My priorities are focused on an engaging learning environment, where every child feels a sense of belonging and is provided opportunities to achieve. Towards this end, my first priority is to advocate for levels of state public education funding that cover the actual costs of educating every child to achieve the state education goals and graduation requirements. I will continue to encourage the legislature to remain committed to constitutional levels of funding for general education, to fully fund special education, and to re-up the funding formulas that provide critical stability and predictability needed by districts to plan ahead. My second priority is to direct those funds towards the recruitment and retention of quality educators and building staff who create the engaging learning environments. My third priority is to support district policies that are responsive to SMSD community expectations, from preK readiness to real world learning opportunities in preparation for graduation.

My family and I have been a part of Shawnee Mission since the 1970s. I have expertise in educational research at a Research I university and an informed understanding of legislative policy, district budgets and school finance. I bring an academic perspective to the school board, with a Ph.D. in Special Education. As a principal investigator, I managed federal and state research grants, oversaw budgets, daily operations and published in peer reviewed journals. I taught graduate courses in educational research as adjunct faculty at KU and UMKC. As an active member of non-partisan grassroot groups like the Kansas PTA and Game On for Kansas Schools, I have been advocating for adequate school funding and pro-public education policies for over two decades. I help to inform, alert and testify on policies that impact student learning including: district budgets, recruitment and retention of our teachers, support for our education leaders, local control over district operations, and more.

Together, seven elected school board members are responsible for governing a local school district, in collaboration with a superintendent, hired by the board, to manage the district’s daily operations. Primary responsibilities of board members are to: hire and evaluate the superintendent, establish a visioning process for the district and set goals in collaboration with the superintendent, approve the district annual budget allocated by state funding formulas, create and approve district policies, and advocate for the needs of district students and staff. The district’s strategic plan guides the work of the Shawnee Mission School District and its Board. The plan is community-driven and a living document.