Slogan
Community, Responsibility, Compassion
I truly believe that magic happens in our schools, every single day. And I would love to help our teachers, administration, and staff make that magic. I have a vested interest in our schools, our teachers, and our staff. Not only have I lived in Collingswood for over a decade, my two children attend Thomas Sharp. I served as the Corresponding Secretary for the Sharp PTA for three years, and now I enjoy being an active member. Simply put, I love Collingswood and I love my kids’ school.
Professionally, I have 15+ years of experience working in proposals in the Education Industry at various companies, including Pearson and Teachers Pay Teachers.With this in mind, I would love to bring my proposal writing skills to secure more grants.
One, if elected, I hope to help rebuild some trust within the community and schools. Recently the CEA (our teachers’ union) went over a year without a contract. I really want to help build a coalition and keep lines of communication open.
Two, I would like to focus on retention - for both our students and our teachers. I would love to work on public relations campaigns through social media and focus on the positive things happening in our schools.
Three, I would love to help submit grant applications for funding. I would love to focus on grants for building improvements, arts and music education, sports, mental health resources, and anything to help our schools get the funding needed to improve the teachers’ and students’ day-to-day.
If we are looking to improve test scores, I believe a more holistic approach is needed. Students need consistent access to food so they are not learning or testing on empty stomachs. I would love to see a statewide free breakfast and lunch program like in Massachusetts and Minnesota, or even universal across the nation.
Testing students at certain intervals of the school year can help show student growth. This also allows our teachers and educators to understand where students may need extra help or guidance. I also believe that testing should not be the only tool in which we assess our schools and our students. It should be one piece of the growth puzzle.
More access to mental health services would be one way to improve safety and security. Understanding why a student is behaving a certain way helps the schools and building leaders address the issues head on and limit those behaviors going forward. Moving through decisions and policy setting with empathy and compassion will help decision-makers understand our students and our students understand why certain rules exist.
Trusting in building leadership and staff to address the needs of students as well as address student conflict is key to keeping our students, our staff, and our schools safe. I also think that additional student-facing staff at all levels can help with behaviors that lead to unsafe school environments.
Slogan
Community, Responsibility, Compassion
I am seeking reelection to the board of education so I can continue to serve the community. I have children that are or have been in the district and I have built long term relationships as a PTA leader and parent. While I have the utmost respect for the professionals in our district, I also believe that parent voice and community voice are important as we continue to improve our programs and services. I bring a willingness to listen to the community, to the students, and to the professionals in our district. It is important that we bring all voices to the table, and utilize our strengths, and our common goals to find solutions to the issues that we face.
As an existing board member, I recognize that our ability to have personal goals is and should be limited. However, I believe that building relationships, trusting one another and ensuring all voices are heard is vital to having a cohesive board. We also need to focus on ways to improve the experience of our students, our staff, and our families. We should listen to and respect each other even when we disagree and pool our resources and expertise to solve the issues that come our way in an effort to lift up our schools as best we can.
Test scores are an important piece of information that we can use to help us evaluate how our students are progressing. They provide a snapshot of student progress by which we can measure growth. In terms of improving our test scores, it is vital that we listen to our educators, find out what they need and put our efforts into getting them resources to achieve excellence. Our teachers and staff members are charged with educating our students and we need to view them as the experts.
We have amazing leadership in our school buildings, with administrators who work to build relationships with our students and staff, and who understand the needs of our students, staff, and our families. They are aware of our strengths and our opportunities for growth in all areas including school safety. School safety starts by building strong school culture. This is where we should focus our energy first and foremost. The safety and security of students and staff is always at the forefront of our minds.
Slogan
Community, Responsibility, Compassion
I am running for re-election to the Collingswood BOE to continue my advocacy for the staff of Collingswood schools and for transparent and responsible budgetary decisions. I have 25 years of teaching experience at Cherry Hill HS East. I've also served on its 504 Committee, DEAC Committee, CHEA liaison committee, curriculum committee, and Model United Nations Club. I have two children in Collingswood schools and one graduate. Since 2011 I’ve volunteered in PTAs in both the elementary and secondary schools, and am currently serving on the Garfield Elementary PTA Board and the CHS Marching Band Boosters. I've immersed myself in my community, met amazing staff members, and will elevate their voices to the Board.
Collingswood schools have lost more than 100 staff members over the past three years due to resignations. Some positions remain unfilled or cut altogether. My first goal is to create a positive, supportive environment for our teachers and staff members. When they have a seat at the table and they are treated like the dedicated professionals that they are, this will have a huge impact on student achievement. My second goal is fiscal responsibility. We’re a small district…let’s prioritize our dollars towards student-facing positions and programs. This will lead to equitable opportunities for our students as well as affordability for Collingswood families.
Test scores are an important source of data that we need to take into consideration when assessing student needs. While many Collingswood students perform well, there is always room for improvement. But I believe that these scores are not the only indicators of student success. Again, I feel that the best way to support students is by working on my first two goals listed above. By maintaining relationships with student facing staff and teachers and taking their data into account as well, we can make more informed decisions about how to invest in programs and offerings that will boost overall student achievement.
Collingswood collaborates with local law enforcement as well as officials at the state level to protect our students’ privacy, such as their immigration status, during these uncertain political times. I support this. We also have implemented a discipline program that utilizes restorative justice. I support this too. I also believe that regular contact with the people who interact with our students every day is crucial in understanding how our initiatives are working. Building administrators and staff have an enormous daily responsibility to create a welcoming environment, as well as teaching crucial life lessons by holding students accountable for their choices. Supporting them means keeping all students feeling welcome and safe.
Slogan
Equity, Community, Excellence
I am running for BOE because I am committed to supporting and advocating for public education. I believe that education is vital to an empathetic, just society where all people can thrive. It is a civil right, but state and federal changes are threatening school districts and students all over South Jersey. Whether it’s facing state school funding challenges or federal policies that individually target and isolate some of our community’s children, our students and schools must have fierce leaders who will fight for their rights, needs, and values. I promise to be such a leader. I bring over 20 years of experience in education, 10 in the classroom and 10+ in assessment and learning.
If elected, I will work to increase data literacy across the district and use data-driven, evidence-based policies and practices to address longstanding performance gaps.
I will work to promote a culture of learning by ensuring teachers and staff have the time and resources to develop themselves professionally, experiment with new ways of engaging students, and continue to innovate in their classrooms.
I will open more spaces for community dialogue and more mechanisms for gathering actionable feedback. I trust that we all have the common goal of helping kids and I know that we can find creative solutions to our biggest challenges when we collaborate.
Regardless of whether I am elected, I will continue to advocate for fair funding.
As an assessment specialist, I view test scores as information that can be used to support learning. It is important to disentangle test scores and problematic policies which have used assessments to punish schools. Test scores should not be used in the neoliberal sense of "accountability." Rather, admins and teachers can use the information to differentiate instruction and target each student's specific needs. Assessment data is only part of the picture and only helpful if it is clearly connected to actions in the classroom. This is why increasing data literacy is critical. I will work with the new School Improvement and Performance administrator to increase data literacy across the district so that we can translate data into support.
To improve school safety, we should continue to foster a culture of belonging. Students who feel like they belong are less likely to engage in unsafe behavior. To this end, we can: seamlessly integrate SEL curriculum into daily activities and routines; implement youth-adult partnerships to address school culture and discipline issues; and continue to fund the wellness center. As a proponent of data-driven decision-making, I would advocate for regular climate surveys and other mechanisms for gathering honest, actionable feedback from the school community. To help teachers and staff feel like they belong, we should enhance the PLCs and provide more time for teacher collaboration. And, of course, we should all advocate for stronger gun laws.
Slogan
Equity Commitment Growth
I’m running for reelection because I believe in the potential of our schools and our community. Over the past three years, I’ve worked hard to bring a focus on equity to the Board, ensuring every student has access to the resources and opportunities they need to thrive. As an educator and educational researcher, I bring expertise in policy, teaching, and how students learn and grow best. As a parent and community member, I bring a commitment to ensuring our schools serve all children well. I want to continue the progress we’ve made and guide the district toward even stronger academic outcomes, while maintaining our focus on equity and inclusion.
In a second term, I would continue to promote equity, focusing on policies and supporting practices that ensure every student has access to rigorous, responsive instruction and the supports they need to succeed. I would also continue working to strengthen communication and collaboration among the Board, schools, families, and borough so that decision-making is clear and inclusive. Lastly, I would support both student growth and staff professional growth by investing in high-quality teaching, programs, and resources.
I believe in data-driven instruction and decision-making, but test scores are only one source of data. They help us identify areas where students need more support, but they don’t capture the full picture of learning or growth. To improve outcomes for all students, we need to look at multiple measures like classroom assessments, student work, engagement, and growth over time, while supporting teachers with the tools and professional development to respond to and use that data. By focusing on strong instruction, meaningful feedback, and the whole child, we can improve test scores while also nurturing deeper learning.
During my first term, I supported the creation of our district’s Wellness Center and helped revise the Student Code of Conduct to be more restorative in nature. Both initiatives reflect my belief that students are safest when they feel supported, connected, and respected. Moving forward, I’ll continue to support a balanced approach that includes physical security measures, strong safety protocols, mental health resources, and a school culture rooted in care and accountability.
