Andy's priorities for Ann Arbor's public schools

The first duty of our public schools is to create an environment where all students can learn to the best of their ability.

Providing such a learning environment requires:

• Excellent teaching;
• Equity in educational opportunities;
• Support for a wide range of programs including the arts and athletics;
• Alternative learning opportunities that provide multiple paths to success for different kinds of students;
• High quality programs to assist students who face special difficulties in their education.

To ensure that we can provide the best education possible to the children of our community, our schools must make the best use of available resources and demonstrate responsible financial management.

Preparing our children for a changing world requires a more rigorous curriculum that meets international standards and gives students the tools they need to adapt to change.

Excellent schools cannot exist in a vacuum. Our schools must engage with our community, communicate with stakeholders, and work to be as transparent as possible.

Our district has already made significant progress in many of these areas, but we have farther to go and work to do before we can say that Ann Arbor Public Schools has met and secured these goals.