Deborah Wahlstrom is president of Successline Inc., a company that provides training and consulting services to schools and school districts in the areas of student assessment, data-based school improvement, instructional strategies, and curriculum alignment. Her practical hands-on workshops have been highly acclaimed. As a past winner of two National School Boards Association awards for 100 Best Curriculum Ideas in the country, Deborah continues to design and deliver only the highest-quality training. She has also received awards for her work in research and evaluation. In addition to numerous other honors and recognitions, Deborah received a Distinguished Faculty Award from the Center for Global Business and Executive Education at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.
Before opening her own business, Deborah taught at the middle school level for Norfolk and Virginia Beach City Public Schools; served as a science specialist at the elementary level for Virginia Beach City Public Schools; served as Director of Research, Evaluation, and Communications for Portsmouth Public Schools; and served as a regional staff development facilitator for the Virginia Department of Education. Dr. Wahlstrom earned her doctorate in Urban Services (1988) from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.
23 comments:
There could not be a better choice for the school board and hopefully Dr. Liverman will support her. By now he must be fed up with the more of the same board members. What qualifications do any of them have other than name recognition? I've met Debra and no one could be more able to right some wrong headed thinking. It is time Suffolk parents woke up and paid attention to what's going on in our pathetic school system.
A strong choice for the children and taxpayers of Suffolk. I hope my fellow citizens fully support this well qualified candidate in November!
Roger A. Leonard
Suffolk...
Who else is running in the Suffolk Borough? I'll probably vote for Deb either way, but I'd like to know who my choices are. Will Debranksi be running again?
Deb is qualified and, if elected she will be a fine member. I wonder how many new council/school board members we will get this cycle.
My guess is 1-3 new councilman and 1-2 new school board members.
Seriously, if Suffolk is ever going to do anything to improve our public school performance and image, changes will have to begin at the School Board level.
Ms. Wahlstrom knows education and she's not mired in "the Suffolk way". She's smart enough to know that no 46,000,000 dollar facility is going to change the quality of student performance, nor will overpaid education bureaucrats who have never seen a significant performance metric they couldn't find a way to ignore. She also knows that simply throwing more money at the problem is not going to do any good if that money doesn't end up in your child's classroom.
If the current School Board is in charge, why do they always appear to be little more than Dr. Liverman's sock puppets with no mind of their own and no new ideas? What School Board Member today is strong enough to challenge the Superintendent's ideas, policies, performance, or District results?
Clearly this group isn't going to locate the key to the clue locker until the voters put in new members who are willing to make the kind of deliberate changes needed to achieve dramatic improvements over time.
Remember, it's not all the fault of the kids, or their parents, or the lack of funding that our public schools rank so low when compared to the other 130+ public school districts in VA! Suffolk's problems have much more to do with low expectations and standards; poor and uneven discipline; insufficient class time dedicated to science, math, and English; too few consequences for poor performance; a significant number of poorly educated teachers and substitute teachers; and gross overemphasis of sports over academic performance and achievement.
When the system and its culture need to change, those changes need to start at the top! Suffolk voters have a chance to replace them with some new people with different experience and new ideas. But as we learned during the last election cycle, the vast majority of Suffolkians will believe baseless claims and boasts that are sent home from school or end up in their mailboxes the week before the election. Until this changes, Suffolk education will continue to celebrate diversity, pop science, sports scores, and over priced facilities--but not achievement and subsequent collegiate success and and politeness Too bad.
Run Deborah, Run! We need you for the Suffolk borough and someone like G.H. Mears for Chuckatuck. He understands the issues. The Dick and Jane primer readers on the school board must be forced out of office for the children's sake.
Debra, you go girl! I can't vote for you as I live in the Cypress borrow, but have met you before and believe you will make a great School Board Member. Dr. Liverman is a joke and you can bring mental weight to the situation. I only ask that you guard against conversion to the "Suffolk way of doing things" and you fight to get rid of Dr. Liverman who is a pox upon our schools.
Good Luck Debra and we now all need to get behind her!!!
Hopefully Deb will win. It would be even better if 1 of 2 more like-minded individuals won also. This way, she will have other board members to back her up.
Deb is a business owner and former teacher. This gives her the unique abailty of being able to balance budgets and understand the needs of children/faculty/staff.
Chairman Skeeter is a joke. She knows nothing of parlaimentary procedure(Liverman essentially runs the meetings).
After watching one meeting online, I noticed that Whitley was struggling to use the electonic/computer voting method and had to ask for help.
Copeland seems ok, but I wonder if he wants a council seat-again.
I think there should be term limits for council and school board and mayor. 2 terms for mayor and 3 for council and school board.
Mr. Debranski is a fine gentleman who ran for mayor and failed but feels he is valuable to the city in some position. But Debra Wahlstrom is truly qualified and Debranski should get out of her way by not running. Be a hero and back Debra. Same with Whitley, retire and give someone else a chance to restore the school system. But Debra can't right things by herself. We need new candidates in each borough.
Does anyone know if Debranski would consider running for Council? He could also bring a more positive view for education on the council.
I supported Mr. Debranski in the Mayor's race and hope he will get out of the way for Debra and run against Parr for council where he can do real good. Parr is a self-server and inside deal maker as many have noted. I hope that Parr is ousted and Debranski is the person that should do that. Debra is the candidate for School Board there is no doubt! I pray that Liverman is ousted once we get some new members of the School Board and Council. He is the problem, not the solution!
Who is circulating petitions throughout the city - specifically the Suffolk Borough? Powell, Debranski, Wahlstrom, Parr...
Are the incumbents in Suffolk retiring like they are in Washington? That could be a good indicator for them as to how bad the storm will be this November.
Today, U.S. Senator Evan Bayh, an incumbent "Moderate" Dem from Indiana with $12 million in his campaign account announced he is retiring. The Bayh name is a household name in Indiana, and even he is getting the hint.
Bayh's dad was a senator, Evan was a two-term governor, secretary of state and two-term senator. For all intents and purposes, he should win as the bull-moose party's candidate. He wins in Democratic and GOP years.
Or maybe, just maybe he has gotten the hint that Americans aren't pleased with their elected representatives and a storm is brewing for November.
Will the so-called "independent" incumbents in Suffolk reitre also? Thus, allowing a fresh set of eyes to tackle the current budget problems faced by the school board and possibly the city council?
If the incumbents do stick around, will they be defeated? Or will the national mood not reflect that of local elections? Raleigh Isaacs did receive 70% last year. But he was running against a virtual unknown.
Only time will tell. Ralph and Jones were defeated in 2006. But those were May elections, composed of a different electorate.
It's deja vu all over again. Both parties are seeing a sudden bout of panic induced retirement. Some are taking the smart approach and boarding the lifeboats on the RMS Obama before they hit the iceberg. While others are content just to rearrange the deck chairs choosing to ignore the disaster that will befall us all very soon. Both groups have squirreled away millions in bank accounts and have nothing to fear for the rest of their lives. That is unless they are confronted by angry mobs. Watch very closely where they travel to overseas in the months before they depart office. God Bless them all and Heaven smile upon them.
I believe that most of the folks who have read her opinions over the past couple of years have likely concluded that Debra Wahlstrom would be a great addition to the school board. I agree—emphatically. In my book she’s highly qualified, caring, fiscally responsible, competent, and—with her highly credentialed background in education—well suited to the task.
So good luck and thanks for “throwing you hat into the ring,” Deb. All of us in Suffolk would be winners if you succeed in the coming election.
Go Debra!
I agree with one who suggested that Debranski should resign at the end if his term and allow Debra Wahlstrom to run unopposed. She is educated to use available data to get the schools functioning as they should. If other schools in Michigan, Virginia and California are will to pay for her services, Suffolk should be happy to get it at no cost. Liverman can benefit.
I have only one question. What will Liverman do if Debra wins? Semms like the party will be over and it will be time to do the heavy lifting and problem solving. Things Liverman has shurked for years.
How would people feel about a 15 year seasoned homeschool mom of 5 running for the schoolboard. I could be that member that could back Debra up, for I share the same values as Debra. My tax dollars still pay for the school system and I hate to see my money wasted. I don't waste money in my personal life, for I have no debt except for house. I believe you don't spend your way out of dept. We need to focus on educatine the kids, they are our future.
Anonymous at 7:38 a.m. -
I could not support you.
Perhaps you should first focus on your own education: I believe the word you meant to spell is "educating". But that was probably a typographical error.
Additionally, what makes you qualified to serve on the school board? As a "homeschool mom", what educational/professional/business qualifications do you have? Have you ever worked outside of the home?
Ma'am, why would you want to serve on a board that oversees an entity that you probably have contempt for? Have you ever sent any of your children to one of Suffolk's Public Schools? Have you ever been inside of one? Have you ever taught in one? What do you know about them?
If you only want to serve to decrease waste and "back Debra up", why bother? With a shallow campaign platform like that, I don't think many people will be inclined to vote for you? I'm sorry to say that, but it's true.
It is not appealing to someone that lives in your borough to know that your agenda is with other board members, and not your constituents and most importantly -the children.
If elected to the board, will you send your own children to public schools? If you're worried about waste then perhaps you should run for city council.
Homeschool Mom,
What would you change about the current curriculum? What staff chages would you want made? How do feel about the current administration?
You homeschool your kids, which is your choice, but if you have no particular knowledge of the Suffolk Public School System, then what makes you uniquely qualified over the incumbent?
Homeschooling Mom, hold your ground.
You may be just the right person to guide those blinded by ambition and ego into the light. I recall in history of a man from Illinois (not Obama) that was called by his generals as the Original Ape. He was scoffed at by his peers. The newspapers mocked him in cartoon charactures as inexperienced, while he guided our country through some of the most difficult bloody and dark years of it's history. He was reviled by his peers, now sainted. He was laughed at as a country bumpkin, now an example to us. He made mistakes as any man makes, that later were over shadowed by his accomplishments. I see no reason whatsoever why a homeschooling parent with a good head on their shoulders and will power wouldn't make an outstanding contribution to the school board.
Home Schooling MOM needs to get a life. We have "Professional Women running this city and don't need a country bumkin trying to help. If you don't trust the local schools to school your kids, stay home with them and keep it zipped. We need real strong women to run the city, like the City Manager and Mayor.
Anon Feb 28 7::58 p.m.
Ouch!
What if the people who have chosen not to send their children to public schools are citizens we want to talk with since they know what it would take to have a school district in which more parents would want to send their children?
And why would "strong business women" be afraid of a mom who has chosen a parent's right to take full responsibility for the education of her children?
The homeschool mom pays local taxes with 50% going to the government schools. She also buys school books, supplies and gives her time and energy to educate her children. My only questions are does she have the necessary free time and how can she keep it all going. Someone with that kind of energy certainly stands out next to the meatheads we elected to the school board.
I believe that someone who is homeschooling her children is probably very qualified to be on the school board. Home schooled children have won the national spelling bee for the last few years and have gotten into colleges ahead of their peers. Unless this mom's children aren't keeping up with their public school peers, I think she's more than qualified.
And, maybe if our schools were better, she'd opt to send her children to public school.
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