Priorities

We all want our children to have a life of options when they graduate high school - whether that's going to college or getting a meaningful, good-paying job. As a board member and former chair of the Student Achievement committee, I’ve stayed focused on what students are learning, how we measure it, and how we continuously improve. I’ve advocated for strategies that are proven to work in growing student learning. Through the tremendous efforts of our educators, I’m proud to say that Orange County Schools has been one of the strongest-improving districts in the state for four years running. Still, if the goal is for every student to experience academic success, we have a long way to go. We have the foundations in place. Clear goals and a steady focus on continuous improvement can keep the improvement going.

You’ve got to be OK in order to learn. A student’s sense of belonging has a big impact on their overall well-being. We also know that many students experience emotional and mental health challenges that make it harder to be successful in school. I’ve been a strong advocate for creating school environments where all students feel they belong and are cared for, and for increasing our supports to meet students’ needs, such as adding more school counselors and social workers and securing mental health support that students can access during the school day. Moving forward, it’s important to continue to listen to what students need, and be responsive in our support. 

In recent years, right-wing political strategists have twisted the meaning of the word “equity” into a bad thing. In some states, school districts aren’t even allowed to use the word (and that could become true in North Carolina soon). So let me explain what this word means. In education, pursuing equity means making sure that we, the adults, figure out how to get every student what they need to succeed. Doing that also requires being honest about the patterns in disparities in students’ experiences and outcomes, being curious and self-reflective about why these things are happening, and then addressing the root causes. While students of all backgrounds are equally brilliant, today in OCS there are large differences in outcomes by race, family income, primary language, and ability status. The uncomfortable reality is that for many years, most of these disparities have been bigger in OCS than in most districts in the state. That's morally unacceptable. As a board member, I've been a consistent voice for addressing inequities and getting each student what they need to succeed. We've seen improvements, but in the current climate, it is more important than ever to dig in and make progress on eliminating inequities. 

We've got to take care of our people. The biggest progress in education happens when a dedicated team of educators work together in their schools to make continuous improvements for a sustained period of time. There is also a lot of competition in our area for teachers. To keep and attract great teachers, we need to make sure that OCS is a great place to work - a place where teachers work together towards inspiring goals in a positive and supportive climate. We need to respect and compensate our staff and give them space to collaborate and learn from each other. As a board member, I've been a strong supporter of providing more resources and support for our teachers and staff. I’ve advocated for reinstating staff advisory groups and increasing staff involvement in making district decisions, because staff/teacher voices and expertise help us make the best decisions.

The school-family partnership can have a huge impact on learning. All families want their children to succeed in school, but most of us could use more help to figure out the best way to support that! Knowing how to best help your child is even more difficult if you face challenges like language barriers or long work shifts. As a board member, I've been an advocate for making communication simpler and clearer. I've advocated for making it easier for families to understand how their children are doing in school and how they can help. It's also important to spend more time listening and learning from families' experiences. I think we'll see the most improvement in communications and family partnership when ask families what their interactions are like, where the pain points are, and work with them to come up with improvements together.