What's On the Ballot: School Board Elections

The Nov. 8 election is upon us and on the ballot in Birmingham are two open spots on the Birmingham Board of Education.

Wondering who the candidates are or what the issues are all about? Let Patch fill you in before you head to the ballot box.

Birmingham Board of Education

What the school board does: 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 for four-year terms.

Open spots: There are two open spots this fall.

Incumbents: Chris Conti and Robert Lawrence

Challengers: John Connelly

Who are the candidates?

• 
  Age: 42
  Occupation: Conti is the assistant treasurer of Automotive Component Holdings at Ford Motor Co.
  Previous elected experience/experience in the schools: Conti is seeking a second term on the school board. He's served on Birmingham's retirement board for seven years.
  Top priorities: "The financials are important, but our main product is education," Conti said, noting that he strives to ensure curriculum changes are made with care, each dollar is spent wisely and the district receives a return on its investment in the form of well-educated students.

• 
  Age: 51
  Occupation: Lawrence owns Lawrence Co., a real estate development consulting business, and also serves as the chief financial officer for Michigan Security Network, a Homeland Defense startup business. Previous elected experience/experience with the schools: If re-elected, this would be Lawrence's third term on the school board. Previously, he served for six years on the board of the
• Top priorities: Lawrence said that though it's not often talked about, the strategic plan is one of the district's biggest projects moving forward.

• 
  Age: 47
  Occupation: Connelly is the sales director with United National Foods.
  Previous elected experience/experience with the schools: This is Connelly's first run for local office though he has served on the board for the .
  Top priorities: For Connelly, the No. 1 issue facing public schools, including Birmingham, is keeping students safe from budget cuts. The current board has done a great job of keeping the district afloat during difficult economic times, Connelly said ... now it needs to find ways to move forward while keeping students' needs in mind.

For more: Read up on how each candidate fared in a .