Closing achievement and opportunity gaps
As your voice on the school board, I will advocate for evidence-based strategies to close achievement and opportunity gaps. We know what works: more teachers of color, small class sizes, experienced teachers, early childhood education, culturally-relevant curriculum, and services and interventions for students who need them. To make our public schools better for all children, and foster justice and equity, we must listen to teachers, students, and families across our community.
Keeping our public schools strong
Every child deserves a world-class education in their local, public schools. School privatization through voucher and independent charter schools takes choice away from public school families by draining resources from our schools. Nationally, three out of four charter schools perform the same as, or worse than, public schools. In Madison, voucher and charter schools that are not governed by our elected school board take millions of dollars out of our public schools. As a school board member, I will oppose privatization and fight for public education.
Supporting our staff
As your school board member, one of my top priorities will be supporting our staff. Attacks on the teaching profession have to end: school reforms that take the joy out of teaching and encourage one-size-fits-all approaches to instruction, stagnant pay and benefits, anti-union legislation, and inadequate resources to supply their classrooms and meet the needs of all children. We must retain experienced staff and attract and keep the best new teachers. Strong schools for all means strong support for educators.
Transparent governance
School board members must listen to the citizens they represent, and communicate information back to the community. This transparency is critical for good decisions about how we run our schools, and spend our tax dollars. As your school board member, I will visit our schools, listen to students, families and staff, and ensure that all community members—especially underrepresented communities—are informed and have a voice in decisions about our public schools.