Our Mission
Support CCS is a non-partisan political action committee working to support Carmel Clay Schools. We believe that public education is the foundation of a healthy democracy: accessible to all, it brings communities together across differences while respecting the individuality of all. We therefore seek to support the election of school board candidates who will fulfill the mission and guiding principles of Carmel Clay Schools.
Our Values
Any candidate we support will be committed to:
- Academic excellence for all students
- Fostering and enhancing school safety
- Preparing students to be leaders in a globalized world
- Promoting parent partnerships, transparency, and accountability in school leadership
- Supporting teachers as respected professionals vital to student success
- Supporting the mental health and wellness of all students
These candidates will also embody the Guiding Principles of Carmel Clay Schools
- Students are at the center of every decision.
- A safe, non-threatening learning environment is essential.
- Students’ academic, social, emotional, and physical needs must be addressed.
- Students and employees excel when held to high personal standards and expectations.
- High quality employees are vital to the success of our organization.
- Effective teaching and learning requires continuous improvement.
- Diverse opportunities benefit all students.
- Open and transparent communication maintains stakeholder trust.
- Parent and community involvement enhances student learning.
- Fiscal responsibility is fundamental to achieving our vision.
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More About our Core Values
Academic Excellence
Academic excellence can take many forms. Support CCS aims to endorse school board candidates who balance the importance of traditional measurements of achievement like standardized test scores and acceptance into institutions of higher education with other metrics of excellence, such as superior achievement in coursework, mastery of vocationally related skill sets, national and state-level awards for para-curricular accomplishments, etc. We seek to support candidates who hold the view that academic excellence is only achieved when all K-12 students receive plentiful opportunities to develop and fulfill their individual potential.
School Safety
School should be a place in which every student feels safe. Candidates endorsed by SupportCCS will be committed to creating an environment in which students feel safe from physical and mental harm and feel confident expressing themselves in a judgment-free environment. SupportCCS will promote candidates who partner with and support the Director of Student Services, the specially trained SROs, building safety specialists, counselors, social workers, and all other staff working to foster a safe and non-threatening learning environment for students.
Global Preparedness
Our increasingly globalized society requires that, in order to successfully navigate the world and its challenges, students must acquire broad cultural competencies that will allow them to collaborate across differences and to be aware of and respectful toward the vast array of human experiences. Support CCS endorses candidates who acknowledge this reality and are committed to expanding CCS’s ability to prepare students for it, both by recognizing the cultural diversity within our own Carmel community and by seeking to understand and appreciate the world beyond Carmel and the concerns and customs of people around the globe.
Parent Partnerships for Transparency & Accountability
Support CCS endorses candidates who see public education as a joint endeavor between teachers, administrators, and families, and who understand that such collaboration requires clear, timely, and consistent communication between all parties to establish and maintain a relationship of trust. School board candidates should recognize that parents have the most important role in their children’s lives; that role is strengthened when families and teachers forge strong connections. Candidates promoted by Support CCS will work to affirm and enhance CCS’s current efforts in this area across multiple platforms of family-school engagement, including but not limited to email, Canvas, website access, and the StopIt App. Additionally, candidates endorsed by Support CCS must commit to engaging in open dialogue with the community.
Supporting Teachers
Support CCS recognizes that none of our goals can be achieved without our teachers, whom we recognize and respect both as professionals and as members of our community who care about our kids. We are therefore committed to promoting school board candidates who demonstrate respect for teachers by acknowledging their expertise, listening to their concerns, and seeking to ensure that they are given the time, funding, appreciation, and resources they need to succeed in their work.
Mental Well-Being
School board candidates endorsed by Support CCS will understand that student mental health and wellness are important for enabling academic excellence, creating a safe environment, and allowing all students to achieve their potential. Our children need our support now, more than ever. We will support school board candidates who will promise to continue and deepen the robust mental health and wellness partnerships CCS has established (such as the partnership with St. Vincent Ascension Medical Center) and who will support CCS’s efforts to find new tools (like the StopIt anti-bullying app) to improve the student experience.