09/28/2026
**Warning long post**
This Thursday I’ll be attending a candidate forum at RJRHS high school moderated by their students. It’s an honor to attend.
Candidates were given 5 questions and asked to answer in writing before the event where we’ll be asked to elaborate on these. Knowing the lack of knowledge the vast majority of the candidates have there is no doubt in my mind they’ve been busy ChatGPTing away. It’s a tragedy that several of those candidates will eventually be elected by well meaning but unsuspecting voters. My answers were BASED ON MY EXPERIENCES AND TRACK RECORD AS A TEACHER.
The questions and my answers are as follows…
School safety: Anxiety surrounding school safety seems to be increasing – and the current measures don’t make students feel much safer.
What better solutions would you propose to address those concerns and assure that students feel like their safety is a priority?
The current state of school safety within WSFCS is unacceptable. As a result 2 children have been victims of homicide since 2022! Nothing resembling those incidents can ever be permitted to happen again. Chaos, mayhem and violence is not unfamiliar to our school system going back decades. Several of our students have attempted murders off campus and several others have been victims of murder off campus. Sadly this is at least in part to a district-wide and systemic tolerance of antisocial behavior, disorder, apathy and an orientation to a twisted and misguided sense of "social justice." Tragically, the vast majority of the most violent student offenders have been "persons of color." So in response district leadership going back more than 10 years ago has acceded to the demands of community groups such as the W-S Minister's Conference that consequently reduced length of suspensions because data indicated a racially disproportionate number of suspended students. What seems to be ignored is that the overwhelming number of victims of school violence were also "persons of color." Partly due to that and similar viewpoints the current code of conduct was developed to counteract racial inequities but instead has been a complete disaster and failure. The restorative justice aspects of the code of conduct has emboldened students and has multiplied the number of "minor infractions" that lead to major violence including bringing deadly weapons into our schools, teachers getting threatened and assaulted and students and staff being under threat of violence or death. Our tolerance for minor infractions such as tardies, disrespect and insubordination must become zero due to a complete reboot of the code of conduct. Additionally, all middle and high schools must possess a heightened security posture to include reduced entry and exit points with the introduction of metal detectors. Repeat student offenders must be relocated to alternative settings so as not to disrupt learning. Those alternative schools must have social services on site to include mental health services to rehabilitate and train these students what appropriate pro-social behaviors are. The first responsibility of schools is to keep all students safe. WSFCS has failed egregiously at the job. We must and will do better.
Teacher retention: Students are keenly aware of long-term substitutes and oversized classrooms as sure indicators that there are not enough strong teachers or support staff (like counselors) to support their education.
As one of the nine members of the school board, how would you assure that our classrooms are fully staffed by good teachers who really care for the kids – and that we don’t lose those that we have?
For many years WSFCS teachers have relied on FCAE as their lead agent of advocacy. Given that about 1,000 instructional and support staff have either been fired (RIF'd) and /or left voluntarily it is clear FCAE has also failed. I intend to serve as a board member who helps to transform WSFCS into a school system one without the need for a group such as FCAE, who as the ultimate example of its failure, named former WSFCS superintendent Tricia McManus "superintendent of the year" just days before it was revealed that the district was $46 million in debt in April of 2025. However, the WSFCS school board is the body that hires all instructional staff by 9-member votes; members must do their due diligence. Typically our school board votes unanimously on every single personnel action. That tells me the entire school board blindly relies on the word of HR and does not double check references or work experiences of people hired in key positions. Conversely, the local teacher supplement is highly competitive and offers better pay than most other local school districts, but without a stricter and more effective discipline policy, less interference by central office directives, uninterrupted teacher planning, a vast reduction in non-instructional teacher duties, improved continuity and capability in the office of the superintendent it will be incredibly difficult to attract and retain the best teachers. With that said, scores of WSFCS's best teachers have remained committed and loyal to our district. My goal is to repay that loyalty with wide and clear eyed vigilance as a watchdog and seasoned educator who uses conditional trust and continuously verifies. WSFCS must have a competent, lean and agile Central Office that is in tune with every school, respects their uniqueness and is immediately responsive to their needs.
Budget/funding: The real effects of our district’s recent financial troubles have spurred a great deal of students’ interest in finding solutions and preventative measures for our budget concerns. As they see it, school budgets are shrinking at a time when needs are changing and increasing.
As a potential member of a collective school board, how would you work to get more money to the school district, prevent further cuts to services, and rebuild what was lost?
Given the track record of the current and previous school boards and their lack of financial oversight there is no reason to believe it could be trusted with "more funds." There is no basis in educational research connecting increased funding with increased academic achievement. More funds (tax payer dollars) is not the most pressing problem facing WSFCS. The management and allocation of those funds is certainly 1 or 2. Hence, a 66-75% reduction of Central Office managers and directors will free up funds for more teachers and support staff where there are the greatest areas of need. The past 18 months we have had 2 interim superintendents earning $20K+ per month and on 10/1 we will have our third interim superintendent who will earn $23K per month plus travel expenses. There is also discussion of paying an outside firm $200K to "study potential cuts" to the Central Office. That tells me two things. The current school board lacks specific knowledge, ability to problem solve and lacks seriousness about cutting expenses to the least vital areas of the district's budget. I DO NOT support any further cuts to teaching staff. I am on record at school board meetings saying that as well as on my campaign. WSFCS IS NOT a jobs program, it is a school district that hires and pays professionals to protect and educate K-12 students. We are in the midst of a financial crisis. We need to act like it by respecting every dollar tax payers provide us.
Staff/teacher input: Students voiced an inclination that members of the school board can be out of touch with the realities of life in schools today; national and regional news about school boards often leaves them with the impression that adults are fighting about issues that are less than relevant to the worries and mechanics of the student experience. If entrusted with a seat on the board of education, how would you seek out the experience and input of the people in the classrooms, and what actions might you take to assure they felt heard?
With 23 continuous years of public teaching experience I am in tune with the obstacles, vagaries, and realities of what classroom teachers face on a daily basis. I previously taught for a combined 4 years at two of the most challenging schools in WSFCS (Atkins & Carver) and facilitated the high growth of dozens of students there. Beyond the difficulties that at-risk youth bring with them to school, through no fault of their own, due to poverty and volatile family dynamics. Unrealistic and disrespectful expectations and directives from disengaged Central Office leadership staff--and sometimes inept or overworked--school principals make teachers' jobs far more difficult and harder to manage that need be. That needs to stop and I will put the superintendent on notice on day 1 that I expect him and his successor to remove as many obstacles in the paths of teachers as possible...immediately! This question also seems to allude to the misguided "meet & confer" policy proposed by FCAE. I have rejected the language of that proposal because it confers unique power to FCAE's president without being selected by the majority of WSFCS staff and because it is inflexible. However, I have previously pledged and will continue to pledge and guarantee that if elected I will meet with, listen to and advocate for an enhanced empowerment of all teachers and support staff within WSFCS. No other candidate in this race has a greater number of actual and proven/successful years of teaching experience than I. I intend to bring that breadth and depth of experience to bear in every aspect of public dialogue, policy discussion and ex*****on over the course of my time on the school board. I also pledge an open door, email and phone line at all times.
