School Board Candidate - Jessica Curtis

Curtis’s motivation was simple: she wanted to continue a tradition of excellence in the LAS district.

By Justin Tiemeyer
Contributing Writer

Jessica Curtis graduated from Lowell High School in 1999, and she went on to get a teaching degree at Central Michigan University. From there, she went into sales. “At that time,” Curtis said, “there weren’t as many jobs in teaching.”

This stands in stark contrast to Curtis’s four-year tenure on Lowell Area Schools (LAS) Board of Education, which has taken place amid a teacher shortage that the district has weathered surprisingly well.
Curtis joined the school board in December of 2020, filling the vacancy left when former board president, Jim Turner, stepped down. Prior to that time, she had volunteered for the Lowell Education Foundation, an independent non-profit that provides grants for innovation and technology, and she had been part of the parent teacher organizations (PTOs) at her children’s schools, so she had an idea of the inner workings of the Lowell Area Schools district before the pandemic, but her service on the LAS board has taken place entirely during, as they say these days, “unprecedented times.” “I stepped into it at a crazy time,” Curtis said. “I got in during the heat of it.”

Curtis’s motivation was simple: she wanted to continue a tradition of excellence in the LAS district. She wanted continuity between her own great experience in Lowell Schools and that of her children.
She also had a surprisingly good perspective, not only because she was educated as a teacher, but because she had children in high school, middle school, and elementary school, when she joined the board. She could see the work the board was doing at each level of application.

Even prior to COVID, Curtis had a focus on mental health. She believes that teachers, administrators, and support staff need to be part of a student’s support network, because not every child has the best support network at home.  During her interview with The Lowell Ledger, Curtis expressed joy that the State of Michigan is going to be increasing funds for mental health.
Not only does Curtis focus on mental health in her role as a school board member; promoting the mental health of others seems as natural to her as breathing. She shared the kinds of things she talks about with her kids. “Just smiling at someone can make their day,” Curtis said. “Maybe no one has smiled at them today. That’s a small thing you can do.”

Regarding the current push to remove certain books from school libraries, Curtis sees this as an issue that keeps popping up over time. “I remember when I was in college to become a teacher, it was a big thing having the Harry Potter books,” Curtis said. “They were saying that they were promoting spells and witchcraft.”

This frustrated Curtis. All of these people were obsessing over the immorality of waving a wand, and it took focus away from the staggering effect this book series had on literacy rates in both children and adults.

These days, some members of the community are pushing for removal of books they claim to be “pornographic,” and Curtis believes the district has the right people and policies in place to address these concerns.

“We are very fortunate that we have someone who has a degree in library services,” Curtis said. “We need to trust that person. That’s something we should be really grateful for. Not every school has that.”

The school also has a process for challenging a book, but moreover, Curtis points out the fact that every parent has the power to limit what books their own children read.
Curtis recalled one time when she had an interaction with the library director regarding a book her own child was interested in. The Curtis family often vacations in Boyne City, which prompted her second grader to show interest in a book called Michigan Chillers. In particular, there was a story about a “Poltergeist in Petoskey”, and her son felt a connection because he had been to Petoskey. This book was typically reserved for older readers, so the library director called Curtis and asked if it was OK for her son to check it out, and she approved. “This is what reading does to kids,” Curtis said. “It opens their eyes, even if it’s too scary.”

Removing books from the library is one of many issues where Curtis believes a vocal minority has problems that the rest of the school populace does not. “Sometimes it can be three really loud voices that want us to do things where we have one hundred people saying you are doing the right thing,” Curtis said. “I think sometimes people get a little bit upset because they think we are not listening to them. We are listening to them, but we have to do what’s best for everyone.”

Jessica Curtis is one of five candidates running for four seats on the Lowell Area Schools Board of Education. The official ballot for the Tuesday, November 5, 2024 election also lists Parker Liu, but Liu suspended his campaign on Tuesday, August 6, 2024, citing family obligations. Of the remaining five, there are two challengers, and Curtis is one of three incumbents. In-person voting can be done on the Tuesday of the election, or prior, during Michigan’s early voting period, and many residents have already received their absentee ballots.