Candidate Profile: Mario Clopton-Zymler For Board Of Education

Mario Clopton-Zymler

Age (as of Election Day)

34

Position Sought

Cleveland Heights Board of Education

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Family

My husband of five years is Ryan Clopton-Zymler currently the Assistant Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Ohio University Heritage College of Medicine. We have a 9 year old pitbull and lab mix named, Bowser. All of our pets' names will remain in the Nintendo universe.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

Nope!

Education

Bachelor of Music, Capital University; Master of Music, California State University-Los Angeles; A.B.D. Doctor of Education, Ohio University

Occupation

This is my first year serving as an Administrative Principal Intern. From 2010 through the end of last year I've served as a Vocal Music Teacher.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Former Co-Chair of the Cleveland Community Police Commission

Campaign website

www.mario4tigernation.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

I am an educator-activist who combines my experience in education and in social justice advocacy to challenge power structures. I educate organizations and community members on best practices in anti-racism, equity, and inclusion.

I want to be elected to the CH-UH Board of Education for one reason alone:

To empower and support our students with all the resources and structure they need to learn, grow, and thrive in our schools and in society.
The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

That's tough to just select one! But if I have to address anything it has to be student learning. Our district’s primary function is to provide a safe, caring, and quality educational experience for each student who attends one of our schools. Student learning capacity is always entwined with student well-being, at all grade levels. We must continue to find ways to systemically improve the environment wherein our kids learn and grow.

I support:

embracing the Universal Design for Learning framework and instructional practices wherein students can demonstrate understanding in multiple ways;

continuing to identify, broaden access to, and uplift community support services for students and families;

a district-wide commitment to providing more access to mental health services and continuing to monitor progress on Social-Emotional Learning Action Steps; Attitudes Related to Trauma-Informed Care Scale; and Attendance Intervention Plans;

working towards 100% authentic compliance with the implementation of IEPs and 504s and other services for exceptional learners;

exploring additional Community-School models and partnerships, along with supporting post-secondary planning, and more opportunities to learn-by-doing;

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I'm Black. I am the sole Black candidate running to be elected to a Board of Education that leads a school district with a 71% Black student population. Black representation matters especially in positions of power and influence. I am also the only Board of Education candidate not running as part of a slate of candidates. I am my own slate- a multidimensional candidate that has much to offer. You will see parts of my platform that intersect with parts of both slates because my platform is dynamic. I am also the youngest candidate representing the millennial generation.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

How do you think local officials are performing in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

COVID-19 has changed the way we look at education, learning, teaching, and public schools. We have witnessed our teachers’ and staff’s tenacity and their dedication to our students. Throughout the pandemic, we have seen building-level leadership and staff do what it takes to continue teaching and learning in remote, concurrent, hybrid, and in-person learning styles. While our schools may be returning back to teaching and learning that looks more like a pre-COVID experience, we should not seek to return back to “normal”. We should learn from this moment and create a new model of education.

Let’s empower students to learn for themselves, develop metacognition skills, and increase their exposure to flexible learning and flexible assessment.

Let’s innovate our teaching, learning, and education policy in all the ways that felt like too much of a challenge or change. We have all proven that we can set a new course to meet student needs. Let’s carry that spirit forward in our new reality. Let’s acknowledge our challenges, while not letting our children’s learning be driven by the circumstances of the pandemic.

With the help of ESSER funds (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief):

Increase socio-emotional support for students with additional social workers and psychologists. Our students need the help and we can provide time-limited contracts for service based on the amount of ESSER funds available.

Prioritize campus development of re-entry and re-culture plans, including student orientations.

Develop new systems of student behavior expectations and positive peer to peer interactions, in hopes of reducing bullying, harassment, and incidents of sexual and physical assault among students.

Continue and enhance MTSS (multi-tiered systems of support) like PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) and RtI (Response to Intervention) to guide literacy development in addition to behavior management.

Recreate the popular criminal justice career technical program at the high school.

Let’s reimagine the school calendar to include fall, spring, and summer intercessions targeting reading and STEM for struggling students.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Equity Intersectionality & Anti-Racism; See my thoughts on Education Equity Policy here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LDOcOYAwUcyYlcz4t1QZR9Bh_oS1d1e1/view

Increasing Accountability and Transparency; See Position Paper here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OPq-ToKWv8wYWzLVmvaBUH1t6RDlhus92VGtdRZnrZA/edit

Student Dress Code:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KegmOpNa8_AmbmWFAQGE07iqzRCIymDx/view

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

In 2008, I joined the Obama for America campaign as a field organizer. After the election I worked as a labor organizer for SEIU in Indiana. It was during this year of organizing that I realized my passion for empowering people with the necessary tools to change their community. I have been leveraging that experience ever since.

In 2015, inspired to see transformative change in policing, I applied for and was appointed to serve on the Cleveland Community Police Commission. I led the group as a Co-Chair, tasked with: (1) formulating recommendations to end patterns and practices of unconstitutional policing; and (2) to work toward the development of community-based solutions to improve the relationship between community and police. As Co-Chair, I organized dozens of community meetings with residents, non-profit organizations, and other stakeholders concerned about police reform to ensure community members had a voice at the table.

I have decided it is time to leverage my community organizing experience to the betterment of our community’s greatest resource — our children. As a member of the CH-UH Board of Education, I will continue to use my acumen as a public servant — with a specific dedication to empower and support the students of Tiger Nation as they learn, grow, and thrive.

My passion for teaching and learning runs parallel to my experiences in community organizing and anti-racist activism, a skillset that makes me uniquely suited to serve as a CH-UH Board of Education Member at this pivotal time.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

"you should adopt a dog"

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

See more about me at www.mario4tigernation.com! Get out there and vote!