Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Slogan
KTS Students First
I am motivated to run for this office because I want to ensure a great quality of education for my children and the children of our township. I have long been an advocate of quality education: my mother is a retired schoolteacher, my brother is a schoolteacher in Philadelphia, and I am a product of the public school system in NJ. Our state has some of the best educators in the nation and the considerable investment we make as taxpayers to our public school system should enable those teachers and administrators to deliver a quality outcome for every student. I strive to balance outcomes with costs to ensure we're investing in the right programs and people to deliver the best educational outcomes.
Professionally, I've been in services sales or leading salespeople for the last 25 years. My job requires me to negotiate between clients, consultants, my executive team, and my sales team. Essentially, my job is to solve problems using data and my experience to align people for a common cause. I manage the P&L for a $50M company and bring those skills to partner with our school business administrator to build and manage the budget.
The school board is a policy and goal setting board. We work with and through the Superintendent to set goals for the students and staff, and ensure we're complying with federal, state, and county policy requirements. We are a non-partisan board who are 100% committed to educational outcomes for the best cost.
Parents have some but limited rights within the school system, just as the board of education has limited abilities to affect change. The selection of books and educational materials is led by the administration and teachers. These items are selected to support the curricula which is driven by state policies. In short, the state tells us what we will teach, and we determine how we teach it.
Parents are always welcome to discuss any potential concerns about a particular course (e.g. sex education) and have the right to remove their child from a class should that class not align with their values. However, the overall mandates from the state limit what the district can do to allow parents to have their children opt out.
Should a parent have ongoing concerns about the state mandated curriculum, they are welcome to explore homeschooling and private education options. The board of ed will not engage in attempts to alter the statewide curriculum via legal action as it would be a huge financial burden for the taxpayers of our town.
The top three educational priorities I am focused on are:
1. An increase in math and literacy skills which we are continuously focused on by adopting different reading and math programs for different grade levels. We have a continuous improvement approach and implement, evaluate, and assess various programs every year to ensure we're using the latest and greatest tools and processes.
2. Focusing on science and civics. Too often a lack of understanding of basic scientific principles or basic civics proves to be a hurdle in open discussions. One cannot have an informed opinion without a baseline understanding of how science and government function. Giving students the basics in these two key areas will allow them to be critical thinkers who can use data and personal insights to drive discussions and disagreements with their peers throughout their life. We want to tell them HOW to think, not what to think.
3. Kingwood focuses on the whole student and it's important to ensure all the students treat each other with mutual respect and kindness. We can disagree on a topic but should still be OK sitting at the same lunch table.
Our district superintendent embodies the qualities that I look for.
1. Student outcome focused: Making sure the students have what they need to be successful including top educators and materials, a safe and welcoming environment, a beautiful campus and grounds, and a culture of caring and success.
2. Fiscal responsibility: Despite continuously increasing labor and healthcare costs, and shrinking federal and state aid, we have been able to maintain all our programs without increasing taxes beyond the 2% cap in the last 7 out of 9 years. This is a tremendous achievement given the obstacles we face in our district.
3. Policy focused: The superintendent's primary job is compliance officer and our CSA does a great job of implementing mandated and required policies. This ensures we have a consistent approach to everyday issues and helps prevent the legal action seen in many districts.
