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Meet your Chelsea BOE candidates

By Crystal Hayduk

Four candidates are on the November ballot vying for two open seats on the Chelsea School District Board of Education. Ryan Barney, James Parry Eyster, Marina Martinez-Kratz, and Keri Poulter seek to fill the six-year terms.

Chelsea Update asked the candidates a series of questions about their backgrounds and beliefs on key issues. Their answers and photos are below.

Ryan Barney

Ryan Barney

What is your occupation? Airline Pilot (First Officer with major US Air Carrier)

What is your education?
1990 – Rigby High School, Rigby, Idaho
1996 – United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO
Bachelor of Science – History, Latin American Area Studies
Spanish Minor
2008 – Defense Language Institute, Presidio of Monterrey, CA
Italian Language Certificate
2010 – Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, FL
Master of Aeronautical Science, Management and Safety

Have you previously been elected to office?
2009-2011 President of the School Advisory Committee for the Livorno Unit School (K-8) at Camp Darby, Italy. It is an elected position but nobody ran so I became the SAC president by default.
Note: The following is a description of the SAC from the Department of Defense Education Activity website:
“The SAC is composed of an equal number of locally-elected parents and full-time professional school employees and may include a senior high school student enrolled in the school. The SAC advises the school principal on local school-related, non-personnel matters such as educational programs, resources, services, and policies. Issues unresolved at the school level may be elevated to the DAC. Parents are welcome and encouraged to contact their local school principal to learn more.”

Do you serve on any boards or committees in the community? Please list a few of them and dates of service. None at present.

What are your thoughts about School of Choice? I spoke against the School of Choice proposal at both board meetings leading up to the vote and eventual approval by the school board. My comments as previously quoted by the Chelsea Update are still accurate. However, the board has approved Chelsea as School of Choice and it will be my goal to make it work for our district until the constituents within the district let me know that they feel otherwise or at which time it proves to be detrimental to the district or the community.  We were told that the increased revenue to be gained from increased enrollment will be used to improve programming for our students.  I have talked with Dr. Helber since the vote and believe that to be true. I will make every effort to make us (the board) accountable to the District and promises made in how the program will be administered in a ‘limited’ manner to the benefit of the student population in the form of programming and education opportunity improvements.

KEY ISSUES: Briefly identify the top two issues of your campaign – why are you running for the Board of Education?
To ensure that Chelsea schools continue to provide high quality education and extra-curricular opportunities to our children within the community.
I know that sounds silly and cliché, but that is the major focus of my desire to serve on the board. I started my second career, post-Air Force retirement in August of 2018. My family and I chose Chelsea, Michigan because of what we heard and read. I could have lived anywhere in the USA, but we chose Chelsea because of the schools and the community. I had never been to Michigan until we drove to Chelsea in an effort to find a place to live. This is a special community and with special schools and I want it to continue to improve.
Find ways to improve programming within the district to keep our children educationally competitive with their peers within the state and around the nation.  Work with the Superintendent to present different options and possibilities, within current budget constraints, to district members so that Chelsea Schools can be on the forefront of educational opportunities.
The short answer…I want to give back to the community. I have 4 children attending Chelsea schools and want them to have the best education experience possible. For the last 21 years I moved my family every 3-4 years in conjunction with my service in the U.S. Air Force. For a majority of that time career commitments and responsibilities did not permit me the opportunities to serve in a capacity greater than the recreational league soccer coach or as a Boy Scout volunteer. In addition, the transient lifestyle did not permit us to lay down the roots that we are establishing within Chelsea. My children have attended school in 4 different states and 2 different countries. We have seen different systems and had many experiences that I may be able to share here in Michigan.

SUMMARY: Can you explain how you will address the two key issues you’ve chosen above?

  1. I want Chelsea School District to continue to be a place where teachers want to teach, parents want to live and send their children, and where students desire to learn. Strategic planning and visions for an organization provide a roadmap and framework that hold organizations accountable for their actions or inaction. Everything that we do within the district should always make it better for our children.
  2. The Superintendent has ideas to improve programming within the district. The Board needs to work with the Superintendent to find different options and possibilities, within current budget constraints, and then present and communicate those options to district members so that Chelsea Schools can be on the forefront of educational opportunities. When we talk about change and doing things different than they have been done in the past, that change can be difficult, especially in smaller communities. However, I believe that change and improvements can be made when they are properly communicated and vetted to the community.

Do you have a website? No

Personal information: Age, marital status, number of children and ages, do they attend Chelsea Schools?  Age 46; married to Amber Barney. We have six children: sons are Layton (20) currently in Taiwan, Ridge (19) entering sophomore year at out-of-state University, and Cannon (16) junior at CHS; daughters are Sage (14) freshman at CHS, India (11) 5th grade South Meadows and Gianna (8) 3rd grade at South Meadows.
In July, 2017, I retired from the U.S. Air Force. I have multi-level command experience and success in team building, conflict resolution, motivation, project management, analysis, logistics, planning, international relationships, and public speaking. Much of my military experience, although not directly translated to school board service, gives me skills and capabilities that will be useful to the district as a board member. I have led units during austere budget constraints, led diverse groups with differing objectives to a common consensus, been responsible for education and development for members of a squadron, and developed new training and programs to meet commitments and objectives. I hope that the skills and qualities can be used to help the district continue to succeed.


James Eyster

James Parry Eyster
What is your occupation? Attorney (Federal litigation of class-action suits involving commodities), former law professor and university administrator.

What is your education?
Saint John’s High School, 1970
Princeton University, 1974
Fordham Law School, 1978.


Have you previously been elected to office?
Leadership roles have included serving on the Boards of Washtenaw Literacy; Chelsea Area Players; and the Washtenaw ID Task Force; National Coordinator, Immigrant Children Lawyers Network; Mentor, Ypsilanti High School DECA Team.

Do you serve on any boards or committees in the community? Please list a few of them and dates of service. See response to #3.
What are your thoughts about School of Choice? I fully support the careful and limited approach chosen by the School Board, particularly its mechanism for review.

KEY ISSUES: Briefly identify the top two issues of your campaign – why are you running for the Board of Education?

  1. Maintain the remarkable qualities of Chelsea’s schools despite continued economic challenges. In academics, athletics, and the arts, Chelsea students outperform those at other schools, even those that are larger. The steady decline in state funding and decreasing student enrollment make it critical that individuals with the experience in complex financial and legal issues participate on the School Board.
  2. Help our schools to train students in self-directed learning skills that will benefit them long after graduation. Since its founding in 1850, Chelsea has been a special place in which to raise a family: far enough from other cities to stand on its own, but close enough to share, and even lead, in regional advances. Tomorrow’s economy will need individuals who can continue to grow and learn throughout their lives. The Board can provide our teachers and staff with the training, resources, and encouragement to lead Michigan in developing students who can acquire and master the new skills needed in the rapidly changing global economy.

SUMMARY: Can you explain how you will address the two key issues you’ve chosen above?

  1. As an attorney handling some of the most complex financial cases in the country and as a former professor and university administrator, with an understanding of how academic institutions function, I can help decipher the financial and legal issues that the Chelsea School District will face during the coming six years.
  2. Having taught in Japan and in China, where I helped found the Peking University of Transnational Law, I can offer counsel to the School District in developing graduates who can compete in the global economy. My experience as an educator and my record of publications and presentations about best practices in teaching will supply the Board with useful insights in continually improving the curriculum.

Do you have a website? My Facebook page is Eyster for Chelsea School Board at https://www.facebook.com/Eyster-for-Chelsea-School-Board-1922476444717987/.

Personal information: Age, marital status, number of children and ages, do they attend Chelsea Schools? 
I am 65 years old. My wife Diana and I have lived in the Chelsea School District since 1981 and have raised four children here: Athena (CHS 2006) currently a Post-Doctoral Fellow at M.I.T.; Teddy (CHS 2008) currently a Master’s degree student at the University of British Colombia; Harold (home-schooled, but active in CHS activities including Drum Major 2011) currently a PhD candidate at the University of British Colombia, and Artemis (CHS 2013) currently a Senior at Princeton University.

Marina Martinez-Kratz.

Marina Martinez-Kratz
What is your occupation? Professor of Nursing at Jackson College. Certified Nurse Educator with 20 years of teaching experience in higher education.

Registered Nurse with 30 years of clinical experience.  Published academic author and editor. Health care consultant.

What is your education?
Bay City Central High School 1983
Jackson Community College 1988 Associate Degree Nursing
University of Michigan 1992 Bachelor of Science in Nursing
University of Michigan 2000 Master of Science in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing

Have you previously been elected to office?
No

Do you serve on any boards or committees in the community? Please list a few of them and dates of service.
Council for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (CPCAN), Board Secretary, Jackson
Jackson Interfaith Shelter Volunteer
Mandated Reporter Trainer-Volunteer
Chelsea Athletics Volunteer
Science Olympiad Volunteer Coach at Beach Middle School
Girls on the Run Volunteer Coach at South School
Chelsea Classroom volunteer


What are your thoughts about School of Choice?
School of choice is a proactive means to address empty seats and declining enrollment. As implemented in the Chelsea School District, it will be successful if carefully managed and regulated.

KEY ISSUES: Briefly identify the top two issues of your campaign – why are you running for the Board of Education?

  1. Increasing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) learning opportunities at every level so our children are prepared for success in the global economy.
  2. Addressing and supporting the behavioral health needs of Chelsea students at every level.

SUMMARY: Can you explain how you will address the two key issues you’ve chosen above?

  1. I will work with my board colleagues, parents, students, and stakeholders to explore, support and implement innovative options for STEM partnerships, collaborations, trainings and programs.
  2. After a thorough review of assessment data, behavioral health policies and procedures, and district behavioral health awareness and prevention programs, I will make data driven decisions that support and ensure the well-being of Chelsea students.

Do you have a website? No

Personal information: Age, marital status, number of children and ages, do they attend Chelsea Schools?  53 years old; married (Kent); 3 children: daughter, Sierra (age 15) is a sophomore at Chelsea High School; son, Jesse (age 19) is a Chelsea graduate and a junior at Columbia University in NYC; son, Maxwell (age 21) is a Chelsea graduate and attends the Chelsea Young Adult Program.


Keri Poulter.

Keri (Kentala) Poulter
What is your occupation? Project Coordinator

What is your education?
Chelsea High School, Class of 1995
University of Texas at Austin, Class of 1999 (BS Corporate Communications)
Joint Military Attaché School, Washington, D.C., Spring 2014

Have you previously been elected to office? No

Do you serve on any boards or committees in the community? Please list a few of them and dates of service.
Reading Literacy Coach – Virginia Beach Public Schools, 2011-2013
Classroom Assistant – Alexandria Public Schools, 2013-2014
International Newcomers Club, Madrid, Spain, 2014-2015
Classroom Assistant – American School of Madrid, Spain, 2014-2017.

What are your thoughts about School of Choice? Seeking clarity and understanding of the issue, I attended a School of Choice general information meeting and a School of Choice focus group at WSEC in the spring. The information provided by the Superintendent made it clear to me that adopting limited School of Choice could benefit the Chelsea School District. Limited school of choice allows the District great control over participation and eligibility. I believe the Chelsea Board of Education carefully considered all sides of this very complex issue when they voted to participate in School of Choice. If elected, I would support the decision of the Board while attentively evaluating how the implementation of limited School of Choice affects Chelsea students, staff, and the community.

KEY ISSUES: Briefly identify the top two issues of your campaign – why are you running for the Board of Education?

  1. I’m passionate about the future of education, the future of our students, and the future of our community. Education needs to be about empowering students with transferable skills that will hold up to a rapidly changing world. It should also be about helping students find their passion, prepare to do it well, and have a sense of purpose and focus. This important work begins in Kindergarten and continues throughout a student’s career. I want to support the District in making every effort to provide each student, in each year they attend Chelsea Schools, with the best academic, extra-curricular and athletic experience possible.
  2. It’s important to me that all members of the community feel their board members represent them and that district resources and policies are aligned with the community’s educational goals. I want to be a voice for both life-long and new community members to foster understanding and support for Chelsea education through open, and frequent, communication.

SUMMARY: Can you explain how you will address the two key issues you’ve chosen above?

  1. I believe in the importance of lifelong learning, open-mindedness and critical thinking. I would dedicate time and energy to exploring, researching and implementing the best practices and programs for Chelsea Schools.
  2. Send me an email, stop me on the sidewalk, say hello at community events, and get to know me! I promise I’m approachable and genuinely happy to chat about education in Chelsea and my desire to serve as your board member. Serving my community, and the school district that provided me with an exceptional education would be a true honor.

Do you have a website? No website. Please contact me at [email protected] if you’d like to engage in conversation about our schools.

Personal information: Age, marital status, number of children and ages, do they attend Chelsea Schools? Age 41 years old, married to Thomas Poulter (CHS Class of 1993), mother of two boys, ages 12 and 14 attending Beach Middle School (7th grade) and Chelsea High School (9th grade).


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