Campaign Platform: Common Sense Leadership for Our Schools
As an independent candidate for the school board, I am committed to common-sense leadership, collaboration, and ensuring every student receives a high-quality, equitable education. I will work tirelessly to strengthen our public schools— the foundation of our community and democracy—by prioritizing academic success, student well-being, and opportunity for all, free from the distractions of extremist politics.
Here's what I stand for:
1. Safety
Students and school staff perform best when they feel safe. That means ensuring their physical safety with adequate crisis response and well-trained school resource officers. Safety also means:
Investing in healthy learning spaces where students and teachers can focus on learning and success, without distractions.
Ensuring that schools have enough school counselors and mental health resources to support the needs of students.
Providing schools with adequate support for students with disabilities, 504 plans, and mental health diagnoses.
Supporting school staff in responding to bullying proactively. Bullying has no place in Roanoke County Schools.
Developing a culture of belonging—where all students and staff feel valued, supported, and heard.
2. Support
The school board must empower our students, staff, and parents by strengthening the infrastructure of learning. That starts with:
Transparent and collaborative decision-making that engages school staff, students, parents, and community members, ensuring that decisions reflect the needs and voices of the entire community.
Investing in teacher salaries. For too long, our teachers’ salaries have lagged behind the national average. We must pay our educators competitively to ensure our students learn from the best.
Trusting the expertise of teachers, librarians, and administrators is essential. Our school staff are highly trained professionals who understand best practices in education. To create effective policies, we must respect their expertise and rely on their knowledge.
Together, we can create a school system that reflects our shared values: respect, opportunity, collaboration, and excellence. Let’s work together to build a better future for Roanoke County Public Schools.
3. Success
Successful public education starts by keeping public funds in public schools so all students have the tools and opportunities they need to be successful. As a school board member, I will never support sending tax dollars to charter or private schools over our public schools. Success also means:
Expanding educational support for every student—not just those at risk of failing or those in the top 10%. To help students regain pre-pandemic achievement levels, we must implement creative solutions and prioritize the success of all learners.
Providing the tools that our teachers, librarians, coaches, school counselors, paraprofessionals, and administrators need to be their best. Supporting and listening to school staff is part of classroom success.
We must raise student achievement for all of our students. Every student and teacher in Roanoke County Schools deserves the tools and opportunities to excel.
