Improve Student Achievement

I firmly believe the foundation for student success begins with solid literacy, math, and science skills. While our schools continue to rank high on student achievement measures, we’ve seen a steady decline in these core areas since before the pandemic. Our priority must be focused on a return to academic excellence — for all students.

To this end, I will advocate for the policies, resources, and support systems that will make meaningful and measurable improvement in academic performance for our schools.
Key to achieving this goal is to seek input from teachers about the challenges they face, their ideas for improving outcomes, and making sure teachers have the support they need to deliver on our district’s promise of helping students reach their full potential.

Increase Parent and Community Involvement

Like many families in District 196, we moved here for the great schools. The district has a reputation for having amazing teachers and providing an education that focuses on academics, arts and athletics — this “triple A” philosophy is a big part of what drew our family to Apple Valley. But with the decline in academic scores and the persistent achievement gap, I believe we need more parent and community involvement to reverse these trends.

Research shows that the extent to which schools nurture positive relationships with families — and vice versa — makes all the difference in students’ achievement. If elected, I’ll work for increased parent and community involvement to ensure diverse viewpoints are represented, respected, and reflected in the district’s plans.

Increase Transparency and Accountability

We’re living in a time when trust in our public institutions continues to erode, and our district is not immune. We have an opportunity to be more proactive in our communication to strengthen and maintain trust with the taxpayers and families who fund the district’s operations. Greater transparency and increased accountability regarding decision-making, finances, curriculum, and plans for improvement are critical for building positive relationships with parents and members of our community. Together in partnership with the district, we can move forward to build on our culture of honesty, integrity, and excellence.