As an engineer and project manager, Robin Clark’s work experience includes writing policies, paying close attention to details and working with others with a diverse range of views. They’re all skills she believes would benefit a school board trustee, a position she’s seeking in the Nov. 5 election.
Clark – along with candidates Dina Ferchmin, Jon Shapiro and Kristine Wheeler – are running for two at-large seats on the Carmel school board. Incumbents Katie Browning and Louise Jackson are not seeking reelection.
As a mother of three students in Carmel Clay Schools, Clark said she has a direct interest in the success of the district and is troubled by the level of divisiveness in the community surrounding public education.
“We’re not having a lot of discussions, and I think if we have discussions, we would find that we have a lot more common ground than we think we do,” Clark said. “With my engineering background, I’m used to being at that conference room table and being an active part of the decision-making with many strong-willed, differing mindsets at the table and navigating those conversations to ultimately do what’s best for the organization.”
Among Clark’s top campaign priorities is a focus on academic excellence. She would like to see CCS share more details about academic programs with parents and community members and take their concerns and questions more seriously.
“When you look at Carmel Clay Schools as a whole package, I feel we have the best school district in the nation, but I know from my experiences that you have to have a mindset of always assessing your next opportunity for improvement,” she said. “I see a sort of culture developing where – maybe questions aren’t really being asked in a constructive manner – but when people have questions or they point out something they’d like to see changed, we’re maybe labeling those people as not liking the schools or being against the schools. I think we have to be willing to have discussions and have the mindset that we can be No. 1 and still have things to work on.”
She also would like to see more financial transparency from CCS, including greater details about how funds are used.
“One thing I hear from a lot of people is they don’t feel like they can go to the (CCS) budget and clearly see where money is being spent,” Clark said. “That doesn’t mean anything is being hidden or anything is being done wrong, but maybe it could be formatted in a way that’s more easily understood by people.”
Clark’s other top campaign priority is school safety. She said it is “incredible” that CCS has at least one school resource officer at every campus and would like to see the program expand to include a “floating SRO” to make it easier for SROs at each building to take time off.
Clark and Ferchmin have been endorsed by Carmel Excellence, a political action committee that “supports common sense conservative school board leaders and teachers who will help our schools build a strong academic foundation,” according to its website. Both candidates have been open about their conservative values, but Clark said she supports school board races remaining nonpartisan.
“Any candidate is going to associate with like-minded organizations,” Clark said. “I think people are conflating what the meaning of not being nonpartisan on a school board means. Candidates are always going to have their set of values, their set of beliefs, and the community wants to know what those are so they can know which candidate most likely aligns with their belief system.”
A graduate of Southport High School, Clark has a degree in chemical engineering from Purdue University and an MBA from Indiana University Kokomo. She worked for 17 years at General Motors in Kokomo and is now employed as a project manager at Allegion in Carmel.
Clark served on the school board of her children’s parochial school (a position not elected by the public) before the family moved to Carmel. She has served as a room parent, field trip chaperone and a committee chair for the Carmel High School swim team.
Learn more about Clark’s campaign at RobinClark4CCS.org.
