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I am seeking another term on the Princeton Board of Education because I believe our district is at an important moment of transition and opportunity. With Dr. Michael LaSusa joining us as Superintendent, my first priority is ensuring a smooth leadership transition. A collaborative relationship between the Board and the superintendent will set the tone for continued excellence in our schools.
Academic excellence and equity remain central to my work. Princeton has outstanding schools, but we must make sure that excellence reaches every child. It also means narrowing opportunity gaps by ensuring our multilingual learners, students with disabilities, and those who need additional support have the resources to thrive.
Finally, I believe deeply that our teachers and staff are the heart of student success. Supporting and retaining great educators must remain a top priority.
The school budget should always prioritize students and the classroom. I would protect and, where possible, increase funding for classroom teachers, special education, multilingual learner supports, and mental health resources. These areas directly impact student learning and well-being..
Listening is the first and most important step. As a board member, I take concerns seriously and make sure people are heard. Our responsibility is to ensure the district is well run, and that means balancing different perspectives while staying focused on what’s best for students. When parents raise issues, I listen carefully, bring those concerns to the superintendent. We may not always agree, but everyone should always know they were heard, respected, and that decisions are made with transparency and the best interests of students in mind.
Schools need to be safe places for all children. ICE has no place in our schools.
Princeton has a very strong academic program, but we need to make sure that excellence is accessible to all students. That means continuing to expand support for multilingual learners, students with disabilities, and those who need extra help, while also broadening opportunities for advanced coursework.
In terms of career and vocational pathways, I think we can do more to give students real-world learning opportunities. Not every student’s path looks the same, and our programs should reflect that.
And for the fine and performing arts, Princeton has a proud tradition of excellence. These programs are central to a child's ducation, and I believe we should protect them and explore ways to expand access so more students can benefit,
First and foremost, my priority for the term on the Board of Education is to support the new superintendent as he continues to navigate his first year with PPS. This coming year we are not only bringing in new staff and superintendent, but also adding space to buildings, and facing increased enrollment. I will focus on maximizing the promise of these changes while helping to minimize disruption to our students.
Additionally, I believe in providing a rigorous and inclusive curriculum that caters to diverse learning needs. Currently, there's a gap between standard and AP classes. Let's bridge this gap by offering more flexible and challenging opportunities for students to engage deeply with subjects at their own pace.
Finally, I believe that students, families and teachers deserve a clear understanding on technology use in the classroom. Now five years post-COVID, I think it is necessary to take a hard look at why, what, and how technology is being integrated across the district. This is essential to improve student outcomes and create engaging learning experiences with a comprehensive districtwide instructional technology plan.
I believe in a strategic and transparent approach to school budgeting. It is essential to allocate resources in a way that directly supports student achievement and addresses the most pressing needs of the district. This involves careful planning and stakeholder engagement.
We should protect teachers and their professional development as well as the special programs that make PPS unique including the Autism program and Dual Language Program. Any of the programs that help support kids to ensure they are on grade level and meeting state standards should also be protected or potentially increased. This might mean looking at professional development partnerships between districts or with the charter school, looking for additional state or federal aid, or even encouraging state lawmakers to revisit educational funding caps to help our students succeed.
I believe there are efficiencies that can be created, specifically with bus routes and facilities improvement projects, that warrant a closer look to maximize existing budgets or reduce them. A route optimization plan for transportation would be a great start as well as a facilities after action review as work is completed to see where we could have done a better job reducing the budget or timeline.
When groups of parents disagree about Board of Education policies, I think it is important to encourage open dialogue. That might look like holding an open forum for all concerned parents on both sides of the issue that can be moderated so that people feel heard. I would also likely do research on what other districts best practices are and what that might look like if we chose to revise or implement a new policy in Princeton. Depending on the issue, consultants or experts may need to be brought in to educate the board on the topic. Finally, I would encourage people to remember that the end goal isn’t necessarily the policy or words on paper, but how it is implemented to make sure all kids feel safe and heard.
Our job is to make sure all kids feel safe and school. As such, ICE does not have a place in our buildings and we need to support the families that are impacted by ICE to the best of our ability.
I think PPS does a great job of offering high level classes and exceptional fine arts offerings that are available to most students. However, that is not the pathway for all kids. I would advocate for more dual enrollment classes at the high school level to allow for more types of accessible college credits outside of Advanced Placement. I also think that we could look at different ways of setting up schedules to allow for more work release programs, internships, apprenticeships and vocational studies, if that is a pathway some of our students wish to pursue. I’d also like to investigate what associate degrees or certificates are available to some of our current programs, like the dual language program, so that there is a clear end goal that benefits the students. Finally, the social studies teacher in me would love to see more civics classes, perhaps as Exploratory Periods, to help students navigate the changing world in a productive way.
