New Huron Valley School Board President Embraces Challenges

Sean Carlson has served his country and his state, and now he's serving his local community. 

Carlson, an Upper Peninsula native and former U.S. Air Force officer,  has been a member of the Huron Valley Schools Board of Trustees since 2008. In late June, he was named by his fellow peers as the president of the board for the upcoming school year. 

“There is nothing more local and more challenging these days in public service than working on a school board,” Carlson said of his decision to run a few years ago. “I wanted to get back into public service, and I have a background in solving problems that I thought could help the district.”

He and his wife, Nicole, have two children in Huron Valley Schools. The Commerce Township residents have lived in this area since 1999 and have stayed largely because of their love of the community. Carlson has had a very successful professional career that has included work as a labor lawyer for Pepsi Co., chief procurement officer (CPO) for the state of Michigan under Gov. Jennifer Granholm and CPO for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. 

A life of service

Carlson has always been attracted to public service. He previously worked for former state House Speaker Andy Dillon – who is now the state treasurer under Gov. Rick Snyder – but wanted to get out of the political scene in Lansing.

Running for school board a few years ago appealed to him. 

Carlson was encouraged by area friends and network contacts to get involved in the Huron Valley school board. He successfully ran for a one-year term in 2008, replacing John Branstetter. One year later, he was elected to a four-year term. 

Carlson is currently a lieutenant colonel in the Michigan National Guard. When he's not busy with the school board, he runs his own consulting firm.

Funding issues in Huron Valley

During his time as a board member, Carlson admits that some difficult decisions have been made to meet the financial challenges associated with falling property taxes – one example being the decision to permanently at the end of the 2010-2011 school year.

Despite the closure of Apollo Elementary (repurposed to the Apollo Center), Baker Elementary and Highland Middle Schools in the the last three years, there is a possibility that more schools will have to be closed or merged in the future. Carlson said he does not think the district will not need to make such decisions this year. 

“We will have to see if more action is needed once we get the enrollment numbers,” Carlson said. “The biggest challenges are that we have to make sure we have the right goals in place and that there’s alignment between all parties so that we can provide the best resources to our children.”

But he said he has felt that Huron Valley is in a good financial position, highlighted by a recent four-year contract the district settled with the teachers union and the district's rising scores on standardized tests, including MEAP (Michigan Educational Assessment Program) and the ACT college entrance exam.

Carlson said it’s tremendous what Huron Valley Schools has been able to accomplish as a district, given that its foundational allowance (state-provided revenue) is 24th out of 28 school districts in Oakland County.

For 2011-2012 the district will receive approximately $7,000 per pupil in state funding.

“Our math and science scores in particular have continued to rise, and it’s due to the commitment of our teachers, having great principals and parents that are active with their children,” Carlson said.

Huron Valley does have some surplus funds for infrastructure needs, left over from the 2009 bond millage that voters passed overwhelmingly.

In the last year, the school board has come underfire from parents in the community who spoke out a meetings, stating their dissatisfaction with the manner in which the Highland Middle School closure was brought about. Parents said they felt the board wasn't being transparent enough.

Carlson said he is open to being accessible and discussing the issues with district voters and parents, and he said he realizes the responsibility he has in helping to oversee a district with a $90 million budget.

If you have an school district you wish to discuss with Carlson, he can be reached by email at carlsons@huronvalley.k12.mi.us.