Christina School Board - District D Choose 1
** With the 4/25/2024 withdrawal of candidate Matthew Clifford, only one candidate remains for the open seat in the Christina school district. No election will be held in the Christina district this year; candidate Amy Trauth is unopposed and will assume the nominating district D seat automatically. **In Delaware, school board service is an unpaid elected position with a term of 4 years (5 years for board members elected prior to Dec 2021). School board elections are nonpartisan, and are held on the second Tuesday in May each year.Seven citizens elected by the residents of the Christina School District serve as the Board of Education. Each board member lives in a separate electoral area, but serves (and is elected by) the residents at large. Terms are staggered so that one or two seats come open each year.
Biographical Information
What is your background and how do those experiences and skills allow you to be an effective school board member?
Candidate has not yet responded.
What is the single most important issue facing your school district and how would you address it?
Candidate has not yet responded.
How should school boards respond to community calls for removing any curriculum topics, subjects, books and programs?
Candidate has not yet responded.
What kind of mental health supports do you favor in schools and how would you go about advocating for them?
Candidate has not yet responded.
How would you ensure the district provides equitable access and meets the needs of all students, including traditionally underserved student populations such as students of color, low-income students, English-language learners and students receiving special education services?
Candidate has not yet responded.
Delaware needs more resource officers in the schools. Scale of strongly agree to strongly disagree.
Candidate has not yet responded.
16 and 17-year-olds should be allowed to vote in school board elections. Yes or no
The candidate chose not to mark a box
Biographical Information
Campaign Email
contact@amytrauth.com
Campaign Website
http://www.campaign.amytrauth.com
Neighborhood/area of residence
Devon Place
Are you currently a school board member? (Y/N)
N
What is your background and how do those experiences and skills allow you to be an effective school board member?
I’m a fierce advocate of public education and a parent of two children who graduated from Delaware public schools. Professionally, I am former middle and high school science teacher. I completed my doctoral degree in curriculum and instruction, which has afforded me opportunities to work with and for aspiring and veteran teachers. As a University of Delaware professional, I worked in nearly every school district in Delaware, helping science teachers make sense of and enact new state standards. I’ve also taught courses in education and supervised aspiring teachers in their student teaching placements. Now I work for a nonprofit as an education researcher. I study K12 STEM learning environments and effective practices in teacher education.
What is the single most important issue facing your school district and how would you address it?
The single most important issue facing Christina and all public schools in Delaware is teacher shortages. Certainly, there are many pressing issues in public education right now. But Christina, like other districts, are faced with placing long term substitutes in unfilled positions because there are not enough qualified teachers to fill them. Research shows definitively that highly qualified, effective teachers are the single biggest predictor of student achievement and overall success in school. I'd advocate at the state level for building a sustainable pipeline of future educators through residency/apprenticeship and support pursuit of funds to support this model. I'd also advocate for continued base pay increases to match nearby states.
How should school boards respond to community calls for removing any curriculum topics, subjects, books and programs?
I’m an advocate for comprehensive, inclusive, accessible curricula that fosters critical thinking and prepares students for life. Schools have a responsibility to reflect the diversity of the communities they serve. By doing any less, we risk marginalizing certain voices and perpetuating a homogenous worldview that fails to prepare students for the complexities of the real world. Education should encourage debate and expose students to diverse perspectives, which are essential for informed citizenship. Curriculum decisions should be guided by educational expertise, not personal beliefs. I support use of curricula that respects academic freedom, fosters critical thinking, and prepares students to thrive in a diverse and complex world.
What kind of mental health supports do you favor in schools and how would you go about advocating for them?
Effective K-12 mental health support includes in school counseling, education, peer programs, parental involvement, PBIS, trauma-informed practices, community partnerships, early intervention, crisis protocols, and cultural sensitivity. These strategies create a supportive environment for student well-being and academic success. As a school board member, I would advocate for resource allocation, work towards development of policies that enact effective mental supports for students, and help the district collect and analyze data on the relative effectiveness of the policies and associated programs.
How would you ensure the district provides equitable access and meets the needs of all students, including traditionally underserved student populations such as students of color, low-income students, English-language learners and students receiving special education services?
Districts are often constrained by the way in education funding is allocated by the state, and certainly, there is not enough funding for meeting the needs of students who require the most support to succeed in school. However, two ways I can support the district is being a thought partner with district administrators about how to maximize the use of state Opportunity funding and helping the district collect and analyze data on the effectiveness of resources allocated towards meeting the needs of low-income students, multilingual learners, and those identified with disabilities. I will always be an advocate for education policies and processes that provide all students with equitable opportunities to learn, no matter their background.
Delaware needs more resource officers in the schools. Scale of strongly agree to strongly disagree.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Neither agree nor disagree
Agree
Strongly agree
16 and 17-year-olds should be allowed to vote in school board elections. Yes or no
Support