will need the second one.
The decision to add the ninth grade to our high school campus was made with the best interest of our ninth grade students in mind. Strengths of adding the 9th graders to our high school campus are: more elective choices, alignment of standards, tenure at 1 school, opportunity for increased involvement, earlier transition into high school, and awareness of being in high school. The board supported a structure of the ninth grade housed in their own facility or possibly with one other grade. I feel we could exceed the educational needs and improve the ninth grade experience by making this change.
3. How do you think the district should approach re-drawing attendance zones?
There are many factors to consider when looking at making zoning changes. Proximity to school, all members of a neighborhood being kept together, walkability , longevity of the plan, and time allowed for families to get notice of changes, just to name a few. We should prioritize the educational needs of our students and a strong plan that has longevity when making rezoning decisions.
4. Superintendent Bobby New is scheduled to retire in June. What are some
qualities and qualifications you would look for when hiring the next superintendent?
One of our actions as a board was to convene a committee to develop the qualifications and traits our new superintendent should have. That committee did an outstanding job of putting together a recommendation of choosing a superintendent that is a seasoned education professional the people of Fayetteville can trust. They went on to define the specific educational requirements and personal skills that they felt made up the profile of this person with trust being defined as a person of high competence and high character. There was prioritization given for each of the high competence and high character items. Our superintendent will have to work closely with the citizens of Fayetteville and the University of Arkansas while at the same time run our school system. We have a high expectation of this person. The position will not be easy to fill.
5. Are there any other issues affecting the district that you are concerned about?
What would you do to address these issues? As a board member it is our responsibility to provide the best possible education with the funds we are given. I do feel we provide our students with an excellent education. As a city, we have three entities that are working independently of each other but are inner related. The City Council, the school board and the University of Arkansas each have decision making authority that effects the other two, yet work independently of each other. I would like to see a plan for these three entities, that are so important to the success of Fayetteville, to work more closely together.
6. Do you have any family members who worked for the school district or in
education, and have you ever worked for the Fayetteville School District or other school districts?
My father, Benny Winborn, worked for FPS for 30 years. He began his career as a teacher at Jefferson Elementary and ended as Asst. Superintendent in charge of finance. My mother, Mildred Winborn, was the secretary of the high school.
7. Please provide the following background information.
Name: Susan Heil
Age: 46
Occupation: Raising three children, School Board Member, past employee of IBM
Civic activities: Member of PEO and St. Joseph Church
Family: One husband, three children, one dog and one snake
Education (high school and college): University of Arkansas and Houston Baptist University
Zone (School board member zone where you live)
I live in zone 1 but hold the At Large Position 2
This site was last updated 09/07/08