Position sought: New Glarus School District Board
Age: 39
City/town of residence: New Glarus
Family: My husband and our 1-year-old daughter. Most of my extended family lives in northeast Iowa.
Education: Bachelor's degree in political Science and am a certified franchise Executive
Occupation: Franchise development and consulting
What are the top issues facing this district and how would you work to resolve it?
The safety of our children, whether basic things during drop off or pick up or larger issues including policies governing who enters our schools and how, are important to the students and staff attending those schools. Again, I think New Glarus schools are doing some things right, but I think we can look at and improve some of the policies and procedures. I think we need to look at student safety and some of its challenges, look at ways we can improve policies and procedures already in place and assess how these potential changes impact our students and staff. The decision to make a change needs to come from that analysis.
I also think we need to look at ways we can ensure staffing of our schools maintains or seeks to improve some of the programs and educational opportunities available to our students into the future. Being a smaller school district, continuing to attract and maintain talented and creative educators can be more challenging, but I think groundwork in this area has been laid. We just need to ensure there is a succession planning-type thought process in place to validate what is working and make sure we can either train existing educators or seek out new ones to oversee these programs and opportunities and seek input on how our student's can receive the best educational foundation we can provide them.
Why are you the best candidate for this office?
I had a great public school education. I grew up in San Antonio, Texas, and attended public school K-12. My principals, teachers and counselors left lasting, positive impressions. Although testing was important, we were not "taught to the test." They used the elements of the test to teach us how they applied in real life and teachers cross-taught subjects. My education was diverse, both in terms of subject matter and peers. We learned to work with and respect everyone regardless of his or her background. I stayed in touch with my high school principal, teachers, and counselors until long after my high school graduation, and regularly returned to the school to talk with them about what was happening at the school. When my high school English teacher became principal of the school recently, I sent her an email of congratulations and how much I appreciated what she had given me during my high school years.
I am a parent now of a 1-year-old who will grow up and attend school in New Glarus. I want her to have a similarly impactful K-12 education and solid foundation for whatever she should choose to do with her future beyond K-12. I want her to want to go to school. The school office would have to pull me out of class and send me home when I was ill because I enjoyed being in class and what I took from it.
I talk often with parents of school-aged children in the district, and New Glarus schools are doing many things right. I want to ensure we continue to do those things into the future. Schools always have room for improvement; we should never stop learning. Our schools will experience changes and pressures from a variety of influences; I want to be a part of maintaining a sense of direction that keeps our focus on the individual education of our school-aged children and teens, and maintaining their safety and well-being.
Age: 39
City/town of residence: New Glarus
Family: My husband and our 1-year-old daughter. Most of my extended family lives in northeast Iowa.
Education: Bachelor's degree in political Science and am a certified franchise Executive
Occupation: Franchise development and consulting
What are the top issues facing this district and how would you work to resolve it?
The safety of our children, whether basic things during drop off or pick up or larger issues including policies governing who enters our schools and how, are important to the students and staff attending those schools. Again, I think New Glarus schools are doing some things right, but I think we can look at and improve some of the policies and procedures. I think we need to look at student safety and some of its challenges, look at ways we can improve policies and procedures already in place and assess how these potential changes impact our students and staff. The decision to make a change needs to come from that analysis.
I also think we need to look at ways we can ensure staffing of our schools maintains or seeks to improve some of the programs and educational opportunities available to our students into the future. Being a smaller school district, continuing to attract and maintain talented and creative educators can be more challenging, but I think groundwork in this area has been laid. We just need to ensure there is a succession planning-type thought process in place to validate what is working and make sure we can either train existing educators or seek out new ones to oversee these programs and opportunities and seek input on how our student's can receive the best educational foundation we can provide them.
Why are you the best candidate for this office?
I had a great public school education. I grew up in San Antonio, Texas, and attended public school K-12. My principals, teachers and counselors left lasting, positive impressions. Although testing was important, we were not "taught to the test." They used the elements of the test to teach us how they applied in real life and teachers cross-taught subjects. My education was diverse, both in terms of subject matter and peers. We learned to work with and respect everyone regardless of his or her background. I stayed in touch with my high school principal, teachers, and counselors until long after my high school graduation, and regularly returned to the school to talk with them about what was happening at the school. When my high school English teacher became principal of the school recently, I sent her an email of congratulations and how much I appreciated what she had given me during my high school years.
I am a parent now of a 1-year-old who will grow up and attend school in New Glarus. I want her to have a similarly impactful K-12 education and solid foundation for whatever she should choose to do with her future beyond K-12. I want her to want to go to school. The school office would have to pull me out of class and send me home when I was ill because I enjoyed being in class and what I took from it.
I talk often with parents of school-aged children in the district, and New Glarus schools are doing many things right. I want to ensure we continue to do those things into the future. Schools always have room for improvement; we should never stop learning. Our schools will experience changes and pressures from a variety of influences; I want to be a part of maintaining a sense of direction that keeps our focus on the individual education of our school-aged children and teens, and maintaining their safety and well-being.