FeedsIncumbent, challenger, win school spots
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Danielle FunderburgIt looks like the third time was the charm for Danielle Funderburg.
Funderburg, who ran her third campaign for a school board seat, was victorious along with incumbent school board trustee Tom Kuderik Tuesday after the votes were counted in the school board election.
Of the 878 votes cast, Kuderik earned 550 and Funderburg had 491. The other three candidates – Carl Brooks, Darran Shelby and Jay Williams, earned 164, 260 and 94 votes, respectively.
That count is an unofficial tally – the numbers could not be finalized by deadline.
Funderburg said she’s glad voters decided to put their faith in her to help steer the 4,200-student school district.
“It’s not quite sinking in at this time, but I’m like, ‘whatever you say,’” said Funderburg. “I’m happy, though. I can’t wait to get to work.”
Among Funderburg’s first goals is to acclimate herself to the policy-making environment, and to try to increase parental involvement in the schools, she said.
“Parents need to be involved in schools more,” she said. “As long as I’m a parent, I will be a parent volunteer.”
Kuderik also said he’s pleased to have a second, four-year term on the board.
“I’m sort of at ease now, but I’m really happy,” he said. “I’m humbled the voters decide to give another term, and I hope that I can live up to their expectations.”
Academic achievement and the student awareness need to be a priority during the next four years, Kuderik said.
“We really have to focus on making sure that our students know about and have all of the academic opportunities we can give them, so they can compete in what is really a global market,” he added.
Funderburg is a parent volunteer at Wick School, where her two children attend classes. Currently, she is employed as a graphic designer when she’s not at the school.
Funderburg will replace Betty Lenossi, a 12-year veteran of the school board, who did not seek a fourth term on the board.
Kuderik has completed one term on the school board. He is a manager with Waste Management, one of the largest trash haulers in Michigan.
The seven members of the Romulus School Board are elected at-large.
Board members are charged with the responsibility of setting policy for a district with a $22 million budget, 350 employees and 4,300 students at six facilities.
The next four years are expected to be challenging ones for area schools. Per-pupil funding is still at risk because of the economic issues currently plaguing the state.
The district has had to lay off employees for two years in a row to balance its budget. Also, the district is in the process of converting from a traditional semester system to trimesters at Romulus High School.
A comparatively small number of registered voters decided the election. Though turnout was expected to be low, the number of votes cast is less than 6 percent of the 16,000 register voters.
Canvassers will hit the streets to finalize the count.
