campaign phone number
8646300500
I am the married, mother of three and my husband and I have called Greenville ‘home’ since 1997. I graduated from Clemson University where I earned a B.S. in Financial Management and a Masters in Human Resource Development. After working as a Corporate Trainer for Bank of America for eight years, I opened my chapter of the National League of Junior Cotillions™, an etiquette and ballroom dance program for middle school students, and have taught thousands of Greenville county students over the past 24 years. Additionally, I have served as President (2009-2012) of the Down Syndrome Association of the Upstate, Board member (2013-2015) of ProParents of SC, and Board member (2017-2020) of Langston Charter Middle School. As the daughter of a retired teacher, I navigated the school system for 14 years with two children who received special education services, and I have tirelessly advocated for the educational rights of many others as a special education advocate.
I believe the minimum requirement should be a four year degree. Greenville County Schools has had great success with state approved alternative teacher prep programs, including our very own GATE program for career changers in critical-need subject areas such as Math, Science, Foreign Language and Special Education. Individuals with expertise in these areas go through extensive on-the-job training, coaching and mentoring while working on their teaching certification.
Recruiting and retaining teachers and personnel at all levels continues to be a significant challenge. Since we are ultimately a ‘policy’ board, the best thing I can do to address challenges is to ensure that we have appropriate policies in place to “govern” our district. It is my job to critically think and remain student-centered in my decisions, which is why I have consistently supported budgets that have prioritized our salaried teachers, as well as our hourly employees. With Board support, the District has climbed from 24th in the state to 4th when it comes to starting teacher salary. In the current climate of teacher shortages, we have an obligation to the students in Greenville County to remain competitive in attracting the best and the brightest.
Over these past four years, I consider myself to have been very present in the "life" of Greenville County Schools. I am approachable and I try to be as responsive as possible to questions and concerns, recognizing that I may not always have the answer someone “wants” to hear. I always listen with an open mind and escalate concerns as appropriate. I’ve learned that it’s impossible to make everyone happy all of the time, but I truly believe that I have served with integrity, compassion, and common sense.
campaign phone number
864-923-5000
My wife and I moved our family to Greenville in 2001 when our youngest son was accepted in the special education school that best met his needs. We have always prioritized our children’s education to prepare them to become successful contributors to their own families, and society. We home schooled our older sons while in California and used private and public schools in Greenville. I earned my undergraduate degree in education from Virginia Tech through an athletic scholarship, and my master’s degree in education from Clemson University through a graduate teaching assistantship. Education is part of the lifeblood of my family. My wife has been a Spanish teacher and recently retired from working in GCS as an aide for special needs students. My daughter-in-law taught kindergarten for nine years in GCS. In Upstate churches, including my own, I enjoy teaching college and high school youth. We currently have five grandchildren here with us in the Upstate.
Even with state and national teacher shortages, I am very thankful and pleased that Greenville County Schools started this year with a certified teacher in every class. We should not compromise on the minimum qualifications a certified teacher should have for our children in the classroom. I believe if we work on removing distractions and unnecessary duties from teachers who want to focus on advancing the fundamentals of reading, writing, math, and science they will be much more satisfied with their careers, and we will have higher retention of these certified teachers.
o I will solicit input by being very approachable to teachers, parents, staff, and students and weigh their input through listening intently, and exercising my sixty-three years of acquired discernment. This is the reason I’m running for the School Board, to address the greatest challenge in our educational system. We have far too many students that have been moved along to the next year without successfully learning and completing grade level standards. We need to get back to the basics of advancing the fundamentals of reading, writing, math, and science and remove all distractions from our classrooms while empowering our teachers to accomplish this most important objective. I am committed to succeeding in this challenge without increasing taxes to our community.
I will solicit input by being very approachable to teachers, parents, staff, and students and weigh their input through listening intently, and exercising my sixty-three years of acquired discernment.
