I am the best candidate because I always put the academic, social, emotional and physical needs of our students first. We may at times have to make difficult decisions (like moving to a 4 day school week) but our students should still be our paramount concern.
In addition, my entire career has been in public education. I have a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education, a Master’s in School Administration and a Ph.D. in Teacher Education. I’ve been a K-6 teacher, a principal, a teacher educator, and a union president, as well as a parent and taxpayer.
These experiences, along with the input of teachers, staff, parents, students and the wider community will help us make the best possible decisions for the welfare of our students and community.
Securing adequate funding and reversing budget cuts (we will need to collect a great deal of data to determine the impact of our 4 day school week on students, teachers, staff, parents, families and the community as well as its budgetary implications before making decisions for future years) ;
Developing clear guidelines for use of AI in classrooms;
Making sure our schools stay open and welcoming to all by resisting attempts to ban books and insert religious teaching into classrooms.
The 4-day school week was a way to reduce costs while preserving programs and personnel as much as possible. I would continue in this direction by reducing:
administrative staff (We’ve already done this!);
extra-curricular activities in light of the number of student participants and the cost per student;
the frequency of Art or PE classes; and
Increasing class sizes (slightly and only as a last resort)
Larger deficits would require deeper cuts to services, programs and personnel.
Schools serving poor and minority students often have fewer resources, less experienced teachers, weak curricula and crumbling facilities. Poverty, nutrition and student health also impact achievement. Our federal government must fund schools to ensure equal opportunities for all.
Other strategies are;
Insuring equitable funding within districts;
Reducing class size and providing targeted services;
“Wrap around” schools and social services;
“Cultural navigators’ to help immigrant families.
To gather the perspectives of staff, parents, students and the wider community I will;
Make my email and Facebook page easily available;
Be available to meet with teachers, staff and community members at the school from 5-5:30 PM on board meeting days;
Sponsor quarterly public listening sessions (or more as needed);
Work with teachers, staff and the board to gather information from students as appropriate;
Work to make board materials more accessible, and to have meetings broadcast via Zoom.
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I love Ely, and I believe education is so crucial for communities. I have a young son enrolled in the Early Childhood program at the school, and I want to show him it's important to be involved in things you believe in. I want Ely's students to be able to graduate with the tools and abilities to succeed in the world, and also to be good members of our community. I want the staff at the school to have the resources they need to provide that education. I have watched many of my friend's kids graduate, and many more of them have kids at all ages in the school system. As a mom and a member of this community, I will work for all of our kids, from early childhood to graduating seniors.
Making sure the budget doesn't affect students, or affects them as little as possible.
Working with the board and superintendent to ensure the school is a place our students and staff want to be, focusing on quality of education and also social climate.
Being a bridge between the community and the school, making sure voices on all sides are heard.
Trying to keep the cuts as far away from the students as possible. Using resources within the community to guide decisions, and trying to find the least disruptive option possible. Looking at other schools to see how they've managed to handle budget cuts, and what's worked or failed.
Acknowledging disparities in the first place, encouraging staff members to seek out additional training in areas where they might not have expertise.
Encouraging cross-cultural relations and seeking out those with different perspectives or backgrounds to share their insights.
Advertising public services so all families are aware of assistance.
ECR recently had a wild rice harvesting field trip, which was an amazing opportunity to learn a tradition a lot of kids might not have been exposed to.
Encouraging people to show up at school board meetings to find out what's happening for our district! If they can't make it in person, the minutes are published in the Ely Echo and are available online.
Working with the superintendent to find out the best ways to communicate with teachers and the community at large.
Making sure decisions are transparent and clearly communicated. We might not like the answers or solutions, but if we can understand what's happening, it's easier to move forward.
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I am the best candidate for the Ely School Board because I am committed to our school’s success and have the experience. As a parent, I have over 14 years of experience within the Ely school district.
As a current school board member, I have an understanding of district funding, budgeting, facilities projects, staffing and student needs. I serve on the board’s finance, policy, meet and confer, and continuing education committees, as well as represent the school on the Ely Parks and Recreation Board.
I have over 18 years of professional experience working within a state agency overseeing and managing large budgets with dedicated funds, supervising professional staff within multiple unions and managing facilities & building projects.
Top priorities:
Establishment of long-term stable funding for our school district. Funding has not kept pace with inflation, this has created uncertainty and deficit spending.
Declining enrollment is a long term trend that needs to be addressed. We need to continue engaging students and families in conversations surrounding academic needs.
Another priority this school year is the successful implementation and support of the 4-day school week for students, staff and teachers.
Unfortunately our school has been cutting budgets as a result of inflation not keeping pace with funding and declining enrollment. We need to continue communications and engagement with our stakeholders - community members, local businesses, government representatives, teachers, parents, other school districts - to find ways to give voice to our funding needs and look for new funding, partnerships and efficiencies.
Racial and economic disparities affect all communities, including ours. As a school board when making decisions impacting families we must examine whether the impacts will hit some families more than others. As we present students with opportunities, we must ensure there are supports so all students can participate. Our community also amazing partnerships and businesses that support our students including Ely Community Resource. We must foster those connections.
I believe those affected by decisions should be at the table to make the best choices. As a board, we engaged teachers and families with our district strategic plan, including community surveys and workshops. This was a great experience to solicit feedback as well as work side by side to create a vision for our district. I would look forward to more opportunities to engage. As we’ve looked at budget cuts, there were multiple surveys to solicit input. I welcome feedback and ideas!
