Why I am running for School Board

I am running for the Northwest Allen County School Board and I would like to earn your vote this May 2nd, 2006!

A little about me:
My name is Mike Sylvester and I grew up on the northeast side of Fort Wayne. I spent six years as a Reactor Operator on a nuclear powered submarine in the United States Navy. After being honorably discharged I spent a couple of years as a mechanical equipment operator in a civilian nuclear power plant, almost three years as a journeyman electrician in a steel mill, a year as an automation technician in a food processing plant, four years as the Maintenance Manager at The Halex corporation, and the last 18 months as a Staff Accountant at a local Public Accounting firm. I have an Associates degree in Industrial Maintenance and I will graduate with a Bachelors Degree in Business with a specialty in Accounting from IPFW in May of 2006. I have spent most of my life troubleshooting and repairing problems in a variety of industries.
My wife (Karena Sylvester, a local CPA) and I moved into the Northwest Allen County School District because we wanted our children to attend an effective, safe, and affordable public school system. We plan on living in Perry Township at least until both of our children graduate from Carroll High School. Our daughter Kayla will attend Oak View Elementary School in the fall of 2006. Our son Graydon will follow his sister in the fall of 2008. Karena and I both attended public schools in Indiana.

Why I am running for School Board:
1. I believe that we need to let teacher’s spend their time teaching rather then complying with excessive regulations and rules; teachers need to be allowed to focus on instructing their students.
2. I believe that the School Board needs fresh ideas and a perspective that comes from outside the public school system.
3. I believe that the Northwest Allen County School system can be improved without continuous property tax increases. I believe that the latest tax rate increase will end up increasing our total property tax bill by 14% just for our school district’s portion. Taxpayers have been told to expect similar increases in the next couple of years.

What I will do if elected to the NACS Board on May 2nd, 2006:
1. I will talk to as many teachers, parents, administrators, employees and students as I can. I think the people currently involved in the system are the one’s who best know how to improve the system.
2. I will represent the taxpayers of this district by analyzing the school budget and identifying ways to save taxpayer money. I feel that raising property taxes is the last solution that should be considered, not the first.

How you can help me get elected to the Northwest Allen County School Board:
1. Vote on May 2nd, 2006. Tell your friends, family, and neighbors about my campaign.
2. Get involved with my campaign. There are many things that you can do to help me with just a couple of hours of your time. Please contact me at 260-338-0833 or by email at Mike.Sylvester@Verizon.net.