Campaign Phone
9043253350
I have been employed by our school district for over 14 years. I am on the operations side of the district as a locksmith. I am all over the county, in and out every building and every classroom. I talk to everyone and everyone has a complaint. I hear it all and then look for the facts. In doing so I have learned many, many things about our school district, the good and the bad. There are many good things about our district but, as with any organization there are the not so good things that need change. Many people in the district know me and know that my work ethics are high. I always do the best job possible and always try to do the right thing. I am loyal and will not comprise my standards. This would be my only job.
Our district has many strengths. The one I am most proud of is the quality of our Career & Technical Education courses. It is wonderful when students graduate and go off to college but, I also know all students are not college minded. To know that these students can go through the CTE programs, attain certain certifications in their field and start a great job right after graduation is pretty awesome.
As for weaknesses, I would have to say the budget would be the biggest weakness. I am not so sure the funds are always being spent where and how they should be spent. I think some better oversight would be a good thing. Sometimes without proper oversight things have a tendency to get a little out of control, or a lot.
Yes, Yes and Yes. When a student leaves public school a voucher for the funds also leaves the district. If the public school had to follow certain rules and guidelines to get those funds, the rules and guidelines should be attached to the voucher in order to be valid and for the funds to transfer.
The number one issue is the salaries have to be comparable to the private sector. We have so many people interview for jobs, but when they are accepted and told their pay, a lot of them decline and go elsewhere.
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In our district I am amazed at the dedication and motivation I see in a lot of our teachers. Their desire to see the students succeed makes me smile. I must be honest, when I am working on a classroom lock and hear a teacher discipline a student for lack of paying attention or goofing off, I look at them, smile and give a nod of agreement. They usually smile in return. Every student should have every opportunity to get the best education possible.
My qualifications are a combination of professional experience in healthcare, education, nonprofit leadership, and over 11 years of school board service. I hold a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, worked in pediatrics and obstetrics, and later served as a classroom teacher, giving me firsthand experience supporting children’s academic, physical, and emotional needs. Today, I serve as Director of Programs at Seamark Ranch, overseeing educational, counseling, residential, and workforce development programs for youth. My School Board experience includes educational governance, budgeting, policy development, strategic planning, and accountability. I bring integrity, servant leadership, sound judgment, and a strong commitment to student success.
CCDS has many strengths: consistently ranking in the top 10 districts in our state, a graduation rate consistently above 90%, strong fiscal stewardship, expanding Vocational Education opportunities, dedicated teachers and staff, and a clear strategic plan focused on student success. Our district has made significant investments in school safety, mental health supports, and workforce readiness.
Our challenges: budgetary constraints, managing growth, recruiting and retaining highly qualified staff, and improving reading and math proficiency. Continued focus on literacy, workforce development, teacher support, and responsible growth planning will be essential to sustaining our success.
Charter schools were created to provide families with options and to operate with greater flexibility and innovation. Rather than imposing all of the same regulations on charter schools, I believe traditional public schools should be given many of the same freedoms that charter schools enjoy. All publicly funded schools should be held accountable for student achievement, fiscal responsibility, transparency, and student safety. However, reducing unnecessary regulations on traditional public schools would empower local educators to innovate, expand opportunities for students, and better respond to the needs of their communities while maintaining strong accountability for results.
Recruiting and retaining employees begins with creating a workplace where people feel valued, supported, and empowered to succeed. Remaining competitive in compensation and benefits while continuing to invest in professional development, leadership pathways, and employee recognition. As a former teacher, I understand that retention is often tied to working conditions, administrative support, and opportunities for growth. We should continue expanding "grow-your-own" programs, strengthen partnerships with local colleges, streamline hiring processes, and actively seek employee feedback. For support staff and bus drivers, flexibility, training, recognition, and competitive pay are essential to attracting and retaining a dedicated workforce.
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Our district benefits from dedicated teachers and staff, strong community support, safe schools, expanding academic and career opportunities, and a clear strategic plan focused on student success. Students have access to a wide variety of programs that help prepare them for college, careers, and life. While we have made significant progress, I believe excellence requires a commitment to continuous improvement. We still have opportunities to improve student achievement, close learning gaps, recruit and retain exceptional employees, and ensure every student has access to the support and opportunities they need to reach their full potential.
Campaign Phone
9044690744
As a U.S. Navy Leading Petty Officer, I supervised 10–15 personnel at a time, overseeing their training, performance, and budgets — building accountability and disciplined resource management that translates directly to overseeing district staff and finances. My service sharpened my strategic planning, balancing immediate needs with long-term goals under real accountability standards. I also served several years on the PTA, working directly with parents, teachers, and administrators on the issues facing our schools. Taken together, these experiences me both the leadership discipline to manage a large organization and firsthand insight into our school community. I bring that same integrity and dedication to my candidacy for the school board.
Clay County is an "A" rated district with a 97% graduation rate and strong Career & Technical Education programs that provide students with real pathways to careers and college. These are real successes worth building on. That said, we face serious challenges: teacher pay and retention remain a concern, making it harder to keep experienced educators in our classrooms. The ongoing debate over school vouchers raises real questions about funding stability for our public schools. And the district is confronting a severe budget deficit that threatens both programs and staffing. As a board member, I'll work to protect what's working, address teacher pay head-on, and bring fiscal discipline to closing the budget gap responsibly.
Yes. Charter schools receive public taxpayer dollars — the same dollars that could otherwise fund our traditional public schools. Because they're using public money, they should be held to the same standards: academic accountability, financial transparency, qualified teacher requirements, special education services, and open public records. It isn't fair to families or taxpayers to have one set of rules for traditional public schools and a different, looser set for charter schools competing for the same limited funding. As a board member, I'll push for consistent accountability across every school that receives public dollars, so funding decisions are based on results and transparency, not double standards.
Retaining great teachers, support staff, and bus drivers starts with targeted investment: signing and retention bonuses for our hardest-to-fill roles, especially bus drivers and special education staff, plus multi-year contracts that reward strong performance with real stability. For our bus driver shortage, I'd pursue partnerships with local CDL training programs and recruit veterans and retirees with transferable experience. Just as important is culture: pairing new teachers with veteran mentors in their first two years, and creating a real feedback loop through staff surveys that the board actually acts on. As a Navy leader who managed personnel and retention, I know people stay where they feel valued and heard.
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I'd call our classroom learning environment average, not because of a lack of effort, but because strong district-wide ratings don't tell the full story. We're an "A" rated district with a 97% graduation rate, yet only about 64% of students are proficient in math and 62% in reading. That gap matters. Performance is also inconsistent: some schools excel while others have recently dropped a letter grade. A strong overall grade can mask real differences in what's happening in individual classrooms. As a board member, I'll push to look beyond district-wide averages, identify where specific schools and students are struggling, and direct resources and support where they're truly needed.
