I am an advocate for...

Equity for all students 
I believe strongly in equitable solutions for every student in Charles County Public Schools.  This means I will encourage diverse avenues and modes of instruction including virtual or hybrid learning, enhanced learning supports, and expanded programs for our students at every level.  Whether your student is an english learner, has special academic, physical, or medical needs, or needs to be challenged in their education environment, I will advocate for the appropriate tools to help your student not only to be successful, but to excel at learning. 

Additional learning supports may include more permanent after-school or summer programs, homework workshops for parents to be able to assist their students with instruction at home, as well as social-emotional learning supports for families to help alleviate those barriers to the learning environment.

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Teacher Advocacy & Support

We all know how important educators are to the success of our students and to our society as a whole.  We have to value our teachers and develop and support them to be successful.   I will advocate for allocating funds to providing more support for teachers both in and outside of the classroom.  I will listen to their ideas regarding the tools that they need to be successful including allowing time during the day or week to collaborate with their peers to develop improved instructional methods, allowing appropriate planning time, and providing training in areas such as IT and curriculum support.  I will advocate for improved technology to make their jobs easier, as well as encourage incentives such as increased supply budgets, student loan forgiveness, and housing supplements to both increase recruitment and retention in our schools.

 

Community & Family Engagement

As parents, we entrust our most prized possessions to our school system:  our children.  In order for this relationship to not only be successful but to flourish, there needs to be TRUST.  In addition to trust, there must be collaboration from all stakeholders.  The way we do this is by increasing family & community engagement.  We must provide flexible options for parents and the community to actively participate in Board meetings, PTO meetings, and school based events.  Some options I would like to see are permanent hybrid solutions, as well as enhanced use of technology by using smart phone apps or text links to allow parents to view and participate in meetings from wherever they are.  We also need to provide translation of Board meetings in other languages to address the lack of accessibility for our english learner families.  We can create more opportunities for mutual sharing such as Town Hall or Q & A sessions rather than the traditional Board meeting format.   And, we should be actively engaging our families by using surveys via various methods in order to maximize feedback and input from the parent community.

 

Transparent & Open Communication

Another important component of fostering trust is by using transparent and open communication whenever possible when it comes to issues that directly effect our students and school community.  I would like to see open sharing of notes from staff meetings, Board work sessions, teacher development trainings, and the like so that the parents and community can be fully aware of the discussions that take place regarding our schools and our children.  I would also like to see us leverage technology to provide creative ways for parents to observe classroom activities using live video feeds or pre-recorded sessions.  Ultimately, we should be asking parents regularly what they would like to hear more about, and how they would like the information to be delivered.  Finally, we need to ensure that the information is delivered clearly, concisely, and timely. 

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If you would like to learn more about me or my platform and discuss my ideas further, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.  I can only be your voice if you provide me with the tools to do so!

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