Biographical Information
I am an attorney, pastor, and current president of the Valley View Local School District Board of Education. Raised in the Northmont school district, my wife and I have lived in the Valley View district since 2009. Our two daughters were graduates of Valley View High School, classes of 2020 and 2022, respectively.
My role as a school board member is to shape and influence the policies and practices within Valley View and provide a level of oversight on behalf of the community to ensure that the district's operations reflect and remain consistent with the values and expectations of the community that elects me. In addition to setting policy, my primary role within the district is to ensure that we have a superintendent and treasurer who support the board's vision and work diligently to implement it.
I take parent concerns seriously and, depending upon what stage of resolution efforts a matter is at when I am asked to get involved, my initial approach is to listen carefully and direct the parent to the proper person within the district to immediately address the stated concern. I make an effort to tell the parent what I would do in his or her situation. I do not advise parents in a technical sense, but I aim to have issues resolved quickly and with the least disruption to the district.
The biggest overarching issue that I see remains building and maintaining the community's trust and confidence. I believe that had been lost in recent decades and it takes time to rebuild. I think we are making great strides in that area as our district turns its attention wholeheartedly towards academic instruction and away from some of the social engineering that schools have leaned into in recent years. Parents need be confident that the learning environment is wholesome and apolitical.
A school board must operate the same as any household or business, accepting reality and then working within it. While others hammer out funding issues in Columbus, we must be prepared to operate within whatever reality dictates amidst ever-changing numbers. This requires distinguishing between wants and needs, making value judgments as to what truly furthers our aims, and having the courage to act. Forecast conservatively, be willing to say "no," and determine not to ask taxpayers for more.
I am concerned about the long term impact of having yet another mechanism to do students' thinking for them. While clearly some courses of study may involve having students understand how to use AI as a tool, I cannot see any scenario wherein AI can be utilized with students who have not first learned to think, research, evaluate, understand, and articulate effectively on their own. Our nation needs minds that have been developed and challenged through a solid classical liberal education.
My strength is in leadership and communication. I listen, I talk, and I do my best to make sure everyone knows why I think what I think and why I do what I do. I believe that I have earned the trust of a large majority of the community. I believe in transparency and integrity, and nobody ever has to wonder where I stand, and I make every effort to be the same person in public that I am in private. Ultimately, being a board member isn't for the thin-skinned or the weak-willed. I am neither.
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