School Board Candidates Give Their Policy Ideas
There are six candidates running to fill four slots on the East Lansing Board of Education. To help residents get to know who is running, ELi asked each candidate to answer three questions in 250 words or less.
The school board seats will be determined in two separate races. One race is for three full, four-year terms. The candidates for those seats are Chris Martin, Estrella Torrez, Felix Thibodeau and Elizabeth Lyons.
The other race is for a two-year partial term. Gary Holbrook and Abbie Tykocki are the candidates in that election.
The following responses were written by candidates. The order responses are shown in was determined randomly.
Question: What specific policies would you like to see implemented in the district? How would these policies improve the experience of ELPS students, staff and other members of the ELPS community?
Candidates for full terms

Elizabeth Lyons
I would advocate for continued inclusive education policies to enhance the educational experience and overall well-being of the ELPS community. Promoting an inclusive curriculum that reflects diverse perspectives and experiences can foster a sense of belonging among all students. This would help create a more welcoming environment and encourage peer understanding and respect. I also believe that mental health and well-being Initiatives that prioritize mental health resources, such as increased access to counseling services and mental health education programs, would support students’ emotional well-being. Lastly, sustainability and environmental initiatives promote sustainability within the school, such as recycling programs and energy-efficient practices, which can instill a sense of responsibility in students. This benefits the environment and cultivates a culture of stewardship within the community.

Chris Martin
Our District does great work, but I believe there are opportunities to improve our students’ experiences at all levels of instruction.
At the elementary level, I would like the District to support more academic enrichment activities and after school programs. In the past, our elementary students participated in interdisciplinary programs like Odyssey of the Mind, Science Olympiad, and coding and technology programs. We also offered widespread after-school activities like chess clubs, archery clubs, and fitness clubs. These programs are an essential companion to our core curriculum because they promote achievement and build community.
At the middle school level, I would like to see more opportunities for students in math, science, and technology. We must provide resources and supports to prepare our students to excel in math and science. We need clear pathways for students wishing to pursue advanced math and science beginning in middle school, and transparent expectations for students, parents, and caregivers.
At the high school level, I believe we should offer more individualized college and career counseling. Our goal should be connecting our students to the many resources and opportunities of our District and community from the time they begin high school. After that, we should monitor student progress and provide individual guidance as students advance toward graduation. I believe more individualized college and career counseling (beginning in the 9th grade year) will allow students to pursue their interests, increase opportunities for all our students, and support our students in achieving their personal goals.

Felix Thibodeau
Every student should graduate with some practical skills. My father first took woodshop in 6th grade and then took it every year after and became a master cabinet maker. Our students need access to facilities that can provide them with education through practical skills. College is a very important stage of education, and I think it should be free and mandatory. Which is why training our students to exclusively excel in academic environments hampers their ability to excel outside of those environments. Teaching students so they can be allowed into college leads to emphasis on test scores, and brief judgemental glances into a small portion of their life. The neighbor’s car alarm going off all night should not dictate whether you get into your dream school or wait listed, but I speak from personal experience when I say that it can. There are countless ways we can improve the lives of our students, teachers, faculty, and parents, but they all come back to building community and having dialogue. We also must reduce our carbon footprint, work with local labor unions to enhance our schools and provide resources for students, provide plentiful green space, reduce local high speed traffic, emphasize restorative community justice, and work with student teachers and parents to build a community that can focus on the children and their futures.

Estrella Torrez
Socio-emotional health and well-being are critical issues for me, as well as addressing the insufficient resources to address student socio-emotional well-being. We know from recent scholarship based on studies evaluating students’ mental health in a post-pandemic world that our students need significant support. Recovering from a post-pandemic world and increased use of social media, our students are feeling raised levels of loneliness, disconnection, and anxiety. While I understand that social media will not disappear, we, as a school community, should recognize and work to address these platforms’ impact on young people’s social-emotional well-being. In 2023, the US Surgeon General released a report on social media and mental health discussing social media’s impacts on brain growth, mental health, and sense of self. Unfortunately, not all school employees are trained to offer such support or do not have access to adequate resources to promote student socio-emotional wellness. I would like to see more policies that ensure essential resources to assist school staff in navigating ways to support students’ well-being.
Candidates for partial term

Gary Holbrook
I would like to see the school board adopt a land acknowledgement, and I would like the board to encourage other members of the ELPS community to use the acknowledgement. The board recently passed a racial equity policy; it’s likely that policy will need revision once it has been in place for a couple of years.
I would be cautious about adding Board Policies. It is tempting for a board to use policies to impose its will upon the school district, however a good school board stays away from daily operations. When we create Board Policies we are in danger of crossing the boundary between governance and operations, especially if that policy directs daily operations.
If you haven’t reviewed the ELPS Board Policy Manual, consider doing so. Pick one or two policies that may impact you or your students and peruse them. The ELPS policy manual is both mature and comprehensive because ELPS purchases the policy manual from Thrun and then updates it when necessary.

Abbie Tykocki
Our students need to be prepared for a diverse, technology-driven world. As the district works to develop policies around the ethical use of Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning technology, I am committed to supporting the advancement of digital literacy programs in our curriculum. These should emphasize critical thinking, inclusive practices, and responsible digital citizenship.
All policy decisions should be rooted in the ELPS mission of “nurturing each child, educating all students, and building world citizens.” We can achieve this by ensuring our administrators, teachers, and staff are adequately and equitably resourced for continued professional development that incorporates inclusive educational modules and strategies for purposeful accountability. Honoring the intersection of social identities in our school district will foster a more inclusive environment that encourages understanding, collaboration, and respect – ultimately enriching the educational experience for all.