Meet the Candidates: Lorin Bradley

Age: 47

Residence: Bushkill Township

Do you have children in the district or relatives who work for the district? Children: two have already graduated from NASD; five are currently attending NASD. My wife Ginny works in the district part time as a lunch monitor. She also volunteers for the reading program at .

What is your political affiliation: Republican

Education:

• B.A. (with honors), Saginaw Valley State University, 1989
• Master's, Labor & Industrial Relations, Michigan State University, 1990
• Master's, Administration, Central Michigan University, 1992

Profession/Work experience:

20+ years of human resource and labor relations experience. Currently, I am the director of Labor and Employee Relations U.S. at Merck.       

Community Service:

• 15+ years - Adult volunteer for the Boy Scouts of America
• 4 years - Nazareth School Board  (I am currently serving as board president)
• 1 year (1992 to 1993) - Served on the Zoning Board for Lake Jackson, Texas 

Why are you running for school board?

I have always had a personal belief that an individual should be involved in community service activities.  Through my participation, I hope to make a difference and contribute to making our children's learning experience meaningful and exciting. 

What qualifies you to serve on the board?

• Strong academic background
• Over 20 years of human resource and labor relations experience in major corporations 
• Strong organizational skills
• Effective facilitation and problem-solving skills 
• Seven children - two have already graduated from NASD; five currently attending NASD

If elected, how would you balance the needs of students and taxpayers? 

For the students, I am committed to:

I have always believed that the best education is one that provides opportunities for personal growth, leadership and personal insight from a variety of experiences and challenges.  These attributes can be developed through participation in activities such as a challenging core and elective academic curriculum, and through participation in clubs and/or athletics.  Through these experiences we hope our students will:

• Develop a lifelong passion for learning
• Develop self-confidence in all of their talents and capabilities
• Learn the value of teamwork
• Believe that they can achieve and set challenging goals

For the taxpayers, I am committed to:

We must recognize our current economic conditions and the challenges that this presents.  The school budget process will be affected.  I understand the impact that process  (property taxes) can have on our community.  The Board must continue to work with the administration to ensure that we are allocating school finances most effectively.  Additionally, we must continue to find ways to reduce spending while remaining true to core educational programs and enrichment activities. That is our primary responsibility and my commitment to our community.

What areas of curriculum, programs and/or district operations would you like to see improved and how? (Please be as specific as possible) 

Regardless of position or area of responsibility (Administration/Educators/Support Staff), we must develop an "ownership" culture of personal accountability for all job responsibilities/performance. 

Where do you think the district can reduce spending and/or save money? (Please be as specific as possible)

I support budget cuts that will help improve the longer term financial status of the district, but will not impact core student development.  I am especially interested in identifying opportunities to improve efficiencies (RE: shared resources, expand responsibilities, etc.)

What one thing would you most like to accomplish if elected to the board?

• Continue to look for opportunities to reduce and control spending without impacting core academics and current extracurricular activities.
• Develop and foster alternative sources of funding and investment (fundraising - corporate and/or private sources) for the district.

Anything else you would like voters to know?

I take this responsibility that you (the voters) have entrusted me with very seriously.  It is important for all of us.  The children of our district are counting on us to help them prepare to be successful by having the tools and experiences necessary to continue their education, or enter the job market and in life in general. 

The process in which I make decisions is driven by a strong sense of personal ethics and values.