(See statement below)
Chris Myers for School Board * Citizens for Myers
1952 Talbot Street * Toledo OH 43613
419-822-6758 * www.myersforschoolboard.com
MEDIA ALERT April 24, 2007
CONTACT: Chris Myers
419-822-6758
chris at myersforschoolboard.com
Chris Myers Introduces Business Education Initiatives for Toledo Public Schools
Toledo, Ohio. Chris Myers, candidate for Toledo Public School Board, announces that he will hold a press conference to present his blueprint for business education initiatives for the Toledo school district.
Date: Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Time: 1:15 p.m.
Place: Kent Branch Library
3101 Collingwood Blvd.
The media is respectfully requested to be present.
Myers will present his four-point plan, in further detail, to provide more opportunities for our students to become exposed to entrepreneurship and business principles.
1. Instigate more course offerings such as Introduction to Entrepreneurship and other business courses.
2. Implement a program with the Regional Growth Partnership to provide funds and hands-on opportunities to start their own businesses.
3. Establish a business academy. He will facilitate dialog between the school district and the local business community and elicit their financial support and hands-on expertise.
4. Create a business advisory council to provide ideas on how to make the district’s curriculum more relevant to the business and job environments that will greet our students upon graduation.
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Digital photo of Chris Myers available upon request to ellen at critchleycreative.com.
Statement
Welcome to my press conference. One of areas I would like to focus on once elected to the Toledo Public School Board is better academics. This means a strong competitive curriculum that prepares our students for the future that will greet them when they graduate. One of the ways we can do this is creating more opportunities for our students to become exposed to entrepreneurship and small business principles and this press conference is my blue print on how to do this.
First let’s take a step back. The school system we see today was established 100 years ago to prepare students for factory jobs. At the time it was quite successful at this, but times have changed. Manufacturing jobs continue to decline and it is essential more than ever that we provide a framework to nurture entrepreneurial spirit and to develop and market the great ideas our students may have.
To do this the district should focus on 4 things.
1. The first is more entrepreneurship and business education course offerings. If we provide more entrepreneurial and business course offerings students will have more opportunities to pursue a business education. While the district already has a handful of business courses the district should consider creating several introduction to entrepreneurial and business courses available to students throughout the district.
2. Establishment of a Regional Growth Partnership type program in the Toledo Public Schools
The Sylvania Public schools have partnered with the Regional Growth Partnership to provide funds to help students start businesses and giving their students hands on opportunities to start their businesses. This program, similar to Junior Achievement, gives the students involved intimate experience in starting and running their own business. This is a model program because it is a partnership between the business community and the school system. I plan on working with the board, the district and the RGP to establish a similar program in the Toledo Public Schools.
3. Establishment of a business academy
The district should consider the creation of a business academy, similar to the Toledo Technology Academy. I will facilitate dialog between district and the local business community to create an academy and business leaders to help the support the academy financially as well as providing some invaluable expertise on program development. I will sit down with business community, the teachers, the principals and the district and help come up with a successful school plan that emphasizes business and entrepreneurial education to nurture the students who choose to learn more about business education.
4. Establishment of a business advisory council
Times change and our district must keep abreast of the changes in the local and global economy. This council will meet with the district administration and curriculum committee to provide ideas on how to make the district’s curriculum more relevant to the business and job environment that will greet our students upon graduation.
Scott and Libby schools have a business strand in their small schools and there are a few other programs scattered throughout the district, but the district should do more to provide options for business courses to all students, partner with already established programs, and provide an new opportunity for the local business community to help nurture the future business leaders inside the Toledo Public Schools.
The future will belong to the great ideas that are put into production and the more that the district and the community can do to nurture this, the better off our students and the local area would be. This blueprint is not going to be successful without the cooperation and support of the business community, the community at large and the district. I will work hard to bring these groups to the table to hash out the issues and come up with a plan to implement these ideas as well as benchmarks for implementation. Through grants, local business and community support, as well as sponsorships, we can make this work.