Board member of the Carmel Clay Teachers Association
Coach for Spell Bowl
Coach for 8th grade Cheerleading
Grade Level Team Leader
Member of District Calendar Committee
Served on Curriculum Adoption Committee
Members of Growing Science Inquiry Project
Building Level Representative for Carmel Clay Education Association
Building Coordinator for Reading Renaissance
Title 1 Reading Teacher
Leadership Experience
I served on various boards and committees on both the building level as well as the district level. These leadership experiences allowed me a holistic view of the different operations at all levels of the Carmel Clay School District.
1. What is your number one reason for wanting to serve on the school board?
My desire to serve on the school board comes after 33 years of working with Carmel Students. I feel this opportunity will allow me to continue to positively impact all students across K-12.
2. What role does policy play/have in the function of the board?
The school board sets the policy for the entire district and approves curriculum. The school board is charged with setting policies that protects as well as allows students to thrive in a classroom environment.
3. What legislative action at the state level would you support to improve education in our community.
Last Fall we marched "Red for Ed" which was a movement that pushed for more funding for schools. The #1 thing we can do to impact all students is to hire more teachers which in turns lower class sizes. Time and again studies have proven that smaller class sizes lead to great student success regardless of social economic status. This would be a legislative action on the state level that I would fully support.
4. What do you think is the biggest issue facing your district?
Currently during this COVID pandemic, the biggest issue would be to efficiently and safely reintegrate students back into the classroom. We must have the flexibility to deal with an ever changing crisis. The right answer today may not be the right answer next month. We have to continue to monitor all numbers at the local and state level. A secondary concern is funding. Fortunately there were no education budget cuts this year, however, that may not be a guarantee next year depending on how the economy recovers. It is important that we be proactive and remove top heavy expenditures so that we continue to be in a position to recruit top teacher candidates as well as retain excellent teachers.
5. If you were elected what one thing would you like to accomplish during your term?
During the last 3 years of my 33 years in the Carmel Clay classrooms, I observed programs introduced that are not conducive to all student achievement. The one thing I would like to accomplish during my term is to create a process of greater parental transparency and communication.
Parents notified when their child leaves the classroom during instructional time for an undetermined amount of time.
Provide an opt-out option for parents if they do not wish for their child to participate in the "Social Emotional Learning" when it allows for said child to leave the classroom for an undetermined amount of time.
Parents notified when a disruptive student displaces the classroom into the hallway, where the teacher attempts to continue with instruction, while the disruptive student remains behind in the classroom for an undetermined amount of time.
In my 3 decades of teaching, the best environment is when teachers teach and parents parent. It's the perfect symbiotic relationship because it allows us a platform to work together to turn out the best version of every child.
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