Three key values I’m committed to are Community, Transparency, and Accountability.
Community
I support creating a safe, inclusive, and affirming learning environment for all children. Children need safe spaces supported by empathetic adults where they are able to express themselves, free from stereotypes and encouraged to soar. We need to reach out to all parents to make sure they feel included while empowering them to engage in the learning process. Parental involvement is critical to student success, and our teachers and parents must remain partners in success.
Creating a successful learning environment requires a dedicated team of teachers, administrators, instructional aides, custodians, coaches, and more. That’s why I support unions and collective bargaining in public education. I also support raising salaries to recruit and retain quality staff. Unions create shared governance, which creates better working environments for educators. Better working environments for educators leads to better outcomes for students.
Transparency
I commit to being an accessible and transparent School Board Member. Families in the 3rd District can expect regular updates about school board policies, along with reminders to provide feedback on proposed changes, budget developments, and more. Your school board member should understand the needs of our students and educators, so I’m also committing to visit every public school in the 3rd district regularly.
Our School Board must be focused on solving real problems. Our School Board must improve its governance and oversight functions. Our annual school budget process must be accessible, coherent, and used to build trust and confidence in our school system. Budget documents must be available in a timely fashion so parents and staff can participate. A fully transparent budget process creates predictability and stability in governance.
Accountability
I support democratically elected school boards and protecting public education as a right and resource for all people. Including all students in the learning process creates greater success for everyone, and popularly elected School Boards ensure our Schools serve the entire community. Our schools should also have high quality services and supports that meet the needs of their specific neighborhoods and communities.
While efforts to expand charter schools often focus on increased student success, the reality is that charters do not have a better track record than public schools. Diverting taxpayer dollars to private institutions with no accountability also takes critical support away and undermines our highest-need students.