Issues

Community Safety

The health and well-being of our parents, teachers, and students is my number one concern. 

The pandemic has obviously changed the way we interact and how students learn. But, we should do all we can to support our students and ensure parents and teachers have access to the resources and tools necessary to successfully implement distance learning until students can safely return to the classroom. 

I’ve worked with my colleagues on the Board to help implement plans to mitigate learning loss, especially amongst our most vulnerable students. The Board also approved a recent plan to hire more social workers to provide social-emotional support for our students and is investing in technological resources to ensure students have a seamless educational experience. There is more work to be done, but I’m sure we will overcome these challenging times together.

Parental Rights & Choice

Parents should be aware of their rights and how to exercise them.

When parents have concerns, they should have confidence that board members are not only listening but are actively working to solve their problems. As your board member, I will continue to be a responsive Board Member and encourage the district to do more to inform parents about options available to them.

This includes informing parents of available charter schools and learning options available during this pandemic.

Support our Teachers

We can’t expect to attract quality teachers to our district if we aren’t willing to acknowledge the work teachers do in and out of the classroom. And we can’t truly receive teacher input if we aren’t meeting with Teacher leaders. To that end, I’ve always been a responsive Board member and have met with teacher leaders to discuss the tough issues.

As your elected board member, I’ve led reviews of district finances and have found ways to cut wasteful spending and reduce administrative overhead. Under my leadership, the district will continue to identify waste and invest the money saved in the classroom. Revenue saved can also go towards keeping class sizes low and providing more transportation options for working parents when it is safe to do so.

Let’s inspire a culture of professionalism around our teaching force that allows us to compete with other school districts. I support policies that will allow teachers enough release time to collaborate with other educators so that they can model high-quality teaching.

Low-performing teachers can be counseled out of the profession with the support of the board and educational leaders. It’s time to get rid of the “management vs. labor” culture.

Smart Investments

Making smart investments in our student need is a top priority. During my tenure, I’ve worked with the district to increase rigor in our schools to ensure every student receives a world-class education. No child should be allowed to slip through the cracks.

A strong educational system focuses on developing the entire child, not just academics. Equipping our next generation of leaders with both academic and social skills is vital for their success.

As your Board Member, I’ve pushed for IB programs and new vocational training opportunities. I’ve also reviewed our student instructional time to ensure efficiency. It’s imperative that we create an environment in which teachers, administrators, staff and parents can work together to ensure the healthy development of our students.

It’s equally important that we ensure the most effective teachers are in the classroom because the relationship between teacher and student is significant and lasting. Choosing to invest in our students sometimes means having tough conversations. Tough or not, we must invest our resources in ways that improve educational outcomes for our children.

Students With Disabilities

I’ve heard from parents that Natomas Unified has failed to honor individualized education programs (IEPs) when providing special education to students. As your elected board member, I will support every effort to uphold the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and ensure special education services occur in the least restrictive environment.

The board needs to support all students, including those who have difficulties learning.

As a board member, I’ll actively work with our congressional representatives to fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Act. This would go a long way toward improving the programs we have in place to assist our students.

Transparency

Under my leadership, Board meetings have taken place in our schools and meeting are now live-streamed. This makes it easier for parents to access Board members and increase involvement in our schools. We will continue to invest in technologies that keep district finances transparent so hardworking residents can see how their money is being spent.

Term Limits

A board member should not be able to serve more than two 4-year terms. I will call on the board to adopt term limits.

 

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