The Board of Education should engage in the strategic identification and procurement of the resources necessary to support student successes, including making responsible employment decisions, supporting innovative learning programs and character-building activities, working to secure necessary funding, and advocating for the needs of the school system with county and state representatives.

Children are the most important customers of our school system. Each child is a unique individual with a set of needs, life experiences, and interests different from all others. The decisions they make during their formative years as students shape the directions of their entire futures as adults. Foundational achievements in academics, sports and other extra-curricular activities, and early work experience help promote lifelong habits of defining and completing short-term initiatives in support of long-term goals. School should be an environment providing all students with an opportunity to obtain a sound basic education while helping students identify their personal strengths and possible career interests.

We all have a stake in the success of our children; parents, grandparents, guardians, teachers, neighbors, etc. Each interaction is a chance to be a positive influence on a child and to make a lasting impact. Part of ensuring that the sound principles and values we hope to teach are also supported by our school systems is to participate in identifying, supporting, and electing school board candidates prepared to defend those principles and values.

Providing strong academic programs is the core function of our public school system. The Board of Education should support the defining and monitoring of key performance indicators useful in measuring the effectiveness of each academic program and for guiding decisions regarding program modifications and resource needs. I believe emphasis should be placed on providing educational opportunities in areas of practical knowledge useful to every student as they prepare for future schooling and/or their careers. This would include providing a personal budgeting and finance course to all students prior to graduating high school.

I am a major proponent for student athletics. Sports provide an environment where participants can learn how to function in a team environment, experience success and failures with wins and losses as well as personally with individual achievements, build character, and adopt habits supportive of maintaining good physical and mental health. Athletes can also discover the value of work ethic, dedication, and goal setting that they will carry with them into adulthood. By tying participation to academic performance, self-discipline can also be enhanced. The Board of Education should support providing resources for building successful athletic programs in our school system.

I worked throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic to inform the Board of Education of teachers, other parents, and my concerns about the impacts of their decisions on the health, well-being, development, and education of LCPS students. Please see the Education Advocacy page for video links to my comments made during Board meetings regarding COVID-19.