Berwick, Darcy - Saline Area Schools
Are you an incumbent?
No
Brief Intro of Candidate
I am a mom of two Saline Alum ('21 and '24) who are now attending top Michigan universities. I have my BA in Psychology from the University of Michigan and my JD from Wayne State Law School, but what sets me apart from other candidates is the breadth and depth of my work within our schools.
I grew up in a family who always valued public service – my mother was a public health nurse, PTA mom, my school’s librarian, and a para-pro, and my aunt and grandparents were school teachers. So, it was natural for me to follow in their footsteps and volunteer in my community. I was on the Board of Directors for the Lamaze Family Institute when my children were very young, and I began volunteering in Saline Area Schools in 2008 when my eldest started kindergarten; I’ve continued volunteering in our schools for the last 16 years.
I’ve been a PTA/PTO Board member for the last 12 years across our elementary, middle and high schools. I’ve always been a classroom volunteer and I’ve worked to support building programs like Reading Plus, JA, and the Scholastic Book Fair. In 2021, I was a part of the Strategic Framework committee that was established to inform both our district and school improvement plans. I continue to volunteer for student enrichment organizations like Science Olympiad, Robotics, and I am currently on the board of the newer nonprofit Saline STEM Boosters.
As my volunteer days were waning, I chose to continue working in education by becoming a substitute teacher. I’ve enjoyed teaching the Innovation Lab at Pleasant Ridge and subbing at the middle and high schools in teaching and staff roles. I’ve spent a lot of time subbing as a teacher and teacher’s assistant (also known as a para-professional) for the WISD, which reignited my passion for special education.
I’m running because it’s important to me that each student, pre-K through the Young Adult Program, have an educational experience that’s both personally meaningful to them and sets them up for success in their future endeavors – whether that might be: college, career, travel, the service, or any other opportunity.
As Trustee, I will continue to roll up my sleeves to prioritize successes for students, staff, and families. My priorities are:
• ensuring a safe, secure, and welcoming educational environment for all
• improving our students’ successes along all metrics – including academic, athletic, extracurricular and social-emotional
• attracting and retaining excellent teachers with competitive wages and a balanced work-home life
• providing supports for struggling students – a rising tide lifts all boats
• seeking and engaging with student, teacher, admin and family voices
…all while maintaining a fiscally responsible budget.
I am dedicated to Saline Area Schools and I will work diligently on their behalf so that our district continues to remain one of the very best in the state of Michigan!
Endorsements
I'm proud to say that I've been endorsed by the Saline Educators Association and Educational Support Professionals - our school unions! Additionally, I've received the endorsement of the WCDP.
Top financials Contributors
Website and social media links
Myself, family, and friends.
www.VoteBerwick.com & facebook.com/VoteBerwick
How would you engage and include parents, caregivers, community members and students in decision-making in your district around things like curriculum, budgeting and district policy?
Currently the Board considers input from stakeholders at public comment, through email, and from Advisory Committees like SEAC, SEAB, DEIAC, Wellness, et al. The district also regularly seeks feedback through surveys and focus groups, and it offers the “Let’s Talk” option for more direct questions. Moving forward, I would encourage more regular educational workshops/trainings (e.g. authors, screenings, presentations) or even town hall meetings.
In addition to all that the Board and the district already does, as a Trustee, I would make myself available to meet with our students, families, teachers, staff, admin, and the greater community. I believe that traditional in-person conversations are the tried-and-true way to learn about what’s important to stakeholders.
What are your thoughts on school discipline and the way it is exercised in your school district? What are your thoughts on restorative practices?
The Board has policies in place (e.g. student handbooks, bullying/harassment/hazing, expression, et al.) that set expectations for student conduct and potential consequences. These policies should be continually reviewed to ensure that they are in alignment with current law. They should be enforced consistently, equitably, and for our young learners, through the lens of education. Because, while accountability in our educational system naturally mirrors that of our justice system, we know that students’ thinking and reasoning skills are still developing. This is why the district partners with families to give students the skillsets they need to address increasingly difficult challenges for spaces in which the consequences can become more severe.
Having said that, some parents have spoken at Board meetings to express the concern that discipline isn’t either being enforced or being enforced fairly; I sometimes share in that perspective. As a Trustee, I would encourage the Superintendent to educate more on: student behavioral expectations, disciplinary procedures and outcomes, and student privacy rights (disciplinary actions are a part of a student’s educational record and protected by FERPA).
Recently, the school has incorporated restorative practices as one of these skillsets to utilize when addressing school discipline. If the involved students are amenable to practicing strategies that look to prioritize the repair of harm by improving communication and emphasizing accountability, then I support the administration, educators, students, and their families in these endeavors.
What are your thoughts on how to improve student mental health
We know that student mental health has worsened since COVID and there were already long-standing concerns prior to the pandemic. Growing up, simply put, is hard to do. Primary and secondary school years coincide with children’s notable biological, cognitive, emotional, and social developments. Students feel pressures and expectations from themselves, their family, friends, and peers.
Saline Area Schools does much to create a comprehensive, sustainable support system to address the needs of the whole child. Examples where our district prioritizes mental wellness include, but are not limited to:
• incorporating mental wellness education into academics and extracurriculars
• training staff to proactively identify mental health issues
• offering counseling services in school and referrals for out of school
• identifying and providing extra academic and socio-emotional supports for those who need it most
• supporting student organizations that promote well-being
• fostering a supportive community in the schools, across the district, and with families
• collaborating with families and local organizations to provide additional services for students and their families as well as offering educational workshops/trainings
The Board should ensure that the district continues to create a safe, welcoming, and accepting educational environment for both students and staff in its efforts to realize our educational mission.
What are your thoughts on ways to improve Black student achievement in your district and in Michigan schools overall?
Firstly, there are more-qualified Black students, families, educators, and specialists whose voices I, a white woman, would seek out and center before making decisions or taking action. However, I am aware of discrepancies that I know need to be addressed more urgently than they have been, especially the ubiquitous use of the “n” slur. Students are coming to Board meetings to talk about what it feels like to be marginalized and dehumanized by their peers – it negatively impacts their mental health as well as their academic/athletic/extracurricular achievements. So, Saline Area Schools has work to do improving the opportunity gap for many of our minority and marginalized students including our BIPOC, LGBTQ, Special Needs populations and more.
To date, the district:
• has established a DEI Advisory Committee that works to develop strategies that improve the district’s efforts at creating a welcoming and inclusive school community (curriculum, hiring, policies, procedures, practices) - as a former Board Director for the non-profit Saline Supports Our Community, I’m proud to say that our organization was a part of this effort at its beginning
• with its new DEI Instructional Coach, continues to implement culturally responsive instruction (curricula should reflect the diversity of our students and the world around us)
• is working to foster and support affinity groups such as the Black Student Unions at the high school and middle school
• is providing targeted interventions and specialized services for students, regardless of race, who need additional supports for academics and social-emotional well-being
• biennially performs a DEI assessment survey within the district
As a Trustee, I would recommend that the Superintendent, in collaboration with all relevant parties, continuously assess what’s working and what needs improvement when it comes to students’ successes and overall mental well-being. It’s crucial that seek out our minority or marginalized populations including, but not limited to, our BIPOC and LGBTQ families, families with students receiving Special Education services, ESL families, et al., because a welcoming, inclusive, and safe educational environment benefits all students.
What are your thoughts on how to ensure that all students and their families, regardless of race, gender identity, sexuality, disability, religion, income status, etc., feel safe and included in your district?
The Saline Area Schools mission is to equip our students with the knowledge, proficiency, and skills necessary to succeed in an increasingly complex society. To accomplish this, the district works to foster the right conditions for our all educators and all learners to be able to engage in discourse that allows for, and even encourages, free speech, free expression, critical thinking, and more. Thus, we need to create that safe and inclusive environment which is respectful of, and productive for, our diverse student populations regardless of race, gender identity, sexuality, disability, religion, income status, et al.
• Vision: in collaboration with stakeholders, we need a vision for shared and individual successes
• Policy: clear and consistently enforced policies and procedures that set expectations for student conduct and potential consequences
• Supports: directed and tiered academic and socio-emotional interventions
• Curriculum: that reflects the diversity of our student body, their families, the community at large, and our world overall – students should be able to see themselves (mirrors) and learn about others (windows)
• Extracurriculars/supplementals: those opportunities that cultivate and enhance the experiences and well-being of the whole child
I would like to add that “safe” doesn’t necessarily mean “free from conflict or challenges”. In a world that’s this complex, our educators work diligently to foster the right conditions for our students to develop critical thinking skills, to encourage constructive discourse, and to have practical life experiences doing so. Given the increasing volume of knowledge and the increasingly easy access to that information, this is a daunting task! But tackling both the easy and the difficult challenges are important experiential parts of learning, growing, and skills development.
Together, we should aim to guide students through their various stages of learning and growth so that they might attain a level of success and happiness that’s meaningful to them.
What are your thoughts on how to recruit and retain staff, particularly staff of color, in your district with regard to pay, benefits, and working conditions?
Implementing facets of DEI throughout our organizational structure creates that inclusive and supportive working environment that all staff need to succeed – an overall positive school culture, professional development training, mentorship for professional and personal growth, and more.
In order to recruit diverse staff, we need to reach our local talent pool and beyond, be that through career fairs, networking, or online. Further, we get great teachers and staff when we offer them competitive wages, good health care and a healthy work-life balance. We retain them when we respect them for the professionals they are.