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The following response was sent to our survey:
Why are you running for School Board?
During my career in education I had the opportunity to see education from many lenses. I have ridden school buses with kids, had tough conversations with parents around discipline, and taught classes with kids that are well above and below grade level. As a parent I have seen first hand what school looks and feels like through the eyes of my children. When the opportunity arose to run for school board I felt compelled to run to have the opportunity to give back to the community and school district that I care so much about. My experiences have equipped me to bring another perspective to our current board. I am passionate about the success of the Milford School District and the success of our students. If elected my goals are to focus on putting our students first, safe and supportive schools and increasing our family engagement.
What personal connections do you have to your local school district and community?
I am deeply connected to the Milford School District. Not only did I graduate from Milford School District, but both my parents and grandparents also graduated from Milford. Currently, I am raising three children in the Milford School District.
My experiences will allow me to view issues from many perspectives. I have 10+ years of experience in education including working as a paraprofessional, a teacher, and an administrator. I have a masters degree in special education and certification in administration, severe disabilities and autism. I have worked in multiple school districts including Cape Henlopen, Caesar Rodney, and most recently I taught here in Milford, at Mispillion Elementary.
Currently, my full time job is “mom.” This role includes serving as the PTP president at Morris Early Childhood Center and on the PTP at Ross Elementary School. I have chaperoned field trips, helped with class parties, and helped run the school book fair. I also have volunteered for the last five years as a little league coach. These experiences have equipped me to be an asset to the school district and community.
How should district policy balance student privacy against parental rights?
I welcome families to ask questions and engage in discussion around their child and be involved in the educational process. I am an extremely involved parent and I work hard to be in the know and support our schools. With that said, I also have worked as a teacher and had situations where there were concerns of abuse or neglect. School staff are mandated reporters and are trained to report, not investigate, when they have concerns. I feel strongly that our school district must uphold student safety at all times. I also feel strongly that we must work hard to engage our families in the learning process, do community outreach, and build strong bonds of trust and support between our families and our schools.
What should be the district’s approach to overseeing curriculum, reading material, and lesson planning in the classrooms?
I believe that students need access to a historically accurate education. My goal is that we are producing students that are able to adapt to our ever evolving world, use critical thinking and problem solving skills, and collaborate with others. This can only be accomplished through providing our students access to high quality literature and reading materials that challenge them to think critically. I believe all students need access to educational materials free from censorship and that leads to open dialogue about our history. I welcome training and support for our staff in order to help them feel supported and comfortable having tough conversations with students.
How well do you feel that your district currently serves students who are gifted, learning disabled, or who have other special needs? What policies does your district follow that should be improved, or adopted more widely?
Students with special education needs and the services to best support them is an ever evolving area of education. The best practices to support learners with varying ability levels continue to grow. A specific challenge that is faced by the Milford School District is that as a small district we need to build capacity in educators to best instruct and support many different special education needs. As a small district we have less students in certain disability categories and this can be a challenge when learning what tools would benefit those individuals. I believe that an area that we can continue to improve on is training, resources, and funding for special education students.
