League of Women Voters of Ohio Education Fund
Hamilton County, OH November 8, 2005 Election
	Rick Friedman Answers Questions Candidate for Board Member; Sycamore Community School District

Questions & Answers

1. What are your Qualifications for Office? (50 word limit)

This is my 14th year with children at Sycamore, and I own a company in Blue Ash. I spend hundreds of hours annually volunteering in the schools, and was formerly VP of the Sycamore Planning Commission. I am passionately devoted to Educational Excellence, delivered in a well-managed, cost-conscious environment.

2. What plans do you have to address your top three priorities? (100 word limit)

We must have Board leadership that governs Sycamore like a business. Taxpayers deserve integrity, business sense and communication from the Board and Administration. We have to get decisions correct the first time, and have the appropriate communication mechanisms in place to proactively provide the community with timely responses to inquiries and information requests. Specifically, communication must be managed by Email linkage and direct, personal communication. We need to have the resources in place to proactively analyze data, and the Board needs to be hands-on in asking tough "what-if" questions. Similar districts, such as Upper Arlington, Solon, Hudson, and Centerville, must be analyzed (and emulated) to ascertain how they distribute services at lower costs.

3. What will you do as a Board of Education member to increase parental involvement in your school system? (100 word limit)

There is only one way to increase parental involvement in the District, and that is to communicate with parents. I have had significant success coordinating parent volunteers in the set-building for the Junior High musical, two of the past three Odd Couples Balls at the High School, as well as the design and construction of the Ferris Wheel at the 2005 After-Prom. I simply asked for help, and treated people with respect - the results speak for themselves. Direct, personal communication is a very powerful tool.