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ABOUT TROY LAMPEN

WHY I'M RUNNING

I'm running for the Allendale Board of Education because I believe serving on the board should mean being engaged, informed, and always willing to keep learning. For more than four years, I've attended every Board of Education meeting, served as a parent member on school leadership teams, volunteered throughout the district, and worked to make what happens at the board level easier for our community to understand.Our students are at the center of that work. Every student is different, and every student deserves the opportunity to succeed. I want APS to be a place where students are supported and challenged, where they have opportunities to discover what they're capable of, and where exceptional educators want to work and stay.
I'm running because I believe we can respect what's working in APS without settling for where we are today. We can keep learning, keep asking what could be better, and thoughtfully invest in what can make our schools exceptional.

CAMPAIGN PRIORITIES

1 — A Board Committed to Learning

I believe our Board of Education needs to make its own education and professional development a priority again. Being elected to a school board doesn't automatically teach someone how to effectively govern a school district. Board members should continually build their understanding of the responsibilities that come with governing a public school district.APS once recognized and celebrated board members for their commitment to professional learning. More recently, our board voted not to renew the district's membership in the Michigan Association of School Boards, an organization the district used in part for board professional development. Whatever disagreements individual board members may have with an organization, I don't believe continuing education should become a casualty of those disagreements.Learning also means listening. Our community should have meaningful opportunities to understand what the board is considering and share their experiences and concerns. Community input won't always lead to agreement, but it can help the board ask better questions and make better-informed decisions.Good governance also means being a responsible steward of the resources our community provides. The board should understand the financial information in front of it, examine alternatives and tradeoffs, plan for the future, and make sure our resources are being used effectively.District improvement plans and long-term strategic planning are important, but for those plans to succeed, they have to be supported by good governance every step of the way. The board still has to make thoughtful, informed decisions that move those goals forward.
I believe a board can be engaged, ask meaningful questions, listen to our community, and hold the district accountable without trying to manage its day-to-day operations.We expect our teachers, administrators, staff, and students to keep learning and improving. We should expect the same from the people elected to govern our schools.

LEARN

Raise the standard for board learning.

I will pursue meaningful professional development throughout my term and advocate for continuing board education to once again become an expectation at APS. Those efforts should also be visible to the community.

EVALUATE

Put due diligence before consequential decisions.

I will push the board to understand the problem, examine relevant evidence, consider reasonable alternatives and tradeoffs, and understand the long-term impact before voting. When a decision will significantly affect students, families, staff, taxpayers, or the district's future, I will advocate for seeking additional input from those affected when needed. Recommendations from administration, attorneys, consultants, or other experts should inform the board's work—not replace the board's responsibility to understand and evaluate what it is approving.

COMMUNICATE

Make transparency routine, not passive.

I will advocate for every public Board of Education meeting to be recorded and permanently available through an official APS archive, with agendas that consistently provide meaningful context for significant decisions. I will also work to make meeting agendas and board information more widely and proactively shared with families and the broader community, rather than expecting residents to seek out that information on their own.

2 — Every Student Deserves the Opportunity to Succeed

Every student who walks through the doors of APS is different. They have different strengths, face different challenges, come from different backgrounds, and have their own interests, experiences, and ways of learning. I believe our schools have a responsibility to recognize those differences and make sure every student has the opportunity to succeed.Supporting the whole child doesn't begin and end with the school day—or the school year. Every student matters. Strong academics are essential, and a student's mental health, sense of belonging, relationships, behavior, and access to the right supports all affect their ability to learn and thrive.
APS is already doing important work in these areas. Our MTSS and PBIS systems, intervention supports, mental-health efforts, and other programs are helping educators identify student needs and respond to them. I don't believe improving student support always means creating something new. We should recognize what's working, listen to the professionals doing the work and the families who know their children best, and look for thoughtful ways to support and grow successful efforts.I also believe our schools and our community strengthen one another. When APS builds strong relationships with families and community partners, we create more ways to support our students. Those connections also build a community that is more engaged with and invested in the success of our schools.
Every student should know there is a place for them at APS, that their voice matters, and that we want to see them succeed.

CONNECT

Strengthen the connections between our schools and community.

I will support building on successful APS programs and community partnerships that keep students connected to learning, enrichment, and support beyond the school day and school year. One area I want to explore is expanding ways for students and families to stay connected to APS during the summer, building on successful programs like the APS Reading Bus and working with community partners to connect families with additional resources and experiences. I will also advocate for making existing district and community resources easier for families to find and access.

BELONG

Make student voice part of district decision-making.

I will support meaningful ways for students to share their experiences and have a voice with district leadership and the Board of Education. That includes continuing to seek student feedback through climate surveys and other methods, while exploring the creation of a non-voting student representative position on the Board of Education. Student representation should complement, not replace, the other ways we hear directly from students.

3 — A Destination District

I've long believed our schools do more than educate students. They're an important part of the heart and identity of a community. Strong schools contribute to a community where families choose to put down roots, businesses see value in investing, and people are proud to call home. I want APS to reflect the strengths of the community around it, while being one of the strengths people see when they look at Allendale.To me, a destination district is one where exceptional educators want to work and stay, families continue to choose our schools, and students are proud to attend. It's a district known for the opportunities it provides, the people who make those opportunities possible, and a willingness to keep getting better. At its heart, it's a place that helps kids discover what they're capable of.
That discovery will look different for every student. Strong academics create a foundation that allows students to explore their interests, pursue new opportunities, and develop talents and strengths they may not know they have. Those experiences can come through fine arts, industrial arts, STEM, athletics, extracurriculars, career experiences, or in the classroom itself. Students shouldn't have to know their future before we've given them opportunities to discover it.APS already has examples of what can happen when talented educators, student interest, and the right opportunities come together. I don't believe the Board of Education alone should decide where the next great opportunity for APS will come from. Our role should be to recognize potential, listen to the people closest to it, and be willing to help good ideas grow. I want us continually asking: Where is the next opportunity to turn something good into something exceptional?

IDENTIFY

Recognize where opportunity and potential already exist.

I will make it a priority to listen to educators, students, families, and our community about the great things already happening inside APS, where they see potential for growth, and what new ideas they believe are worth exploring. I will remain curious and engaged, creating space for new ideas and asking where we may have untapped potential. I will also look beyond our schools at assets like GVSU, local businesses, organizations, and people throughout our community, and ask where those connections could create possibilities we haven't considered.

INVEST

Invest thoughtfully in what can make APS exceptional.

When we identify an opportunity worth pursuing, I will work to understand what it needs to grow and how it could make APS stronger. I will support thoughtful investments in our people, programs, facilities, and equipment, as well as relationships that connect APS with expertise, resources, and opportunities beyond our schools. Investment should be purposeful, but it should also be ambitious. I will prioritize investments that create meaningful opportunities for our students and build lasting strengths for our district.

GROW

Never stop asking what could be better, what could be stronger, and what's possible for its students.

When we identify that potential and are willing to invest in it, our students flourish, our schools grow stronger, and our entire community benefits. That's the APS I want to help foster.