My Priorities

Every student has different needs, a different learning style, different interests and a different support system.  Our job as a district is to provide a supportive and safe environment for ALL students to learn, thrive and grow.  Having children of my own that need very different supports to be successful in their education, I know the importance of providing differentiated learning opportunities through up-to-date curriculum, a wide-range of schooling options (e.g. Quest, STEM, Arts Magnet, PRIDE Transitions, Wright Tech, etc) and research driven teaching practices. 

Now more than ever, we have to prioritize creating a culture and support network where students know their social, emotional, mental and physical wellness matters along with their academic needs.  I want every student to know they matter, to find classes and extra-curricular activities that fuel their passions, and be surrounded by caring adults who will guide them toward a successful future whatever path they choose.  I am committed to doing what is best for all students in our district so that each and every one can become all they can be as they dream, believe and achieve.

Jobs in the education field have become more and more demanding.  There is a very real national teacher crisis happening as more and more teachers leave the profession because of the mental strain and lack of support.  Our district has some of the most committed and caring teachers I have ever encountered, and I have been a part of numerous school districts around the country!  They truly love our students and go above and beyond their job description.  They deserve our full support when it comes to compensation, maintaining their prep time and professional development, getting the supplies they need and trusting them to do the job they are trained to do.  I will make sure they are set-up to succeed in an ever changing world.  I want to ensure our district is a place where top-notch educators and staff want to work and build their career, because excellent classrooms are built by excellent teachers.  And when we have excellent classrooms, we attract new families to the area and retain current residents which is vital to a vibrant and growing community and district as we work to comeback from a statewide decline in student enrollment that negatively affects funding and programming.  

As everything around us gets more expensive, and the state legislature continues to underfund constitutional mandates, the school board will need to be extra creative in the allotment of the budget.  I will support board decisions that use the tax payers dollars wisely and in a way that has the greatest positive impact directly on kids and their education.

I believe in fully funding education and I will work hard to make sure that tax paying citizens can trust the school board to steward these funds well.  Funding education is a joint effort between the state and the community, and while it is a daunting task as the gap between the cost to run the district and funding provided by the state continues to grow, I firmly believe that our schools are worth the investment, the time and the effort.  Our schools will be strongest when administrators, teachers, parents and community members all work together for the good of ALL our students.  I will continue to work with legislators to help them understand the needs of our district and how current funding positively and negatively affects our students.