Position/philosophy statement
Justice. Transparency. Equity.
Current Occupation
Co-Executive Director: Finance and Human Resources
Age (optional)
45
Campaign Phone
9194435294
Campaign Youtube URL
I am the mother of two kids in DPS and married to a DPS teacher, so my family’s life is deeply intertwined with the success of DPS. I’ve been actively volunteering with the PTA at my son’s school for 3 years and this year I’m also a room parent. I was recently a part of the Public School Strong team for immigrant defense at our school, where, as a Spanish speaker, I played a key role in coordinating support for families.
I worked for many years in youth empowerment, advocacy, and organizing for education, anti-racism and anti-oppression. I also bring nonprofit administration skills from a workers’ rights perspective. I have nearly 20 years’ experience in Human Resources and Financial Management related to nonprofit administration.
The role of a school board member is first and foremost a management role - the school board is charged with hiring, supervising, supporting, and evaluating the superintendent to effectively run our schools and make them the best they can be for our students.
The board also sets vision and policy, and holds the superintendent and central administration accountable. To do that effectively, board members must be grounded in the perspectives of stakeholders. The Board serves as a bridge — listening to concerns, elevating community voices, and ensuring that lived experiences inform policy decisions. Community engagement should be ongoing and two-way, not just limited to public comment at meetings.
When decision-makers do not adequately fund public education, we have to make better use of the resources we have. I have experience making hard choices and managing budgets in times of crisis. Improving our system will bring back students and the dollars that follow enrollment.
Student safety, well-being, and success. This means protecting immigrant students & families; improving EC services and true restorative justice practices.
Budget transparency & input process. The Board needs timely & accurate financial reports. When everyone has a clear understanding of how money is spent, we can make better decisions grounded in input from workers, families & community.
Supporting workers rights and living wages. Please see the response below.
Everyone knows our teachers and staff need to be compensated with a living wage so that we can attract and retain the educators our children deserve. In addition, DPS administration needs to listen and be responsive to the changes DPS employees want. For example, we need to fill vacant positions, we need more and better anti-bullying training for workers district-wide, and we need to institute a collective grievance procedure rather than dealing with issues in isolation. The current culture of impunity has made school less safe for both students and staff. DPS needs transparency in HR policies because we know that hiding problems will not make them go away.
I am a strong supporter of universal Pre-K. We know that investing in early childhood education sets children up for success for the rest of their lives.
Early childhood education is the first and most important investment we can make to improve student achievement and set kids on an early path to success. I was the only one in my family who had an early childhood education - I was a head start kid and I was the only one in my family that achieved a bachelors degree!
DPS needs new leadership to face this moment of internal crisis and external crisis. Right now DPS and District 2 needs a Board member with finance and HR expertise, with fresh and innovative solutions, ready to shake things up and change how DPS operates. If entrusted by the residents of District 2 with a seat on the Board of Education, I will do everything in my power to work with Dr. Lewis to transform the culture of DPS so that educators are excited to work in this district, so that students are able to thrive in each and every one of our schools, and so parents are excited and confident to send their children to DPS.
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Position/philosophy statement
Progressive Vision, Independent Voice
Current Occupation
System Improvement Advisor
Age (optional)
46
As a Social Worker, I am a skilled listener, particularly to people most impacted by the issues. I have seen how the most effective, equitable, and enduring solutions come from people who had to navigate life’s challenges. I am also a dot connector. The way to solve DPS’s challenges requires creativity, out of the box thinking, and knowledge of how to work within local government.
Growing up in Delaware, I saw inequitable resourcing in public schools. My parents spent two years getting support for my sibling’s learning disability. Witnessing this advocacy taught me that advocacy is not just about fighting for your child. It is about addressing the underlying structures, policies, practices, and resources to improve things for all children.
A School Board member needs to understand their scope as set by NC statute. The most important responsibility is found in NC § 115C-47 “To Provide the Opportunity to Receive a Sound Basic Education”. To ensure that students are provided the opportunity to receive a sound, basic education, board members need to provide clear, actionable direction through the creation of policies, transparency in decision-making, oversight in all areas of functioning, and accountability. School Board members also need to collaborate and put students’ first. They can do this by soliciting input from a broad set of stakeholders, particularly those least likely to participate in school board meetings, emailing DPS Central Office administrators, etc.
Durham Public Schools has a number of critical needs, including aging buildings and infrastructure, with over $1 billion in deferred maintenance, a student enrollment that is declining faster than the state average, and a lower teacher retention rate than surrounding school districts. I would first ensure that we are using every dollar of state funding available, rather than return CTE funding like we did in the 2024-25 school year. I would examine the primary reasons for teacher and staff turnover and address those, including adopting recommendations from Meet & Confer. I would develop standardized school maintenance, design, procurement and contracting to make sure we are using every state and local dollar as effectively as we can.
There are a number of steps to recruit and retain qualified teachers. I would strengthen the language in Meet & Confer to ensure that recommendations are brought to the Board of Education, without needing the superintendent to have to make that recommendation. I would consider the current Meet & Confer recommendations and make sure they get a fair hearing. I would also adhere to the progress principle. Qualified, high performing teachers stay engaged when they can feel part of improvements and can see progress towards goals. I would also make sure that our reporting and data dashboards stay laser-focused on the things that matter most - student achievement, wellbeing, and preparedness for the future.
I am a supporter of Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) for a number of reasons. While the longevity of the positive effects of Pre-K on student learning are impacted by their later elementary school environments, these enriched learning environments can still accrue numerous benefits to families, including socialization, reduced childcare costs, and ease of school transportation if pre-K is located in a sibling’s school. The greatest lesson learned from research is the need to ensure that Pre-K programming is aligned with kindergarten through third grade education inputs to ensure that Pre-K’s positive effects endure.
Durham Public Schools is filled with talented, committed teachers, staff, and building-leadership. They are tasked with keeping our students safe, learning, and prepared for the future. Unfortunately, they are not getting the support they need from DPS because the current system lacks the infrastructure, oversight, and accountability needed to deliver results.
Our community holds progressive values of belonging, equity, and justice. In order to enact these values district-wide, we need a Board of Education that provides oversight into the implementation of its policies, effective stewardship of our budget so that we don’t run out of money, and a focus on process improvements so staff are consistently paid the correct amount at the right time.
I'm the only candidate running for District 2 who embodies these progressive values, has conducted monitoring and oversight within local government, and created policies and procedures to ensure transparent, community-informed decision-making.
