Policy Positions

Expand on the District's reputation for exceptional student academic achievement, going beyond traditional definitions of excellence.

Demonstrate commitment to serving the greater good through inclusive practices.

Develop and support strategies that sustain and strengthen future fiscal outcomes.

Leverage open enrollment to regulate class sizes and [co-]curricular offerings.o this item.

Distinguish the District as a leader in developing effective, evidence-based measures to prevent and address health & safety concerns.

I think transparency is an important issue to address, because it is a subject on many voters' minds.  Elected officials and public institutions need to be transparent because their constituents and those they serve have a stake in the game.  In a school district, transparency is usually delivered as communications from the administration/school board, as conversations between the administration/school board and the various stakeholders, and through direct involvement of stakeholders in the policy-making process.

There are many ways to improve transparency in our district.  While Open Meeting laws require adequate notification of school board meetings to the public, our lives are busy and it is often difficult to attend every meeting -- it's only because of a supportive spouse and cooperative children that I have been able to attend the vast majority of meetings in person over the past two years.  Currently, only Regular Meetings are live-streamed for community members to view online.  By also live-streaming Study Sessions and Special Meetings (the latter of which is recorded, but neither are currently live streamed), busy parents and other community members can gain better understanding of the school board and how it comes to its decisions.

I would also like to see more opportunities for community involvement, in the form of listening sessions (such as the Orono School District has implemented) and increased involvement in district committees.  This would allow stakeholders an active voice in the conversation, rather than only being allowed a 3-minute elevator pitch at a board meeting, or an email that may or may not elicit a response.

Additionally, a number of school districts have student representatives as non-voting members of the school board.  Not only would it give our most precious stakeholders a voice, but it would give the students involved a valuable experience in policymaking.

Use my experience as a current graduate student in a technology-oriented field (Healthcare Informatics) to facilitate the development of innovative educational programs and delivery systems for our students to help them prepare for further education or in their future careers.

Advocate for the teaching and support staff to maintain and improve their ongoing training to maintain their ability to provide world-class education to our students, as well as give them the skills necessary to create a safe, inclusive, and respectful learning environment for all students that allows each student to achieve their full potential.

Develop policies that will ensure our ability to recruit and retain the highest-quality teachers and support staff so that the district can continue its reputation of being one of the best school districts in the nation.

Continue to seek out new ways of decreasing our environmental impact with sustainable practices.

Create thoughtful and intentional policies and instruction to utilize technology for the effective delivery of education ("good screen time") while teaching, coaching, and modeling limited and appropriate use of technology outside of the virtual or real-world classroom settings.

Look for opportunities to improve our nutrition services to that we can deliver healthy food options for all students to meet their individual needs.