1. Why do you want to win this position?

As a parent of two children in the Cassville School District, I believe it’s my responsibility to keep in place the things that make the district successful and to help bring change where needed. Becoming a member of the board, I feel, is the best way to make these things happen.

2. If elected, what is your No. 1 goal on the school board?

I believe my goal is the same as most parents in this district. I want to make it an even better school to be a part of. This includes making sure that all students are getting a good education.

An education that will prepare them for either entering the workforce, attending college or a trade school.

3. What areas of the school district do you think need improvement?

Improvement is needed in creating a team. We need to be working together to ensure no child is left behind, no parent feels unheard, and our educators and administrators feel supported.

4. What do you feel is most important for raising the quality of education provided by Cassville schools?

There needs to be more communication between educators and parents. In my opinion our students are not only in need of great educators, that are willing to give of their time to help them succeed but also the support of their parents. I can’t help but believe that when education is made a priority in the home our students are much more successful. Keeping parents involved, as much as possible, is the key to the education of our students.

5. Taking into account a new performing arts center pending this election, what other capital projects do you think the school should pursue?

While I feel like the performing arts center is a great thing for our students and communities, I feel like we need to start investing in our students through offering more resources focusing on the basic skills needed to successfully transition into the workforce, college, or trade school.

6. Is the district’s communication with parents satisfactory or does it need work? What makes it work, or how would you improve it?

As I’ve mentioned, I believe the district’s communication with parents needs work whether it’s when implementing new platforms to keep up with our students grades or keeping the school calendars updated.

Changes were implemented in platforms for grading and parent communication a number of times, with the last update moving to Canvas. They moved to this platform with little to no communication to parents and without adding it to our schools website. It was the expectation that we figure it out even though the school educators and administrators, through their own admissions, weren’t fully prepared to implement the changes due to lack of knowledge themselves. To improve this, communication and training is key!

Let’s work together, as a team, and “test” these things through allowing parents, educators and administrators to use the technology before implementing it. Is it straightforward, easy to navigate and available to all?

7. What classes or programs would you like to see added?

The classes I’d like to see added would be classes more trade school and basic life skills driven. The program I’d like to see added is drivers

education.

8. How do you hope to help students succeed after graduation?

Success after graduation, depends on the student and starts in the early years of our students lives. We need to focus on grabbing the attention of our students early through reading, writing, and math and add in necessary resources to those falling behind early on in their lives. By doing this, our students will be able to grow into intelligent young adults and eventually contributing members of society.