Anna Mierkowicz
BY SHEILA R. McAFEE
The Trenton Board of Education has selected Anna Mierkowicz to join them at the table for the next two years.
Mierkowicz, 36, was among a field of 10 residents the board interviewed during its April 12 meeting to fill the seat vacated by Trustee Michael Hawkins, who resigned March 22.
Hawkins, a board member since 2007, was named Trenton High School football coach April 23. But that decision was overruled by Superintendent Doug Mentzer April 30. (See related story ).
Mierkowicz will serve until Dec. 31, 2022, the end of Hawkins’s term. The seat will be placed on the November 2022 ballot for a term that will begin Jan. 1, 2023.
A licensed speech and language pathologist with Lincoln Park Public Schools, Mierkowicz is a member of the Trenton Parks and Recreation Commission and a Trenton Summer Festival subcommittee. She and her husband, Richard, are the parents of two children.
While candidates offered a wide range of professional, personal and community experience for consideration, Sean Gearhart, board president, said Mierkowicz’s application, professional skillset and interview performance set her apart.
All but Trustee Kellee Howey were on hand for the interviews and unanimous vote. She was excused due to a work conflict.
Per guidelines from the Michigan Association of School Boards, 15 minutes was given each candidate to answer the same five questions: What they will bring to the board; how many hours they expect to devote to board responsibilities; their assessment of the district’s administration and operations; their personal connection with district employees; and why they haven’t sought election before, in light of the fact that three seats were up for election last November.
While all indicated a previous desire to run for office, the timing wasn’t right last year. They were enticed by the current situation, which provides an opportunity to experience what the position holds without having to launch a campaign for a six-year term.
Mierkowicz said her work with K-12 students will help her bring a student’s perspective to the board table, along with a collaborative spirit and a focus on students and staff.
When asked to assess the district’s administration and operations, she wasn’t the only applicant to express a lack of understanding about certain administrative changes last year (the departures of Rodney Wakeham, former superintendent, and Michael Doyle, high school community liaison, and the appointment of Kelly Miller as principal of Anderson Elementary School to replace Doug Mentzer, who was named superintendent).
While praising school leaders for their efforts to keep education moving forward throughout the pandemic, several voiced what they perceived to be a break in trust and communication within the school community, and sought the position to help mend that gap.
Mierkowicz is the candidate with the most personal ties to district employees, including her aunt, Asst. Supt. Stephanie O’Connor.
With 30 days to fill the position after Hawkins resigned, and one meeting scheduled during that time because of Easter and Spring Break, the board moved quickly to inform residents of the vacancy and encourage them to apply.
The response was promising and surprising.
“This situation has happened a couple of times during my time on the board and there wasn’t this kind of response,” said Gearhart during the interviews.
On behalf of his board colleagues, Gearhart offered appreciation to all of the applicants for their interest in serving the district: David Baxter, James DeRupa, Donald Freese, Jason Gerou, David Jenkins, James Parcha, Chris Robinson, Amanda Smith and Thomas Wolsek.
Like Mierkowicz, Hawkins was appointed in 2007 to fill the vacancy of a departing trustee. Shortly after, he was elected to the position, which was then a four-year term.
Terms were extended to six years in 2012 when then-Gov. Rick Snyder signed Public Acts 232 and 233, requiring Michigan school districts to hold elections in November of even-numbered years, concurrently with presidential and gubernatorial elections.
Prior to that, school districts had the option of conducting board elections in May or November of odd-numbered years. The move was touted as a cost-saving measure.
Fellow trustees, Thomas Kinney, Heather Lear and Howey, also began as appointees who subsequently were elected to the board.
The reasons for resignations vary, but most often it has been work or family circumstances that affect the required duties of a school board member.
In addition to Gearhart, Howey, Lear and Kinney, Mierkowicz joins board members Maegan Drake and Rebecca Caldwell.
The board meets the second and fourth Mondays of the month at the Administrative Offices on Charlton Road. Meetings are currently livestreamed.