Thanks for taking the time to learn more about me as you carefully make choices in the 2024 election! One attends Valley View Elementary as an incoming 4th grader. One is going to Rockford North Middle School in the fall as a 6th grader. We are into mountain biking, hiking, art, gardening, music, and laughing.
2. I am a former teacher and I hold a Master's in Secondary Education. Prior to teachi
ng high school biology, I worked with after school and summer care programs in the City of Grand Rapids for approximately 5 years. I was also a substitute teacher for a few of those years before I was able to find a teaching position. I'm no stranger to the classroom - before Covid hit, I was in Mrs. Auzins' and Mr. Schadeck's classes reading with kids and manning centers and doing any busy work I could to remove it off their plate.
3. I love dogs. You may remember my senior pup Sally. She passed away shortly before I was elected in 2022. She is greatly missed and we think of her every day. We now have a new little stinker named Belmont who is two years old. She is a mutt and loves to sneak away from our house to run two houses down to see her pals, Duke and Dwight.
4. I work as an urban planner and made the switch from the public sector to the private sector and now work for a private consulting firm in Grand Rapids. So much work I do as a planner has important implications on the health of a community, including the partnerships that municipalities can form with school districts to provide safe routes between neighborhoods and schools, and encourage the use of nonmotorized transportation. I see school districts much like small cities. There are so many parallels that can be made in terms of management, strategic planning, maintaining facilities, budgeting, hiring and retaining high-quality professionals and experts, abiding by all the state and federal statutes that apply to the jurisdiction, and, of high importance, listening to the stake-holders, who need to know they're being heard by seeing the district respond to their concerns. And let's not forget making really hard diplomatic decisions. Then, most importantly, you have the students. The students are a population of people, much like residents within a municipality, who all have their own unique needs, and the district has a duty to meet these unique needs to ensure that each student receives equal opportunities and an a high-quality public education. I feel like I'm at an advantage, given my background, to serve on the Board of Education for Rockford Public Schools. Serving on the City of Rockford's planning commission, and working with municipalities all over West Michigan. I am well-versed on the rules of a public meeting and policies that must be followed. The other elements of serving on the school board, meaning, the tough decisions that will need to collectively be made by the board through voting one way or another on issues. Today, our district faces a lot of issues that boards in the past haven't had to deal with. When it comes to voting, you can expect support from me to improve our district in all the ways possible and being transparent with our path, and not at the expense of the well-being of ALL students and teachers. You can expect me to CONTINUE to support outside the box ideas for improving school nutrition - SO many students want to eat healthy and it's time to move away from the standard hot dog, nuggets, pizza and mac & cheese on our menus. They need OPPORTUNITIES to eat healthy. Let's not forget that our school lunch is sometimes the only meal some of our students will receive that day - let's make it a good one! Our district spends MILLIONS on athletic facilities. When will school lunch get the attention it deserves? You can expect me to support environmentally sustainable practices at schools. The district recently made the switch to paper lunch trays which replaced Styrofoam. The comparison of cost between Styrofoam and paper trays is significant, however, this is a change that NEEDED to happen. We also have so much food waste! I would support a district-wide composting program as well as creating more opportunities for recycling plastics and paper in our buildings. I'm aware that some folks in the district are trying to cook up a pilot program and I support this 100%. I've supported policies that allow for more time for teachers to spend in their Professional Learning Communities (PLC) to allow for collaboration to implement the best strategies in the classroom to increase student learning and engagement. The early-release days are specifically integrated into the calendar to allow for this PLC collaboration during the school day. I have supported policies over the last two years that allow students to be themselves, instead of expecting each student to fit a specific mold. Not having specific inclusionary policies takes a toll on students' mental health and well-being. The goal of the district is to provide a safe space for ALL students, and to make them feel welcome. In the coming years, I hope to have the opportunity to support improvements in our schools that creates privacy for students in locker rooms and restrooms. Everyone deserves privacy, no matter who they are. Thanks for visiting and sharing my page!!
