Endorsemnets. |
West Goshen Democrats
Bradford Democrats Westtown, Thornbury, and Birmingham Democrats Mid-County Democratic Committee |
Questions and Answers.
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Why have you chosen to run for school board?
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I think we need to have new and progressive voices on our school board. I really respect our school administrators and for the most part I agree with their decisions, but we can do more to build a district that works for everyone and part of that is having a board that asks tough questions and doesn’t rubber stamp the administration’s agenda.
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What are your goals and focus areas?
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These are my top three goals as a school board member: foster diversity and inclusion; create schools that are responsive to their communities, and build a modern curriculum that prepares students for the future.
Diversity, to me, means seeing every member of our community as a valued partner, regardless of their race, gender identity, sexual orientation, or religion. Our students need to see themselves reflected in their teachers and administrators and we need to do better when it comes to hiring a diverse staff. Responsiveness is vitally important right now, after more than a year of pandemic living and in the midst of a transition to new leadership. We need to use the technology at our disposal to increase participation at board meetings, allowing for electronic comments in addition to in-person ones. Additionally, we should be proactively reaching out to members of our community whose perspectives have been underrepresented in the past. Finally, children in school today will face challenges that we adults can hardly imagine. Consequently, we need to ensure that our curriculum emphasizes not just content, such as math and science, but also skills such as critical thinking, writing, and research skills. These abilities give young people the flexibility to work in whatever context they face as adults but are also imperative parts of being good global citizens. |
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What prior experience will help facilitate success?
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My work in higher education has been a pivotal part of my decision to run for school board. As an adjunct instructor of history for more than 15 years, I have taught many recent high school graduates and observed the ways in which they were both well-prepared for college as well as their struggles. I have also volunteered in my children’s schools for the past 11 years, as a PTO volunteer, with the program Art Goes to School, and in school libraries. Finally, I have served on WCASD’s school safety committee, formed in the wake of the Parkland shootings, and the school start time committee.
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What is your perspective and desires with respect to curriculum development and specialized programming?
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One aspect of education that I would like to see get more attention is research skills. Our kids live in a world where they are inundated by information and they will need to be able to identify reliable sources and use a variety of tools to gather credible information, both at work and in their personal lives. Our curriculum should teach these skills through projects such as essays and presentations that require original research, starting in the early grades of elementary school and continuing through graduation. To this end, I would propose that we add a fifth special class in elementary school - technology. This would move the responsibility for teaching computer skills from classroom teachers and librarians and free then to turn their attention to teaching students how to use information resources. It would also create greater flexibility for teachers to use the school libraries for projects that require additional time there (currently our librarians have classes in their rooms throughout the day and there is no flexibility for additional research time.)
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Do you think we need to incorporate more diversity into school programs/curricula? If so, how?
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Yes.
Diversity is central to the kind of schools, and communities, that we need today. For too long the people who made decisions for our kids have seen the world through the lens of a culture that saw straight, white, cisgender, middle-class, Christian men as the default, but this perspective marginalizes vast swaths of our population. Embracing diversity is how we get exciting new ideas, how we overcome conflict, and how we let our children know that each and every one of them is a valuable member of our community. As a board member I would emphasize diversity in our hiring practices, striving to ensure that our kids see themselves represented in their schools. I would also support policies that treat everyone, students, staff, and community members, with equally and dignity, such as a single color of graduation gowns, a dress code that does not single out girls or gender-nonconforming students, and discipline that applied to all students equally and fairly. |
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What is your perspective on discipline in schools?
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I am vigorously opposed to any form of discipline that builds antagonism between students and their schools. We should always start with the assumption that a student who is misbehaving is doing so, not out of maliciousness or disrespect, but because they are struggling. If we treat poor behavior as a symptom of an underlying problem then we can begin to uncover ways to stop the problematic behavior and improve everyone’s school experience. Suspension should be an absolute last resort and should always go hand in hand with other interventions. No student should be denied access to an education.
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What are your thoughts on extracurricular and enriching activities offered by the school system?
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I am a huge supporter of extracurriculars, particularly as they give kids whose families can’t afford private lessons, teams, etc. a chance for enrichment. We should absolutely strive to keep the costs to participate in extracurriculars as low as possible, otherwise they become exclusive clubs got privileged families. We also need to have extracurriculars beyond sports. My kids have participated in activities such as Mathcounts, Science Olympiad, D&D Club, and Debate team and all of these have taught them things they wouldn’t have learned in school, gave them the opportunity to work together with their peers as a team, and introduced them to people they wouldn’t have known otherwise.
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How do you feel about organized labor within the school system?
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In the interest of full disclosure I should say that both my husband and I have been members of a union that represents educators, APSCUF. I am generally an believer in the power of unions and would not deny the strength of collective bargaining to teachers. No one wants to strike, but every worker deserves to have the support of their colleagues in the pursuit of fair wages and safe working conditions. A school board member whom I deeply respect once told me that her basic questions about any policy were “is this good for students?” followed by “is this good for staff?” and then “is this good for my community” and this is how I would approach decisions as a board member. Treating teachers with dignity and negotiating with their union in good faith is good for students, teachers, and our community as a whole.
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Given consistent budget shortfalls, what is your perspective on taxation and funding for our school system?
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No one wants their taxes to go up. This should absolutely be our starting point, but we also need to acknowledge that public schools, including WCASD, are consistently underfunded. Our schools have been charged with unfunded mandates and given responsibility for aspects of American life that no one could have envisioned at the origins of public education and consistently the state and federal government have abrogated their responsibility to pay for the care and education of our children. This has left us in a situation where schools are overly dependent on property taxes, which is less than ideal. I pledge that, as a board member I will actively lobby government to do the responsible thing and fund our schools. We need the federal government to fully fund IDEA. We need the state of PA to reassess the requirement that districts provide transportation to children not attending public schools. But ultimately our responsibility is to educate children and we can never let the failure of government prevent us from taking care of this vulnerable population. So I am open to reasonable tax increases that will guarantee our children receive the education they need and that will ultimately preserve the value of our property, which is tied to the quality of our schools.
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Is there anything else you want voters to know about your candidacy?
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I love talking about education and how to help our children grow into adulthood. Please feel free to reach out to me on FB or Instagram or email me at [email protected].
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