Candidate Profiles

I want to be re-elected to the Cedar Rapids School Board because I am a committed public servant. I value community feedback, staff feedback, and student feedback through my role as a public servant. Others believe I can be effective in this role and I want to serve them as I help lead the district toward improvement. I have 8 years of relevant experience. It is listed below. o CRCSD Director District 3, Board of Education 2017-present o PTA Leadership o Substitute Paraprofessional o Substitute Teacher o Trustee, Cedar Rapids Community School Foundation o CRCSD Policy and Compliance Core Committee o CRCSD HR Core Committee o Board Liaison CRCSD Audit Committee o Director, District 6, Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB) o Leadership Five Seasons, Education Day Chair o Envision East Central Iowa Workforce and Career Connected Learning, Education Pillar o School Volunteer in every CRCSD School o 7 IASB Individual Achievement Awards o Attendee or Presenter - 51 IASB professional development courses or political events o Public Education Legislative Advocate State Level o Public Education Legislative Advocate Federal Level o Parent of a CRCSD graduate and a CRCSD student o Property Owner o Public School Graduate

I have missed less than 10 board meetings in 8 years of service. I read the agenda and am prepared for meetings. I ask thoughtful and relevant questions, seeking to clarify items for the public while also making sure action is in alignment with the strategic plan.

I value transparency and am proud of the recent board collaboration regarding improving communication style. I support building staff and will advocate for them at the board table by asking relevant questions about staffing, culture & climate, and student achievement. I would like to see the board engage in a deep data analysis based on both historical and recent data and show the community how this data is being used to accomplish identified strategic plan goals.

The most notable strength of our school is our staff. CRCSD has a very high number of certified staff that provide high-quality instruction. CRCSD has a good percentage of active parents who are committed to partnering with the district in supporting their child's education. CRCSD has strong community parners in both social services and the business community that are working toward achieving success for students and staff, and overall growth for the community. I think a current weakness is the overall state of public education. Teachers should be celebrated, not villainized. Public taxpayer dollars should go to public schools that operate under tight oversight rules that private institutions don't have to follow. Public schools are, and should remain, schools of choice.

I think CRCSD has accumulated enough data, both historically and recently, to be able to set and achieve identified goals. I would cut spening on future consulting first. The district could further identify areas for cuts, if needed, by reviewing partner agency reporting metrics to decide which relationships are beneficial to continue.

I do support the College & Career Pathways program. This program lets students explore possible future direction through project based learning experiences. I support stackable and transferable credits for college credits or building trade certifications. This program can help students defer the cost of college and/or give them a head start on a different career path. Another local public school district operates a successful Freshman Academy model and it exists elsewhere in the country. Freshman Academy programs smooth the transition into higher levels of learning. I support Freshman Academy programming.

I support the bond referendum. We can and should do better. Our students and staff deserve modern, safe, welcoming, working and learning facilities with consistent environmental controls, natural light, and universal design for ADA compliance. Our community deserves this too!

I do support the facilities master plan. I have been on the CRCSD BOE since the beginning of the facilities master plan. I know advanced safety measures will benefit students and staff and that intentional incorporation of universal design creates a welcoming environment. Modern or remodeled buildings are better for the environment and reduce overhead costs. The facilities master plan creates schools with multiple classrooms of the same grade, allowing for easier to control class sizes. The facility master plan also offers a shared block of time during specials for teachers to collaborate between classrooms in their grade level. This is an environment where teachers can collaborate to enhance instructional individualization. Additionally, our staff and students deserve to have the same quality of facilities as neighboring school districts.

Additional funding should go where the majority of the general find goes - to staff salary and benefits. Staff are the backbone of our organization; we would fall without them. Well respected and compensated staff improve our overall system.

I do not have any current curriculum concerns but am open to feedback if others have concerns.

I am happy to meet with parents, teachers, staff that want to share concerns or points of celebration. The public should expect transparency from me at the board table and in all communications.

Both student and teacher safety can be improved with new or updated facilities that have safe entry points. Continuing work with restorative practices to reduce disruptive classroom behaviors will also improve safety. New initiatives developed and implemented by the Safe and Secure Learning team are already providing additional safety features in our buildings.