1. Why are you running for the Stillwater Area Public Schools Board of Education? From your perspective, what is the most important role of a Board of Education member?
I am running because I believe our district is at an important point. We have outstanding teachers, talented staff, and a strong foundation, but we also face significant challenges… including financial pressures, changing student needs, staffing challenges, and the need to continue strengthening communication and trust within our community.
I believe effective leadership starts with listening.
A school board member should not come into the role believing they have all the answers. They should listen to students, families, educators, staff, and community members; ask thoughtful questions; review the available information; and make decisions based on what is best for students and the long-term success of our district.
2. Why are you seeking our endorsement? What does the unions’ endorsement mean to you personally?
I am seeking the endorsement because I want to ensure the union members are supported, and have the resources necessary to serve students effectively.
I also want to help create more opportunities for staff voices to be heard in important district decisions. Our Union members make the biggest impact on our students and school district on a daily basis and it is important to have the support of the unions.
3. How has your racial identity shaped and informed your world view? How are you actively working to expand your own racial and cultural lens?
My racial identity has shaped my worldview through the different experiences, perspectives, and opportunities I have encountered throughout not only my personal life, but more importantly my professional life. I am lucky to work for a company that operates worldwide and it has helped me understand how different cultures and backgrounds can affect individuals in the way they view education, the way they interact with individuals, and how they interpret things.
It is also important to mention that everyone has difference experiences and what I experience will be different than what somebody else experiences.
In order to continuously expand my own racial and cultural lens it’s important for me to listen and learn from other people who not only experience different perspectives, but also who might be an expert in certain areas. One of main goals is to not only ensure we have transparency but also make sure that our decisions involve different perspectives through our community, families, students, and staff.
We need to make sure that all students, families, community members, and staff feel heard even if our decisions made is not something they wanted.
4. As put forth by the Minnesota School Board Association, what does governance mean to you in terms of the work of a Board of Education?
Governance to me means setting the direction for our district by establishing policies and ensuring that all of our resources are aligned with what is best for our district especially our students. As a board we need to work together and collaborate with our staff, community members, and experts within our own district.
It also means that we are holding our Superintendent accountable and monitoring weather we are meeting all of our goals set forth.
5. What has been your personal involvement or knowledge regarding unions and collective bargaining? How would you, as a school board member, interact with union leadership?
Although I haven’t been involved in union or collective bargaining negotiation personally my professional experience does have a similar effect. Part of my experience requires me to work with a variety of stakeholders, clients, and partners from around the world who all have different needs. Throughout my experience I have learned that it is important to build relationships, listen, have affective communication, be transparent, and understand that we will have different viewpoints at times, but we all have the same end goal.
If elected as a school board member I would interact with Union Leadership first by building on the different characteristics that I mentioned which are building a relationship, listening effectively, having open communication, and being transparent. I also want to make sure that our Union members are heard and feel like they are heard. One of these can simply be done by asking one question “What can I do as a board member for you?”
6. Share examples of systemic and institutional racism that you have experienced or observed in Stillwater public schools. How will you work toward dismantling those barriers?
I haven’t personally experienced or directly observed systemic and institutional racism in our schools, so I don’t want to make assumptions or speak on other behalf’s who have direct experience with these.
I do want to recognize that although I don’t have direct experience with these that doesn’t mean that these barriers don’t exist for our students, families, or staff members from different backgrounds.
If elected I would be committed to learning and listening to those who have had these challenges in our schools. It is important for me to make sure all our students have positive experiences social, emotionally, and physically within our schools because if our students don’t feel safe and comfortable in our schools than they won’t learn effectively.
I would work on dismantling these barriers by first listening to everyone’s perspectives that are open to sharing their feedback, but then also look at our district data and policies around this to better understand what may need to be done to better support our students and staff. It would also be important to lean on our staff, students, and experts to ensure they are being heard as well.
7. How do you think decisions should be made that impact curriculum, assessment, staffing, and school management? role of Teachers role of Paraprofessionals role of Administration role of Board of Education
When decisions are being made that impact curriculum, assessments, staffing, and school management it’s important to understand our role, but also important to make sure we are obtaining valuable feedback from our experts.
I believe no School Board member should believe that they have all the answers. It is important to utilize data and collaborate on what is best for our district. This can be done by simply working with those that are closest to the work in those areas. For example, our teachers and para’s play an important role in our students’ lives each day. It is important to collaborate and communicate with teachers and paras on different levels to better understand what our students need as you are the true experts in our classrooms.
As for our administration they are responsible for implementing the districts policies and managing the day-to-day operations which would involve implementing curriculum, staffing, and making sure our staff, students, families, and community members are being heard and making sure they feel like their ideas matter.
The School Board should focus more on governance rather than day-to-day operations which can be done by ensuring our policies, various goals, vision, and budget aligns with positive outcomes for our students.
If elected I would ensure I am transparent and making sure when appropriate I am working with our staff, families, and students while looking at our data in making decisions.
8. How do you define collaboration? What does collaboration look like to you among your fellow Board of Education members?
Collaboration to me means that we are working together on a common goal. We need to look at different experiences, perspectives, and work with our experts and truly collaborate, which involves listening, being transparent, having open communication, and being willing to consider different viewpoints and to come into something with our mind already set.
We are not always going to agree on everything, but it is important to be productive and have open dialogue to learn from one another and work towards what is best for our district.
Around the board members it means that we need to create an environment where everyone feels heard, respected, and important. We need to ask questions, consider different perspectives, and understand that sometimes we are going to disagree, but we need to make sure we are relying on facts, data, and collaboration.
This also means that every board member needs to understand that we don’t have all the answers individually and that everyone brings a different point of experience and insight into it.
9. What steps would you take to actively work on trust-building with each of these groups? District Administration (superintendent & administrative team) District Staff including paraprofessionals, custodians, food service workers, counselors, school psychologists, school social workers, secretaries, school bus drivers, early childhood educational assistants, community education staff, technology support staff, nurses, teachers District Students/Families, including racially, culturally, linguistically, and socioeconomically diverse students and families Fellow Board Members Community at Large
As we know building trust can take time, but can be done by being transparent, listening to others, being consistent, and making sure that I am following through which is important to do with all groups.
As a board member if I am elected I will ensure that I am visible, approachable, and make sure others know that I am committed to listening to different perspectives first.
District Administration
When it comes to District Administration like our Superintendent it is important to establish that they work for the school board. It is important to make sure all District Administration understands that we are a governance and they are there to lead the district effectively day in and day out. I would make sure to ask questions to better understand our challenges before coming to decisions and provide feedback only when it is right.
District Staff
When it comes to district staff, we first need to build trust. I want to recognize that all our district staff are valuable and important. I would try by visiting schools, different programs, and different staff groups in order to learn more about their experiences. While running for school board I have begun to talk to different staff members and I want to make sure that they are feeling heard, seen, respected, and supported by not only our school board, but by our Superintendent as well.
Difficult decisions are going to be made, but we need to make sure we are transparent and honest. I have learned through transparency and honesty already that some of the potential future cuts that the district didn’t make last year but were on a final cut list could impact our students and staff in a negative way. This was simply done by asking questions, building relationships, and making sure staff are being heard.
District Students & Families
When it comes to students and families of different backgrounds it is important to hear from them directly and make sure they are being heard in conversations. This can be done by building trust and giving them a space they are comfortable with giving feedback in.
Fellow Board Members
It is important to begin this work prior to possibly being elected as a board member. As a parent who will have 2 children entering the district in the near future it is important to understand that I am a parent first and despite not being elected yet I have begun building this trust with a couple others so if I am elected that we can hit the ground running and work more efficient right away. I have already begun building trust with other board members and potential future board members that are currently running by having an open mind and being respectful towards them. Although we may have different viewpoints it is important to understand that we need to carefully listen, engage, respect, and support our decisions once they are made even if our opinions differ during the deliberation process.
Community at Large
Our trust with our community and taxpayers is extremely important. We need to build this trust by being transparent, accessible, and working to communicate clearly about our decisions and where our money is going. I would seek opportunities to engage with them through different functions and being open to attending different events when invited as well. Building trust in our community is important as ever right now and with our current financial position and future outlook we may need to depend on our community more to ensure we are providing a positive outcome for all our students and staff.
10. Describe 2-3 current and future strategic directions that you feel are priorities for our district.
It is important to come in as a board member without an agenda, however some of the top priorities that I have will include:
- Supporting Student Success and Well Being
Every decision should ultimately be evaluated based on its impact on students. Academic achievement is important, but so are students’ wellbeing, engagement, and preparedness for life. As our district evaluates issues such as school schedules, programming, technology, and student support services, I want to ensure decisions are informed by research, student needs, and community feedback. Our goal should be to create an environment where every student can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.
- Strengthening Trust, Transparency, and Community Engagement
Strong schools require strong relationships between the district, families, staff, and the community. I believe one of the board’s most important responsibilities is ensuring decision making is transparent and that everyone has meaningful opportunities to provide input. When people understand why decisions are being made and feel their voices are being heard, trust grows. I would prioritize clear communication, accessibility, and opportunities for ongoing engagement with students, families, staff, and community members.
- Attracting, Supporting, and Retaining Outstanding Staff While Maintaining Fiscal Responsibility
Our teachers, paraprofessionals, support staff, administrators, and other employees are essential to student success. The district should continue focusing on recruiting and retaining talented staff while making thoughtful, fiscally responsible decisions that protect educational opportunities for students. As budget pressures continue to grow, it will be important to balance financial stewardship with investments that directly support learning and student outcomes.
As a board member, I would focus on listening, asking thoughtful questions, reviewing data and research, and making decisions that keep students at the center while ensuring the district remains financially strong, transparent, and responsive to the needs of the community.
11. In the next five years, there are bound to be greater economic challenges facing public education in Minnesota and in our district. How do you propose to address these challenges?
While being involved in our Districts Finance Committee this is something we have already begun to discuss especially our outlook over the next 3-5 years. As we are aware of our fiscal challenges due to economic conditions, we are projected to have 5 million dollar’s worth of cuts each of the next 2 years if nothing changes.
We are facing significant pressure right now with rising costs, evolving student needs, and uncertainty in our state funding, especially in an election year. I believe we need to be proactive and transparent in how we address these challenges.