Campaign Phone
8506941690
Education
Doctorate of Education
Professional Experience
18 years as an educator (high school teacher and an administrator at TSC and FSU)
Community Involvement
Organizes and host bi-monthly food drives and serves on several boards of directors/governors
Enrollment has experienced a modest decline over the past five years, requiring thoughtful right-sizing while protecting instruction. I have strengthened financial oversight and improved transparency by implementing variance reporting and secured funding to expand student programs. I have and will continue to advocate for data-driven approaches, including aligning staffing models to enrollment, examining co-location and community partnership opportunities to reduce costs, and scaling proven efforts like career centers and dual enrollment. I will also advocate for targeted attendance strategies, including transportation improvements and de-escalation approaches, to stabilize enrollment and protect district funding.
I will prioritize programs that emphasize learning gains, i.e. what students actually learn and improve over time, as well as services that keep students engaged in school, including career pathways and mental health supports that improve attendance and school climate. These, along with core instruction, ESE, and early literacy, must be protected. I will also focus on data, graduation rates, discipline, and enrollment trends, as key drivers of classroom performance. With gradual enrollment decline, I have commissioned and support a program audit to review and evaluate under-enrolled programs, to consolidate services, and to improve facility use through co-location while aligning resources to student outcomes.
With the latest stats indicating that 72% of gainful employment will require a high-level credential, the board should prioritize graduation rates, attendance, and access to accelerated coursework such as AP, dual enrollment, career and technical education, and industry certifications. The board should also prioritize learning gains to measure student growth and what students are improving over time. I have elevated these outcomes and led data discussions and reviews showing absenteeism, and specifically out-of-school suspensions, as key drivers of performance. The board should ensure these metrics are consistently monitored, disaggregated, and used to drive continuous improvement.
I led a compensation study that resulted in a multi-year plan to improve pay equity and strengthen retention. I have also engaged Tallahassee State College in opening discussions about establishing an Educator Preparation Institute, which would expand local teacher pipelines, reduce barriers to certification, and increase retention by preparing candidates in our community. I have also supported pipeline strategies such as para-to-teacher programs. Moving forward, I will continue to advocate for structured mentoring, expanded alternative certification pathways, and improved working conditions. A proposed millage referendum would allow voters to decide on additional funding to address compensation and workforce stability.
Campaign Phone
8503398468
Education
Graduate of Amos P Godby High School
Professional Experience
Hospitality where I effectively created and ran budgets, built teams, and made tough decisions concerning staff reduction
Community Involvement
One of original organizers and annually fed guests and volunteers at Night To Shine, currently serving on TPD Citizens Advisory Council, previously served on multiple HOA's as president and vice president.
Tough decisions need to be made that the board and superintendent have shown no desire or intention to change .
1) Start by working to eliminate the 200+ non-teacher positions that LCS has than districts in their peer group.
2) Stop creating jobs, especially during budget woes, at the district office that are not needed. We currently are bringing ANOTHER principal to the district office despite financial issues and the superintendent saying he does not know the job the principal will be doing.
3) Do some type of exit interview for parents and students that are leaving the district.
4) Have real conversations about building consolidation, not necessarily schools.
These are simply the most obvious things to start with.
Safety of students and staff should always be #1 priority and get the money it needs to be effective. I would also consider the athletics and arts protected, as both of these have a heavy influence in some students attending and giving serious effort in school.
Once again, budget cuts need to come from the excess in non teacher staff, especially at the executive level. We need to restructure how promotions and raises are given to district level employees and staff. There is no reason that teachers fight tooth and nail to get 5% in raises while some at the district office receive anywhere from 20-30% in the same time frame.
While graduation rates are improving, they are still below the state average. While this is an important milestone and measurable outcome we definitely need to improve as we are currently bringing down the state average.
I would also go back to surveys, not only for those leaving the district, but also for students at the end of the year so we know what is the actual experience they had and where we can improve.
Start to eliminate some executive positions and the 200+ non teaching jobs in the district and rolling that money directly over into compensation for teachers and support staff. Look at the possibility of closing schools and moving teachers to other schools.
