Question 1: Why are you running for School Committee? What particular skills do you bring to the position?
I am running for re-election to continue to ensure that all students have a leader on the school committee who will prioritize and advocate that educational equity and growth are at the center of our policy-making decisions. Additionally, as I have demonstrated throughout my service I want to continue to be a voice for and a dedicated partner of our parents, educators, and all of the stakeholders of our school district. My skill-set includes a deep knowledge of state and local policy and regulations, organizing, research, negotiation, critical thinking, empathy, transparency, and strong governance.
Throughout my service on the committee, I have focused on advocating for equity for ALL our students, listening and engaging with our key stakeholders, reforming policies and practices with an equity lens. I have also provided key thought partnership and oversight of the central office with respect to the implementation of the district’s strategic plan.
As a leader in the district, I strived to bring a style of leadership to the committee that was empathetic, transparent, and ethical, which built positive relationships with stakeholders, and that created the space for reciprocal dialogue. Most importantly, I wanted to continue to be a role model for our students, and an accessible advocate for our parents and to break down institutional barriers and practices that keep our leaders and educators from excelling in their roles. This transformational work remains unfinished.
Question 2: The COVID-19 pandemic substantially disrupted education last year and had unequal impacts for different students. What information will you ask district leaders to provide the School Committee to monitor the success of district efforts in 2021–22 to help all students adjust to the new school year and meet their learning goals?
We collectively worked with the Superintendent to create his goals for the upcoming year. As a matter of practice, I view the goals of the Superintendent as my own goals. The four priority areas laid out by the Superintendent that were co-created during our retreat provide a road map for the areas which as a school committee we need to monitor and provide support. As a school committee member my role is to work with the superintendent on the policy, practices, budgets, and personnel decisions that will make his goals and the strategic plan come to life.
In addition, I firmly believe that in order to achieve these goals and to have our students engage in a meaningful recovery it will be important that we as a body have full participation with respect to the allocation of ARPA/ESSR federal relief dollars. I should also note that there is a temptation to focus on what was lost academically during the school year, and that we have to provide equal if not greater attention to the social emotional supports that both our students and educators need. Last year, was a difficult year for all members of our school community, and the more traditional focus on student achievement will not result in an equitable recovery for all students. It will be imperative that we find many ways this year to recognize, celebrate, scaffold supports, and work towards address the social determinants of good educational outcomes.
Question 3: The school recently adopted a 2-year plan for coordinated high school redesign, covering all three high schools in the district. The success of the plan depends in large part on strong implementation. What will you do as a School Committee member to support the implementation of the high school redesign plan?
High School redesign has been a pillar of our strategic plan, and the refocusing of the effort across the high schools will be critically important. For many members of our Salem Public Schools community the high school redesign was a mystifying priority area. For starters, as the chair of the personnel subcommittee I provided counsel to the superintendent on the creation of the Executive Principal of Salem’s three high schools. In order to have coherence across the three schools, it was critically important that we have the type of visionary leader in place that can provide stable and experienced leadership to take our high schools to the next level. Additionally, as a school committee member I firmly believe that lifting up student voices and parent engagement at the high school is at the core of a successful strategy for high school redesign. Our high school students across each of the three schools need to continue to have expanded opportunities to contribute to the redesign process as they are ultimately best positioned to help create solutions that are best suited to what their actual needs are.
Lastly, I believe that there are key programs that can better and more equitably prepare our students for college, careers or service. The programs that I will continue to support from a policy, budgetary, and strategic lens are the early college program, our CTE programs, and student voice/leadership opportunities.
Question 4: What is one step you will take as a School Committee member to advance education equity in Salem?
Educational equity requires that our elected leaders and district leadership take bold and decisive action to unroot systems and practices which create educational inequities. The Salem Public Schools continues to see persistent achievement gaps amongst historically under-served students such as students with disabilities, students of color, and English language learners. One particular area that I will be taking a “step” in to advance educational equity is around advancing Salem’s race equity work in our schools. This past year I had the privilege of serving on Salem’s Race Equity Task force as the Co-Chair of the Education Subcommittee. As a member of the school committee if re-elected, I will continue to work in earnest to implement our key recommendations around educator diversity, enhancing and diversifying our curriculum, and deepening our student and family engagement. External groups and stakeholders will play a key role in ensuring that we can achieve our collective goals in these areas, and I look forward to continuing to work collectively towards greater educational equity. See you on the trail!
https://raceequitysalem.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/SalemRaceEquityTaskForceReportFinal2.pdf
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