NA School Board Election 2019 - My candidacy
I was one of three new Board members elected by the community in 2013 and have served as a Committee Chair, Vice President, and President since that time. During my time on the Board, I am proud to have played an integral role in a number of accomplishments:
- Leveraging improved financial projections to make responsible decisions about district spending.
- Keeping NA's tax rate among the 10 lowest in Allegheny County - lower than rates in comparator districts such as Quaker Valley, Hampton, Fox Chapel, Pine Richland, Shaler, Mt. Lebanon, and Upper St. Clair.
- Re-instating the Citizen’s Advisory Committee, as required by Board policy, after it had been allowed to dissolve under previous district leadership.
- Working with the Administration to drastically improve our budget forcasting and enrollment projections.
- Approving the expansion of Franklin Elementary, in order to accomodate enrollment growth in the district.
- Passing a class size policy to ensure that our elementary kids are not used as budget leverage (as they were in 2012-2013)
- Enacting a long-overdue technology initiative (FOCUS 2020)
- Revitalizing the NA Foundation to increase alternative revenues
- Using surveys to gather community input on issues such as student stress, homework, testing, and school start times - and beginning to use that data to make improvements in the district.
- Creating the Measuring Success framework to track student and district accomplishments in a holistic matter - rather than just focusing on standardized test scores.
If re-elected, my priories will include continuing to:
- Push for changes to start times and other means of following scientific advice about how to maximize student sleep, in order to improve our students' mental and physical health
- Support changes to the curriculum and district culture in support of the Measuring Success framework.
- Keep a focus on making decisions to promote equity across the district.
- Balancing investments in district infrastructure with fiscal responsibility
To read some of my previous public statements about key district issues, please visit my Facebook page.
