Ryan Smith

Candidate Name: Ryan Smith
Age: 44
Candidate for [Elected Position]: Lansing School Board
Candidate Website:
Candidate Contact for Public: igotitsports@aol.com
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1. What motivated you to run for the position you are seeking election to?
In January of this year the LSJ covered a story about a report released by Stanford University.
This report showed that from 2009 to 2018 that Lansing School District was one of the worst
testing districts in the United States for grades 3rd
through 8th . It also showed that Lansing
students were 2.2 grades behind the national average.
Access to a strong public education is essential to a successful community. We must do better
as a community and I will do my best to ensure that children have access to the best public
education that we can provide.

2. What is your vision for the public body you want to serve on?
The board of education’s primary job is to oversee the job of the superintendent. However, it is
essential that board members understand what is transpiring in the district they represent and
make sure that the superintendent is addressing issues and taking the district in a productive
direction.
3. How does your vision differ from that of your opponents?
I honestly don’t know where the other candidates stand on the issues. I look forward to knowing
more about their thoughts and ideas too as I am a voter on top of being a candidate.
4. Funding for schools has been a consistent concern for nearly three decades. Proposal 1,
passed in the 90s was supposed to level the playing field in funding assuring that districts with
distressed property values would receive comparable per pupil funding. That has not been the
case. If elected, how will you address the under funding of schools?

The state of Michigan needs to reconsider on how it funds education and needs to address the
encroachment that private and charter schools has made on public education.
The current setup allows funding to be similar between a student in the Williamston School
District and the Lansing School District. The problem with this is the average household income
in Williamston is almost twice of that in Lansing. We need to acknowledge the discrepancies in
incomes and factor that into how we fund.
People deserve to have the choice to use charter and/or private schools. However, these
schools should be funded by tuition and/or private dollars, not tax payer dollars. It is essential to
our communities that we support public schools.

5. Has school choice, which allows students and parents to apply for and attend a different
school district than the one they live in, been a success? Why or why not?
For parents with the financial means to utilize school of choice , it has been a success.
However, for urban school districts like Lansing it has been a huge negative.
Lansing is faced with the challenge of providing a higher quality educational experience to stop
the exodus out of the district. It will be imperative to better market the positives and chart
solutions for the negatives.
6 &7. Proposals in Michigan have long sought to use public dollars to pay for private
school tuition and costs. Do you support vouchers for private schools? Why or why not?
If vouchers are approved, public schools may see a decline in enrollment. How would you close
the funding gap by a reduction in per pupil funding?
Like I mentioned in a previous question. People should have the choice to put their children in
private or charter schools. But those schools should be funded by tuition and/or private dollars,
not taxpayer dollars.
We need to strongly advocate against taxpayer dollars for private & charter schools. A strong
public education system is critical to a successful community. We must support education and
those that advocate for it.
8. Educators have been under scrutiny over LGBT youth support, LGBT history, the
American history of communities of color and more. In addition, school libraries are pulling
books off of shelves in public school libraries and public libraries.
a. Please share your perspective as you pertains to providing safe schools and
education for LGBT youth.
We have a duty to provide a safe learning environment for all children no matter their racereligion- gender- sexual orientation- socio economic status- etc. It is essential to help children
understand the differences of their classmates and help them develop understanding of each
other.
b. Please share your perspective about integrating the history of communities of
color into curriculums in the public schools.
We need to do a better job observing and studying different cultures and beliefs in school.
Teaching children about other cultures and beliefs helps children better understand the
differences of their classmates, understanding these differences leads to acceptance and
understanding.
c. Do you support the removal of books some find objectionable from public school
shelves and public libraries? Why or why not?
No... people should have the choice to what books they decide to read. If people find a book
objectionable, I would encourage them to find something else to read.
d. If you support such removals, at what point does the purge of objectionable
books stop? When it is the Quran? When it is the Torah? The Nag Hamadi? The
Bible? What policies will you put in place to monitor and assess removal of
books?
I don’t support removal of any books
e. If you do not support the removal of objectionable books, what policies will you
support to stop the removal of books from public school libraries?

I would never support any policy that removes books from our libraries.
9. There has been a split on how COVID was responded to by schools, and other
government bodies. Please answer the following questions:
f. Did you support the shutdown of schools during the COVID-19 crisis? Why or
why not?
Yes ... we had a moral obligation to protect the health of our students. I understand that the
shutdowns were difficult, but better to face adversity than have students die or get seriously ill.
g. There has been a marked loss of educational gain as a result of the shutdown.
How will you address this problem?
We must find resources to get more one on one time with students that are falling behind
academically. We also need to have access to mental health options to provide support for
those children that are struggling.
h. Did you support face masks? Why or why not?
I support masks when the health department requires them, but every student should feel
comfortable wearing a mask if they so choose.
i. Do you support the COVID-19 vaccine? Why or why not?
I support the Covid-19 vaccine and am vaccinated
j. Do you support vaccination for all students in public schools? Why or why not?
I do not support forced vaccinations for children as things stand today. Fortunately, children
have showed resilience overall to Covid and I would only support forced vaccinations if a
dangerous variant was to arise.
k. There has been a growing mental health crisis among our youth. It was present
before the pandemic, but experts warn it has gotten worse since the pandemic. If
elected, how will you address the mental health needs of our students?
We need to make sure that children have access to counselors and mental health programs. I
would do my best to make sure that the district had enough staff to address the demand for
mental health support.
10. There have been a number of school shootings, with deeply tragic consequences for
students, teachers and administrators alike – as well as communities. If elected, what will you
do to address the school violence crisis, including school shootings?
It is our duty to provide the safest learning environment we can provide. I would encourage us to
constantly be reviewing our security protocols to make sure we are doing everything in our
power to prevent these sort of tragic events.
It is also imperative we have mental health professionals working with struggling children so we
can prevent situations for escalating to these tragic levels.
11. Elections have become a serious concern for some voters. Please answer the
following questions:
a. If you lose your election, will you accept the results? Why or why not?
Of course, it is a sad reflection on our society when this question has to be posed.
b. If your election is close and you chose to pay for a recount, will you accept the
result of a recount? Why or why not?
I would not seek a recount no matter the result
c. Much has been made about the 2020 election. Do you believe Donald Trump
won the election? Why or why not?
No, Joe Biden was the winner
d .Do you believe there was widespread election fraud? Why or why not?
No, clerks and observers are doing their best to protect the integrity of our elections
e. Do you believe leaders in Washington are involved in a secret pedophilia ring?
Why or why not?
I certainly would hope not, I like to think that the FBI and other leaders would blow the whistle
on such a ring if it existed.
f. Do you believe the Jan. 6 Capitol incident was appropriate in light of the
election? Why or why not?
No... our country as endured because of the peaceful exchange of power, we must maintain
those peaceful transfers if we want our Republic to endure.
12. Are you a member, or have you ever been a member or donated to any of the
following organizations:
l. Socialist party
m. Rock the Vote
n. The Democratic Party
o. Any Democratic Candidate for Office
p. The Republican Party
q. Any Republican Candidate for Office
r. The American Taxpayers Party
s. Any American Taxpayer Party Candidate for Office
t. The Heritage Foundation
u. People for the American Way
v. III Percenters
w. Proud Boys
The only partisan candidate that I have donated money towards is Senator Bernard Sanders
from Vermont
I am not part of any of the groups mentioned and am not associated with any political party
13. Please share with readers and voters your qualifications for the position you seek.
There are two character traits that I consider essential in a good representative . The first trait is
the ability to listen. A good representative listens to all of the different perspectives- ideas and
criticisms of an issue. The second trait is the ability to compromise. A good leader tries to find
the compromises that can bridge groups together and move progress forward. I take pride in
utilizing both of these traits.