Community Updates

Community Updates

20221110

Thank you all for your trust and support!

Dear neighbors and friends:

It is a great honor and very humbling for me to be elected to the WLCSC school board. I am deeply moved by the trust and support from our community. I would like to express my sincere thanks to my family members, friends, and loyal supporters who so generously contributed their time and effort to our campaign during the election season.

Your votes demonstrate that you trust me to be your voice on the board. I am well aware of the responsibility as a school board member that you have given me, and I do not take this position lightly. I look forward to working with other board members, our school administrations, teachers, and community members. Together, we can serve our community and build better schools for our children.

Again, thanks for your trust and support.

20221108

My view regarding PAC (Political Action Committee) on school board election

I believe local community school board election should be non-partisan, and Political Action Committee (PAC) shouldn’t be involved. Public schools are local institutions providing education service in the community. School board’s policies/decisions should be made by representatives elected by community members without interference from outside organizations, political parties/agendas, and/or financial beneficiaries of local schools.

20221027

My view regarding WLCSC debt ($83.9M in principal)

It is always great to have nice new school buildings, Café, aquatic center and performance art center. However, funding those projects with long term (20-year) bonds has its own downsides which are worth consideration:

Costly: total principal (the money we got) of 4 bonds are $83.9M, the interest obligation is $38.8M over 20 years (until 2040), close to $2M/year interest payments. (Our school annual expenditure for special education programs is $2M as comparison.) Direct cost of new WLIS building is $29M, the total cost, principal + interest, should be around $42M.
Risky: the major reason bond market/investors are willing to buy school bonds with relatively low interest return is almost zero default rate of those municipal bonds. From now to 2040, in case school debt service revenue cannot meet the obligate and school fails to make payment at due day, IN state treasurer must fulfill school obligate in 5 days. The state treasurer then deducts the amount from tuition supports distributed from state to that school corporate. In my opinion, too much debt puts our school education fund in jeopardy.
Fairness? For students in our school from 2030 to 2040, they do not have necessary resources for any new capital/facility projects, since all debt service funds are used for payment of those 4 bonds issued from 2017 to 2020.
Underutilized facilities: overinvestment in school facilities may end up with underused or vacant building.

Here is my idea (an imaginary roadmap): we have $5-6M/year debt service revenue. With good financial planning and project prioritizing, from 2016 to 2030 (15 years), total debt service revenue should be over $80M, which should be enough for WLIS(29M) + WLES renovation(15M) + Jr/Sr High Aquatic Center & Café(12M) + JRGAW(13M) + BKPAC(8M) = $77M, even taking inflation into consideration. By 2030, we should get all we have now (need/want/luxury, no matter what your opinion is.) with $0 debt! And students in our school from 2030 to 2040 have enough funds for whatever building renovation/facility upgrading etc.

The decisions were made years ago, new buildings/facility were in service while around $6M/year debt obligation needs to be fulfilled until 2040. It was done deal, we cannot change much, and I am NOT criticizing anyone or school board decisions made years ago. Everyone has his/her own vision/opinion/preference/style, some are risktakers, some are risk-averse etc. I am just sharing my thoughts and an alternative roadmap of a slower yet steady school growth which achieves the same goal with much lower cost and no financial risk involved. Feel free to compare two roadmaps and draw your own conclusion.

For those decisions we made years ago, it is certainly worth to honestly revisit/review them and their current/future outcomes, both positives and negatives, so that we can improve and make better decisions in future.

20221013

Dear friends and neighbors,

Here are my answers to questions for WL school board candidates from Dave Bangert. (about 5 minutes reading time) I hope you find these are informative in case you have similar questions. If you have follow-questions or would like to know more about me and my campaign, please visit my website https://lw4wlsb.org. or send me email laurenceywang@yahoo.com. All questions welcome!

About you …

Age:

Occupation: Business analyst

Education: BS in Business Administration, MS in Finance, MS in Management Information System

Past elected positions, if any: None

Immediate family: My wife and two children

Your campaign site online: https://lw4wlsb.org

Questions …

I. Why are you running?

A: The WLCSC school board represents our community’s voice and interests in public education. I am running for the school board because I believe the school board should represent and serve our community in an accountable and transparent manner. As a complex corporation, WLCSC requires a governing board that collectively have a full range of skills and experiences. I believe my educational and professional experience in finance is a plus for the board. Together with other board members and stakeholders, we will improve our schools and enhance education quality for our children.

II. What are your connections with the district?

A: We have been living in this community for over ten years. Both of my children currently attend Jr./Sr. high school, one is in 7^th grade, another one is in 8^th grade.

III. Name two of your top priorities for the district. And how will you handle them?

A: 1) ”Deficiencies in the internal control system“ identified by state examiner: I would promote a well-designed and effectively implemented internal control system, which ensures accuracy in financial reporting, enhances transparency, and protects values of tangible assets as well as intangible assets such as school reputation and community confidence.

2) Disadvantaged students and special-need students are underserved. I believe all students should receive equal and nondiscriminatory education opportunities. Additional support for disadvantage students and special need students is crucial to help them overcome social or economic disadvantages which prevent them from obtaining appropriate benefit from public education.

IV. What do you see as the biggest challenge for the district? And how do you proposed to solve or deal with it?

A: I think the flat enrollment is the biggest challenge for WLCSC. Enrollment is directly tied to education funding WLCSC received. It is also the major factor which decides school budgets, class sizes, and facility utilization. I would suggest an inclusive, safe, and engaging school environment, high quality extracurricular programs, and better understanding of student educational needs, to improve enrollment.

V. How would you rate the performance of the current superintendent and administration?

A: I think the current administration has made several good moves in 2022. Early this year, the superintendent hired an external financial consultant who conducted an external financial review of WLSCS. The superintendent also hired a new CFO with years’ experience working as a CFO. I believe external auditing, frequent risk assessments and an expert in charge of financial matters are critical moves improving WLCSC finance governance. Currently, the school collects proposals and feedbacks from staff as well as community stakeholders for prioritizing capital projects. I think these help WLCSC move toward a more transparent, well-informed, and collaborative decision-making process.

VI. Are you part of a coalition or slate of candidates in this race? If so, what is it? And what are the common aims and goals?

A: No.

VII. The Indiana General Assembly debated a pair of bills that would have provided more oversight of classrooms, including asking teachers to post lesson plans at the start of the year so parents could review them and limiting how schools teach what were termed “divisive concepts.” Do you back those proposals. Why or why not?

A: Those proposals make sense to me. Communication and information sharing are two major ways to improve classroom transparency. Parents are ultimately responsible for their children’s education. When parents are more comfortable with what their children are taught in classroom, they will be more willingly to send their kids to our school. I believe classroom transparency will help WLCSC’s enrollment.

(Below are more comments regarding specific items proposed in the bill in response of follow-up questions.)

I believe parents’ rights to review curriculum taught in minors’ classrooms should be protected. Sharing instructional materials helps build up parent-teacher collaboration which creates an optimal learning environment both at home and at school. As a matter of fact, many WLCSC teachers share their class contents/plans and students’ progress with parents regularly. However, teachers expertise in classroom should be fully respected, what class materials to share and when to share them should be up to teachers’ discretion instead of regulated by state lawmakers. I believe it is unnecessary, burdensome and unrealistic to share a whole year of detailed teaching plans at the beginning of each academic year. Regarding whether a specific subject should be included into curriculum, parents, teachers, education administrators, and lawmakers/policymakers should work together to make the curriculum decisions and policies that best serve students as well as the community.

VIII. A new charter school, the Indianapolis-based Paramount School of Excellence, will open in fall 2023 in Lafayette, serving Greater Lafayette. Do you back the expansion of charter schools in and near your district?

A: I do not think it is a relevant issue about our school board election. I still believe WLCSC can do much better with or without charter schools in our community – that is why I am running for school board. However, I am in favor of more educational options for students and parents because, I believe our children deserve the best education, and each child is unique. In case a student’s educational need cannot be fulfilled in traditional public schools, I think it will be in the student’s best interests to gain more suitable education via alternatives.

IX. Name two specific things that separate you from your opponents and why they matter.

A: I do not think there are any “opponents” in the upcoming school board election. I believe all candidates are willing to serve our community and want to make WLCSC a better school corporation. As a complex corporation with $30+ million annual budget and over two thousand fulltime students, WLCSC requires a governing board that collectively have a full range of skills and experiences. My education background in finance as well as professional experience in various industries could certainly contribute to the school board.

20221006

My answers to questions for WL school board candidates from Journal and Courier (Lafayette)

Quick Bio (Name, occupation, city of residence)

I am Laurence Wang. I used to be a business analyst and I have worked in various industries. My wife and I have two children, and we are West Lafayette residents for over 10 years.

1. Why are you running?

2. What is your connection to the district? Do you have children or grandchildren that attend school in your district?

A: We have been living in this community for over ten years. Both of my children currently attend West Lafayette Jr./Sr. high school, one is in 7^th grade, another one is in 8^th grade.

3. Why do you think you’re the best candidate for this position?

A: As a complex corporation with $30+ million annual budget and over two thousand full time students, WLCSC requires a governing board that collectively have a full range of skills and experiences. My formal education in finance as well as professional experience in various industries can contribute well to the school board.

4. What do you think is the most important issue facing the school corporation that you are running for? If elected, how would go about addressing that issue?

A: I think ”Deficiencies in the internal control system“ identified by state examiner (SBOA) in their biennial auditing report is the most important issue WLCSC should fix in near future. If elected, I would promote a well-designed and effectively implemented internal control system, which ensures clear and reliable financial reporting, enhances transparency, and protects values of tangible assets as well as intangible assets such as school reputation and community confidence.

5. Regarding school safety, how would try to address parent’s concerns for their child’s safety.

A: Here are top three things the school could do to address the safety concerns of parents: 1. Make safety related policies according to state codes, increase awareness of safety and provide necessary training and professional development for teachers and staff 2. Allocate necessary funds for security and safety related equipment (e.g. Security camera) and staff (e.g. School Resource Officer). 3. Frequent internal and external safety reviews and risk assessments to make sure school safety policies are implemented effectively. I think these could create a safer learning environment for our children and give a peace of mind to their parents.

6. Is there anything within the current educational curriculum that you would like to see changed? And if so, what is it and why? And if not, why?

A: Parents suggest WLCSC should work with Purdue University and offer dual credit courses for gifted and high-achieving high-school students, so that students could have the opportunity to earn both high school and college credits (from Purdue University) simultaneously. I think such dual credit programs should be included into our school curricula.

20220926

My views regarding charter school

First of all, I am NOT advocating charter school in our community. I still believe WLCSC can do thing much better with or without charter school in our community. That is why I am running for school board.

I am in favor of more educational options for students and parents because, I believe our children deserve the best education, and each child is unique. In case a student’s educational need cannot be fulfilled in traditional public schools, I think it will be in those students’ best interests to gain more suitable education in either public charter schools or other alternatives. I think this issue should be more relevant to state legislators who make state educational laws rather than to our local school board members.

Again, I am NOT advocating charter school in our community. No matter what your opinion about charter school is, we can still serve our community together and make better schools.

If you have any questions about me or my campaign, please feel free to let me know or visit my website https://lw4wlsb.org.

Many thanks!

20220923

Memo regarding WLCSC transfer students

Regarding transfer students in WLCSC, here is the memo I got per discussion with school administrations.

I. There are two categories of cash transfer students:

Students whose parents are current employee of WLCSC: Those students shall be admitted tuition-free (application form is still needed for each student.) no matter where their legal settlement is (IC 20-26-11-6.5). Currently, we have 110 students in this category, and this number is included in school’s Average Daily Members (ADM).
Students from TSC: currently, we have 119 from TSC according to the agreement between WLCSC and TSC. WLCSC will send invoice to TSC and collect tuition payment from TSC for each transfer student. Tuition payment received from TSC will be deposited into Education Fund.

II. Current procedure to admit a TSC transfer student:

Student file transfer application to TSC and get approval from TSC.
File transfer application to WLCSC administration office, and each application will be time stamped by WL admin upon received.
Then forwarded to building admin, the principle will decide whether approve the application, majorly depending on school/classroom capacity.
Applications approved by building admin will be forwarded to superintendent assistant for approval.
Final sign-off is done at the superintendent’s office once all other approvals are complete.
Send admission notice to students.

III. School Policy 5111 governs how to admit transfer student. The policy is accurate to the practice school currently follows. School policies are maintained through a consultation firm, and policies are reviewed periodically by the board and administration to respond to changes in code.

IV. In 2022, there is no denied transfers who applied within the timeframe to accept the transfers.

20220922

Joined the forum for six candidates.

Local TV station’s coverage:

https://www.wlfi.com/news/west-lafayette-school-board-candidates-square-off-in-public-forum/article_5248447c-3af3-11ed-80c3-3f95d9e5bee8.html

20220921

My answers to five questions for WL school board candidates from League of Women Voters of Greater Lafayette.

1. Why are you running for school board?

A: The WLCSC school board represents community’s voice and interests in public education. How a school board conducts its business strongly influences school leadership, teachers and eventually our children. I am running for school board because I believe our children deserve the best education. I also believe the school board should represent and serve our community in an accountable and transparent manner. As a complex corporation, WLCSC requires a governing board that collectively have a full range of skills and experiences. I believe my educational and professional experience in finance is a plus for the board. Together with other board members and stakeholders, we will improve our schools and enhance education quality for our children.

2. Are there safety and security issues the school district needs to address? Explain your response.

A: Based on feedbacks collected from our community, there may be some concerns regarding aggressive behaviors, harassments and/or bullying on the school bus, which need to be addressed by WLCSC. Some students are reluctant to ride the school bus due to these concerns. School buses are an extension of the school’s classrooms, but bus attendants may not always be available. Bus drivers usually needs to focus on the road and may not be able to monitor everything and intervene as needed. I believe safety should be on the top of the school’s priority list, and WLCSC should take necessary measures to ensure safety on the school bus.

3. When developing new policies and procedures how would you balance expert recommendations and parental input?

A: After identifying the issues which should be addressed by a new policy, I would rely primarily on experts for developing policies. They are professionals who have advanced knowledge in a specific field, and they gain knowledge through experiences, training, and practices to stay current in their areas of expertise. The best practices and procedures based on their expertise should be incorporated into new polices. In the meantime, I fully recognize the fact that parents are primarily responsible for their children’s education. Their inputs should be considered seriously during the new policy developing phase. Clear communication and transparency are the keys to achieve consensus and build up trust among policy stakeholders.

4. How should schools address the increase in students with mental health concerns?

A: WLCSC should create inclusive, positive, and safe learning environment for students with mental health concerns. we should have a strong, professional team in school mental health services, hiring experienced and great school counselors and/or licensed mental health providers. Staff and teachers should be trained on how to identify mental health issues at early stage, and help students with their social, emotional, and mental well-beings.

5. Please describe your experiences, if any, dealing with people who are different from you socially, racially, economically, or politically.

A: I am a first-generation immigrant from a very different cultural background, and for many years I have worked closely with coworkers from different ethnic groups and cultures. I believe each person is unique and valuable. I appreciate and respect other people’s work and their views on social and political issues. While working with people from different backgrounds, my approach is always to identify the common ground, to pursue consensus, to build up trust, to reconcile differences, to be professional and to get the job done. These are the best practices developed through my years’ professional experience. And it works.

20220919

My views regarding professionalism, accountability, and transparency.

Professionalism: Maintaining a high standard of professionalism is very important for school. For example, school should treat staffs and faculties in a respectful and professional manner. School pays low salaries for paraprofessionals ($12/Hour) who work long hours to provide additional service for about 240 special-need students. I do not think high turnover rate of paraprofessionals is good for those special need students. If school treats professional educators and staffs in a fair and professional way, they will treat our children in the same way.

Accountability: School board represents the voice and interests of community. My observation is, almost all proposals or recommendations are quickly passed by board without much discussion or Q&A. I did not see any proposals rejected or even revised by board during last one or two years.

Transparency: Clear and reliable financial reports are starting point of transparency. Some issues (e.g. lack of financial internal control system; off-book cash transactions etc.) identified by external auditor Michael Reuter’s report as well as SBOA auditing report need to be addressed. For example, all school activities are funded by various types of funds, such as education fund, debt service fund, rainy day fund etc. Each of those types of funds has its own purpose, source and usage regulated by state codes as well as school policies. Without a well designed and implemented internal control system, school funds could be easily misused.

20220917

Thanks, Peppercorn Kitchen – Chef’s Special

20220914

My campaign signs are here today, just setup one.

20220908

Community gatherings September 15^th.

20220904

Announcement of Candidacy

Dear friends and neighbors:

I am Laurence Wang, a 10-year resident of West Lafayette. I am pleased to announce my candidacy for WLCSC school board member. My educational and professional experience makes me a suitable candidate for our school board member.

I decided to run for a seat of WL school board 2022 because I believe our children deserve the best education. I also believe the school board should represent and serve our community in a transparent and accountable manner. Please visit my campaign website (https://lw4wlsb.org) for more information about me and my campaign. I also appreciate your support by spreading the word or getting involved with my campaign.

Thanks for your support.

Laurence Wang

20220827

A CPA (Certified Public Accountant) joined our campaign team as the treasurer.

Ms. Rao Fu, CPA, as well as a West Lafayette resident with two kids in WL schools, decided to join our campaign team for WLCSC school board 2022. She will be the campaign treasurer, collect monetary contributions, process payments for all campaign related expenses as well as fulfill government campaign finance reporting duties. Welcome and thanks for willing to serve our community!

20220826

Six candidates for WLCSC school board election 2022. reported by Lafayette Journal & Courier

” The WLCSC currently has three seats up for grabs, which are held by Alan Karpick, Karen Springer, and Rachel Witt (board president).

As of Friday, six people have filed with the county for a seat on the WLCSC’s board: Springer, Witt, Laurence Wang, George Lyle IV, Dacia Mumford and Angela Janes. ” Full Report ….

20220825

So far five candidates for WLCSC school board. reported by Lafayette Journal & Courier

” West Lafayette Community School Corporation seats: currently held by Alan Karpick, Karen Springer, and Rachel Witt (board president). So far, Springer, Witt, Laurence Wang, George Lyle IV, and Dacia Mumford have filed with the county.” Full Report.

20220818

Campaign slogan picked: Your Voice on the Board.

Thanks everyone who took the survey for slogan picking. I will use “Your voice on the board” as my school board campaign slogan. Thanks again.