As a father of four SJSD students, I want SJSD to offer a quality education that produces productive and high-character citizens for our community. I understand the school district’s crucial role in our children’s development. As a spouse of an SJSD teacher, I want to encourage and equip teachers as they do their invaluable tasks and worthy calling. As a school volunteer at Pickett and Hosea, I want to help widen and deepen the live-changing impact I have witnessed in the schools by the custodial staff, cafeteria staff, support staff, admins, and teachers.

Vision Leadership
Effective Communication
Strategic Planning
Financial Stewardship
Community building and engagement
Critical thinker with a servant’s heart

Classroom behavior- We need to protect and provide safe and disciplined environments for learning. We cannot allow one or two students to disrupt the learning environment. I would like to see a commitment to improve student conduct. Teaching to testing standards- We need to make sure that our curriculum and lessons plans are being geared towards the concepts that are on the testing standards. We need every teacher to align their instructional hours with testing standards. That has to be the priority. Recruiting and Retaining excellent teachers- The teacher is a huge variable to the quality of education that a child receives. We need to make sure that we are making our teaching positions as competitive as we can and making our district as appealing as we can. There are many ideas I would like to explore when it comes to teacher satisfaction: student conduct, compensation, teacher/student ratios, and casting a vision to created stability for employees. Reading by third grade- We need to make sure that any kid leaving the third grade can read to grade level. The ability to read unlocks future learning. If a child is not reading by third grade, holding the student back needs to be explored. Children must be able to read if they are going to test well and learn well.

I am not a never-ever on the four-day week, but it should be a last resort. If we ever need to pull the parachute of a four-day week, we must present a complete and more comprehensive plan than the board presented this year. As I have said earlier in the survey, there are other avenues to increase teacher satisfaction without making the kids lose a day of educational experience. Teacher satisfaction can be improved through compensation, student conduct, student/teacher classroom ratio, buy-back programs for sick/personal days, hiring more full-time subs, and establishing a master plan that creates employee stability.

I understand where the money comes from regarding local, state, and federal funding. Regarding the budget, I would like more discussions and questions to be asked throughout the year. I fear that the only financial issues discussed are the ones that come from the administration. I plan on asking questions throughout the year to help shape budget decisions made in the spring. I want the board to work on the budget more than just approving it. The board needs to have work sessions and discussions before approving it. We must ensure that our budget is allocated and aligned with our desires such as teacher compensation and building staff. I would like to know the top five most expensive budget items that are elective rather than necessary. That answer shows us our priorities.

The better way to consider the cost is 50 dollars for every 100,000 dollars of market value. I support the bond issue because the improvements can serve the district for years. The bond is impacting the students in several ways: child safety at two elementary schools with new roads better learning environment at Hosea with expansion better intercom systems district-wide for safety and better communication in buildings child safety with sidewalks improve extra-curricular experiences: turf fields, tracks, and fine arts improving learning environments through HVAC projects

It is easier to take a position on passing a levy by knowing precisely what the money will be allocated to. I would like to see the board review the current budget and identify any relocating that is necessary before going to the public for more money. Can we relocate 5% of the current budget towards building staff/teacher salaries? The board should ask the administration to present possible items that could be reallocated to salaries before asking the public for more money. However, the bottom line is that we must increase our compensation for all building staff and teachers. We have to make those jobs more appealing to retain and recruit people for those positions. If the money cannot be found in the current budget, I would support a levy for building staff, teachers, and bus drivers.

Boundaries need to be adjusted, but a master plan must first be in place. We need a long-range plan that starts from the top (high schools) and then creates a feeder plan based on that decision. Once a master plan is in place, boundaries must be addressed.

My position on two or three schools starts with realizing that we must choose now. We can’t keep pushing this decision out because it impacts other aspects of the district too much. At the same time, the number of high schools is not as significant as offering the same educational experience at every high school. We cannot continue to provide differing experiences and classes from school to school. Education has to drive this decision. So, for me, we need to do something to offer top-quality education to every kid in every area of town without using open enrollment. Also, I think we have too much space in the buildings now. We don’t have enough students to fill the three buildings. Running an empty building is not fiscally wise. If we are going to advance our class offerings, hiring two AP teachers for an advanced class is more manageable than hiring three. Staffing is easier with two buildings than with three. That said, I favor two high schools, with the priority of building a new high school for the south.

School safety needs to be a priority for the district. Our community needs to be assured that our schools are safe. We need to do regular safety audits of our buildings and procedures. I am supportive of any measure that is shown to improve the safety of our students and staff.

I have an 8th grader who has a vision disability and is on an IEP. The district does an excellent job of helping him succeed in his academics. We have to be committed to helping every child learn. Identifying a child’s obstacles and putting a plan together is a responsibility of the district and one we should embrace.

Compensation (feeling valued), student conduct (feeling safe and supported), student/teacher classroom ratios (improved learning environments).

Compensation: review budget reallocation and place levy on ballot if necessary Student conduct: students who disrupt the learning environment or kick/spit/hit a teacher must be removed. Cannot sacrificed the quality of our learning environments and teacher safety for one or two disruptive students.

Classroom ratios: Doing our best to keep the ratio as low as possible. Lower discipline issues and better test scores can are more likely in smaller classes.

I will educate myself on the topics discussed and come prepared to ask the right questions. As a critical thinker, I will carefully discern their recommendations, making sure their choices are best for the students, and consider tax-payers, parents, and teachers/staff. I will remain level-headed and respectful when interacting with them in meetings. I will hold them accountable for the policies that the board puts in place. I will maintain an open line of communication with crucial administration leaders.

When it comes to bathrooms and locker rooms, biological sex determines which facility a student uses.

I do not support critical race theory and its teaching within our district. Concerning woke ideologies, the district must utilize a curriculum that teaches math, science, reading, English, and history without a political agenda. Our community is diverse and we need to respect all parents by utilizing a curriculum that doesn’t promote or criticize one lifestyle over another. There are plenty of politically neutral curriculums for core subjects. There is no reason to teach or emphasize one worldview over another. The Board of Education must stick to educating kids without political leanings.

I am an advocate of parental rights. Parents need to be informed and involved in their children’s educational experiences. Anytime a child sees a counselor or seeks guidance from a staff member beyond instructional material, the parent should be notified. With multiple worldviews in our community, the district must honor parental oversight and rights in areas beyond the core curriculum. Parents should be able to trust the district to honor their worldview in areas of religion, sexuality, and literature. My position on parental rights and books is that parents should be notified of the books their children read in class and check out. There is no reason we cannot send email notifications concerning the books that children are reading.

Here is a link to the letter I submitted to the board concerning this item: https://1drv.ms/b/s!AsEPoyDs4AyugsBV3GEXNP75LzQFTA?e=qi4tBU

Socially Conservative

My Vision as a Board Member Reinforce core academics excellence Upholding parental rights in education Advocating for fiscal responsibility promoting safe and discipline school environments championing character and civic education recruiting and retaining excellent staff