My Top 3 Goals

Since I’m running with somewhat late notice as a write in candidate, I didn’t get the chance to partake in the public forum that the Johnston Education Association (JEA) hosted a couple weeks back. Since I feel it’s important that all voters see all opinions, I thought I would take the next few days to answer some of the questions that the JEA asked to the 3 ballot nominees.

2. What do you see as 3 of your top priorities if elected?


I’ve discussed my top 3 goals as to why I’m running in previous posts, but I’ll reintroduce them and bring them altogether here.


1) I want to help be a catalyst for effective teamwork by the board. That means that the board needs to be built on respect: respect for each other, respect for the community/students/staff, and respect for the issues. An effective team needs to listen actively and intently to the public and then needs to openly and persistently debate the issues presented. Issues are discussed. Personal agendas are not. The deliberations are respectful, making sure that personality conflicts and personal attacks are not introduced. This Board is nonpartisan. Board members should not be focused on “liberals vs. conservatives” or “democrats vs. republicans.” They should not let their party lines interfere with their vision and their decision making. They should not let their party lines cloud their judgment. Board members, instead, should be focused on what’s best for this school district and this community.

2) I want to help be a catalyst for the pursuit of excellence. I want our district to develop a long term vision for excellence, achievable by several shorter term goals. We need to continually ask ourselves, “What is excellence?” and “How are we going to get to excellence?” We can’t be complacent, but rather, we must be proactive. We can’t just settle on being a good school district, but rather, we must continually pursue being a great school district. We can’t just do things as we always have, but rather, we must realize that as our students and community develop, and as technology develops, and as we continue to grow, we must look at what changes are needed to help keep us on that path to greatness. We’ll need to look at how we invest. We’ll need to ensure that we continue investing in those things that are going to get us to excellence: world class facilities, world class faculty and support staff, world class curriculum improvements, and world class co-curriculars.

3) I want to help be a catalyst for an energetic and passionate team. I view our Board as a “team”, working with and for other “teams” (students, faculty, community members, etc). In my experience, the best way for a “team” to stay productive and focused is to ensure that the team has energy and is passionate about their mission. I’ve served on many different “teams” (sports teams, business teams, volunteer teams), and I continue to bring an energy and passion to what I do. I’ve been entrenched in this school district my entire life and I definitely have the passion needed to help our school board advance this district in the right direction.