Watershed Voice sent out questionnaires to over 30 candidates running for elected school board positions in St. Joseph County and the surrounding area. Leading up to the General Election on November 3, Watershed will publish the questionnaires as it receives them back from the candidates. Fred Barclay, an incumbent candidate for the School Board of White Pigeon Community Schools, filled out our questionnaire. These are his answers.
Name: Fred Barclay
Age: 38
Address: 70589 Sunset Blvd., Union, MI 49130
Family (optional): Wife – Andrea; Son – Niko (6th Grade); Daughter – Teresa (9th Grade)
Background/Bio:
(Answered with next question)
Does your background include training or work, paid or unpaid, in education? What was that experience? What are some of your successes, and what have been some learning moments?
I am honored to be serving my first term on the White Pigeon Board of Education. I grew up in Nappanee, IN graduating from Northwood High School. Later, I attended Purdue University majoring in Computer Technology. I am currently employed as a Network Engineer at United Federal Credit Union. I married my wife Andrea in 2004. We have a 14-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son, both attending White Pigeon Schools. Our family enjoys spending our summers on Baldwin Lake where we have lived for the past 10 years. I am excited to serve our schools and community. Go Chiefs!
I am the current Treasurer for the White Pigeon School Board, finishing up my first term. This first few years, have been a great experience. I have learned so much about budgeting and day to day operations within the school. I believe our greatest success has been passing the Millage and the Sinking fund proposals. I am so grateful to our community for their support!
As far as learning moments, holy cow, there are so many! As a parent there is a lot you take for granted in what it takes to keep a school running. First off, our teachers are the best! They deal with so much and give their blood, sweat and tears everyday to educate our children. Additionally, there is so much work behind the scenes that Jon and Carrie, our Superintendents, do week in and week out to ensure the school functions as smooth as possible. Our principals, Todd Reynolds and Shelly McBride work tirelessly giving all their extra time and effort to make sure that our kids are safe and remain healthy through these crazy times.
I can’t say it enough, I am so grateful to be a part of this community and school district.
Do you now or have you ever had children enrolled in the district where you are running?
Our son Niko is in 6th Grade and our Daughter Teresa is in 9th grade.
How else do you currently participate, or have you participated in the past, in school district activities?
I am currently the acting Treasurer for the White Pigeon Schoolboard. My wife and I have ran the Santa’s workshop fundraiser event at Central Elementary for the past several years. I also assist with Coaching the Science Olympiad team at the high school, specializing in technology fields (Game On, Detector Building, Source Code, etc..). I am also the acting Vice President of the District’s School Board Advisory Committee, this committee delivers training twice a year to all school board’s across the district.
How has your school district handled the pandemic in both the spring and fall of this year? If anything, what would you have done differently?
I believe our school has done an excellent job in handling the pandemic! While there is no perfect solution; Jon Keyer, Carrie Erlandson, Todd Reynolds and Shelly McBride have done an amazing job getting our kids back in school and on a much-needed regular schedule. The Hybrid approach is something that seems to balance out both safety and the need for our kids to get in person instruction.
Outside of the pandemic, what are currently the most important challenges your school district faces? How do you plan to address those challenges?
I believe with any school district keeping parents engaged in their childrens’ education is the most important thing we can do. White Pigeon has done a great job keeping our parents involved in day to day activitie. Communication is key!
Are there other key points of your platform as a candidate for school board? If so, what are they?
I believe that as a district we should continue to evolve the avenues in which we deliver education. Technology is key here. We are seeing great success with Google Classroom and I think there is a lot of room for continued improvement in this area. I strongly support increasing the amount of technology available to our students and improving upon their (and the teacher’s) ability educate through technology.
How does running for the school board fit your broader views and ethics?
I believe that it is my calling to serve the community and White Pigeon Community Schools. As a parent and school board member, I work hard to make sure that our children get the best possible education to raise them into young men and women.
Why is education important to you?
Educating our children is like investigating in our future. The boys and girls in Central Elementary and White Pigeon High School are going to be the men and women that shape our future. What better place to invest our time and effort than the future?
Is there anything else the community should know about you?
These last few years with the School Board have been a fantastic experience for me and I would be honored if the community decides to grant me another 4 years!
