Top Priorities
My main priorities for the Kirkwood School District are all part of one overall objective – to ensure we stay ambitious. I believe we can achieve wonderful things for our students and community if we seize the following opportunities:
To be open-minded, curious, and ambitious when evaluating our current standards and practices.
Kirkwood is an amazing school district, but that doesn’t mean we can’t try to be even better. From improving our class size standards to implementing best practices from one school across the district, I know an innovative mindset can help us identify opportunities for progress. I seek to provide a forum for these essential conversations, challenging the status quo when it benefits the students and community, and leads to better education outcomes.
To maintain the highest standards of quality for our staff and teachers, and ensure our district remains an employer of choice in the region.
One of the reasons my Kirkwood education was so impactful was the quality of my teachers and administrators. I was fortunate to be surrounded by people who were knowledgeable and engaged, compassionate with students, and excited to be part of our community. I want to ensure this legacy continues by setting and maintaining high standards for district employees and building on our reputation as one of the most attractive school districts for employment. This requires us to listen to feedback from district staff, stay competitive with benefits and work environments, and hold people accountable for their job performance.
To protect every student’s access to opportunities, regardless of their unique challenges or needs.
I am immeasurably grateful for all the ways KSD allowed me to explore my talents, skills, and interests. The freedom to develop my potential as a student and citizen has had lifelong impacts on my success and well-being. I want to make sure that same wealth of opportunity is available to every student enrolled in our schools, regardless of any obstacles they face. As many of us know, equality and equity are very different things. I want to use my voice to help secure equitable opportunities for all Kirkwood students.
To ensure we thoughtfully evaluate investments and drive focus on our strategic initiatives.
One of the key responsibilities of school board members is to evaluate and vote on financial investments and plans. I want to do my part to think critically about these decisions, constantly looking at how expenditures benefit the most students and help the district meet our goals. District funding involves a very direct relationship with all KSD citizens regardless of their student enrollment status. I hope to remember that overlap and honor the duty that comes with being elected to this office.