DISTRICT
Manchester
PHONE
7349046202
Number of years as resident
25
I am a current 4th grade public school teacher and mother of two wonderful children enrolled in public schools. I am proud to have received the MEA endorsement. I have a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education, with a focus in English Language Arts and Mathematics. I also hold Master’s Degree in Curriculum & Instruction. I’ve taught in both Texas and Michigan in grades ranging from preschool to 4th grade. As an active Manchester resident, I have been a volunteer youth coach in both Manchester and Saline. During my time teaching in Manchester, I also was a union board member. I believe that the Manchester School Board needs an educator serving on the board to best serve the students, families, and educators at Manchester Community Schools.
My goals for the Manchester School Board are simple; we need a united board that is focused on supporting students, families, and educators. We need curriculum that is backed by the Science of Reading to ensure our students are receiving the best possible education, while also ensuring we remain in compliance with state education laws. The board needs to work together with the community, and the community needs to know they are involved contributors in our local schools. We need to be fiscally responsible and ensure that every dollar spent directly and positively impacts the students that attend our schools. The Manchester School Board is currently lacking the voices of educational experts and I would be honored to advocate for our families
Manchester Community Schools currently have amazing educators that work tirelessly to provide the best education for their students. As a board, we should be supporting them and their efforts. Aligning Science of Reading-backed curriculum both vertically and horizontally is imperative for student growth. We must also provide ample time for the teacher’s professional development and curriculum training to give them a solid foundation to ensure they are able to fully implement the curriculum with fidelity. To improve student achievement, we also need to promote community engagement. When families have buy-in to educational success, grades, attendance, and graduation rates drastically improve.
The budget priority for Manchester Community Schools must be meeting the needs of all students. While our district is currently struggling financially, any future budget cuts must not impact student learning. MCS needs a balanced budget that provides adequate funds for curriculum and other supplemental programs/materials for student growth and educational experiences. We need a balanced budget every single year. We must be providing opportunities for students and their families to continue learning and growing together. Budget cuts should never touch classrooms or our students. Our students are the top priority. Funds need to be spent on our students to ensure our most vulnerable populations receive the care and education they deserve.
The most serious problems facing the school board currently are a lack of transparency, lack of collaboration, personal agendas, lack of civility, and lack of understanding the ins and outs of public education. Board members are elected officials and the community that voted for them expects them to listen to the experts and vote for what the majority of the community wants to see in our educational systems. The board should be instituting long-term goals for the school district and be openly discussing the measure of progress at board meetings. The board must also enforce their code of ethics and require all members to respect the seat they hold as well as the constituents they serve.
DISTRICT
Manchester
PHONE
2693976005
Number of years as resident
3.5 years
Financial: I have a BBA with a major in accounting. I am also a former small business owner. This background provides me the basis to understand financial complexities of a complex organization and evaluate options to identify the best path forward.
Education: Earned a MA in Career and Technical Education, minor Marketing. I taught for 14 years Business and Marketing courses. I understand the classroom experience and curriculum development.
Support: My Dad was a former Superintendent and was an example of leadership. As a former business owner, I recognized the value of all my staff, vendors and customers for business success.
My goals are to evaluate curriculum and educational practices with staff and community support to best increase student learning. We need to study practices in other countries and programs in the U.S. and abroad that are successful. Then we need to develop the best path forward with all stakeholders which is key to accomplishing this goal. Manchester will be that beacon of success that is needed for others to see what is possible. This process also includes developing value or true statements about that best path in which all decisions are evaluated against those value statements. This helps give clarity to direction and goals.
There is increasing evidence that shows that 1 to 1 screens in schools lowers cognitive development, especially before puberty. Some of that research can be viewed from sites below. Cell phones, as part of screens, need to be banned from schools.
As a school system, we need to focus on people and books not screens for better student achievement.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11894741/
https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2023/04/technology-might-be-making-education-worse
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd-_VDYit3U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DH9L7vJ03DE
To continue from the student achievement perspective above, my primary budget priority is to ensure adequate support for staff across all roles and the use of books instead of screens.
One would need to look at the whole financial picture to understand what money is currently being spent on to understand other priorities. What I do know is that the job of the education system is to give students a sense of wonder and desire to continue to learn and to think, show creativity, solve problems. That is done by staff. Staff in all positions of a school system. All staff need to be shown that they are valued in the system in which they strive and work with the most valuable people ever, our children, our future.
My understanding is that one of the most serious problems currently is decreased enrollment. That effects funding which in turn effects many programs. The school needs to lean into discussions with families on why they are pulling out their children and where they are going. What do the alternatives offer that Manchester does not? What can be improved? Where are the school’s weaknesses and strengths?
I think being a small school with close relationships between the school, community and students is a superpower. It should be embraced.
DISTRICT
Manchester
Number of years as resident
4
My qualifications come from both professional leadership and years of hands on service. Before moving to Manchester from California, I built nearly 15 years of experience in recruiting and HR, including work with Fortune 500 organizations where I evaluated talent, made high stakes hiring decisions, and helped build strong teams. I have served in board and leadership roles since age 19 and, since age 15, have volunteered and coached hundreds of children. I have led fundraising efforts and stayed involved in Manchester schools and community. As an MCS parent, I will listen to every family, especially those who have felt unheard, and bring consistency, transparency, and accountability while keeping students at the center of all decisions.
If elected, my goals are to strengthen student achievement, improve staff and student retention, rebuild trust through transparent decision making, and address employee compensation. Manchester’s average teacher salary is among the lowest in Washtenaw County and about 14% below the nine district local average. My background in recruiting and HR gives me experience evaluating compensation, retention, and workforce needs. I will listen to students, families, staff, and administrators, use district data to set priorities, and ask hard questions about how resources are allocated. The board should set clear goals, measure results, and hold itself accountable for progress.
Student achievement starts with a strong, stable foundation. Manchester does many things well, including offering programs, evaluations, IEP supports, and opportunities for students. But those efforts are harder to sustain with frequent turnover, changing processes, and inconsistent expectations between buildings. We need to retain strong teachers and support staff, provide the resources they need, and create greater consistency across grade levels. We also must measure results. If we are not using data to determine what is working, where students are struggling, and whether our investments are improving outcomes, we cannot make informed decisions about what to continue, change, or improve.
My budget priorities are people, classrooms, and long term stability. We should invest in the teachers, support staff, programs, and resources that directly impact students while addressing the retention challenges facing both staff and families. Budget decisions should be driven by current data, not simply by what has always been done. That means considering enrollment, compensation, cost of living, economic conditions, and student outcomes before deciding where to spend more or less. Every major investment should support clear goals, with transparent reporting and accountability for the results, whether those results are favorable or not. Improving student and staff retention must be one of those goals.
In my view, Manchester’s biggest challenges are student and staff retention and a culture where data does not consistently drive decisions. Hiring, advancement, budgeting, and retention should be based on qualifications, measurable criteria, and results, not personal relationships or comfort with the status quo. In a small community, speaking up can be difficult, but leadership requires hard questions. Doing the right thing is not always the most comfortable thing, and the board must understand that. I have spent most of my life showing up for children, and becoming a mother only deepened that responsibility. When every decision reaches the board table, my first and final question will be simple: what is best for our students?
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