Meet the West Bloomfield School Board Candidates: Julie Beaty

The Nov. 8 election is drawing closer every day, but what do you know about those names on the ballot?

Patch will interview candidates for the West Bloomfield School District's Board of Education during the ramp-up to the election, bringing you the stories behind the names and the issues they think are important for West Bloomfield schools.

For the West Bloomfield Board of Education, six candidates are running for two open spots: incumbent Nelson Hersh and challengers Julie Beaty, Karen M. Faett, Carol Finkelstein, and John Reed. The Board of Education oversees and sets school policy, hires and works in partnership with the district superintendent and oversees the district's budget. Board members are elected to six-year terms.

The Oakland County League of Women Voters will hold a at 7 p.m. Wednesday at for those running for the West Bloomfield Board of Education.

Julie Beaty

Children in district: A son and a daughter; Beaty's son is a fifth-grader in program, and her daughter is a sixth-grader at

Qualifications: Master of Business Administration degree from Central Michigan University, formerly worked as director of advertising sales at MTV Networks, currently works as a professor at Oakland Community College.

Favorite class in the district: No particular teacher, but commented that "the math curriculum at the elementary level is outstanding." She added, "It has a lot to do with the teachers they've had."

Beaty wants to work in an official capacity to make West Bloomfield High School a "destination" for parents with young children in the district, in order to procure state funds given to schools based on head count.

That should come as no surprise to anyone who has heard her speak during Board of Education meetings about how, when she and her husband were living in California, the school district made the township a destination for them for raising their two children.

"It's a natural progression," she said. "(My husband and I) intentionally chose to raise our children here because of the sense of community we felt, and we want them to be able to understand that as they grow older. We lost some of that not too long ago, and we're working to get it back."

WBHS did become a destination for visitors at the school's Family Fun Night event two weeks ago, which Beaty helped to organize. She added that her resume of working in advertising for large corporations such as MTV Networks and Oxygen Media will help the school to continue to build a sense of community.

"The biggest thing I learned is that that need is out there for people," she said. "What I bring to the board that they might not already have is that sense of connection with parents in the community — to be able to make them feel comfortable with our high school so that they want to send their kids here."

Beaty said she thinks of herself as an independent thinker, adding that she voiced many concerns during public comments portions of to voice concerns of many parents.

Beaty believes that two of the greatest issues facing the district are the need to increase revenues and dealing with competition from outside schools, including private schools and home schooling. "It's a dance" to be able to fund the type of programs necessary to compete, she acknowledged, but she said her "creative" ideas, such as Family Fun Night, would be helpful.

She also cited the board's  (Widening Advancements for Youth), which she supported, adding that it "gives us one more program to have against the competition."

"Being a professor in business, I understand that the competition is global, and I bring creative ideas which could monopolize on our resources. What about Apple Island? The district owns it. Could we make a profit? Let's think out of the box," she said.