“Our students, our future” has always been on my campaign logo. 

It is the motivation for why I currently serve as a College Station ISD Trustee.  My goal is to do the best I can to support student success because that is why we have public schools.  Success for our students looks like each one finding their place in a school community that provides opportunities beyond a one-size-fits-all approach to learning and growing.  When students graduate from our schools, I hope they have:

• Learned subjects like math, history and foreign languages.
• Had the opportunity to explore career paths in our CTE programs in fields like health science, law & public service, and ag mechanics.
• Been a part of electives and extra-curricular activities like athletics, fine arts and professional organizations and clubs.
• Grown into young adults who know how to do things like work as a team, serve others, and be a leader.
• Felt valued and cared for by their school community.

As a trustee, I believe all the work we do as a district should first and foremost be motivated by doing what is best for students.

I also believe the biggest impact on student success in a district comes from the teachers and staff who work with those students every day.  They are the most important asset we have in our school district.  When I think back to my school years where I grew up and consider my own kids’ years in CSISD, what I remember and what they talk about most are the teachers who impacted us by the lessons they taught us and the value they placed on caring for us as people.  Mr. Ruby, Mrs. Cleveland, Mrs. Schmaltz… these are just a few of the names I can still remember many years later who impacted me.  It is not an easy job to help teach and shape the next generation, but teachers and staff who work with our students, you are so important and appreciated!

As a trustee, I know teachers and school staff make a difference, and we must continue to find ways to support and listen to them.

We also have a duty to our community to both serve the common good by educating students and to promote connections between our district and our community.  One of CSISD’s biggest strengths is its people.  We live in a community that cares about and supports education.

As a trustee, I encourage us to remain committed to working together as a community with a common respect for each other and a common goal of supporting education. 

And finally, financial responsibility is an important part of governing a district and we must remain committed to finding ways to manage the financial health of our district while still meeting the needs of students and supporting staff.  We know teacher pay and pay for employees like paraprofessionals is a concern.  We would like to do more.  We need everyone’s help if we are going to move the needle significantly in this area because we need everyone to advocate for increased state funding of public schools that accounts for things like inflation and funds us on enrollment and not attendance.  State funding for public schools is complicated and often not well understood.  I welcome the opportunity to talk with community members and help educate them on this important topic. 

As a trustee, I recognize one of the biggest challenges we face right now is making financial decisions that can balance our budget while still being able to provide opportunities for students and recruit and retain teachers and staff.  We need our community to work together to advocate for public school funding concerns.   

I am running to serve for a second term because I believe we have great things going on in our district, and I also see that we must keep working to meet the challenges that we face.  Our students and our future are worth all of us working together to continue success for students in CSISD.