Community Bridge Building

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Bringing a divided community together is essential to getting the work done that will provide a quality education for our students.

 

Policies, comments, and public behavior by TVUSD Trustees in the past two years have incited anger, fear, and divisive dialogue in our community that has distracted our leadership from focusing on what’s best for TVUSD students.

 

I have demonstrated the qualities that are urgently needed for TVUSD Trustees. In multiple settings I have exemplified Servant Leadership, putting others before me, empathizing with others, instilling collaborative leadership models, and putting forth a genuine effort to listen to all sides of a discussion or issue. 

 

Technology, society, and education are all changing. What do we want our schools and learning to look like in 5 years, 10 years, 20 years? I propose an inclusive process to design a multiyear Master Plan for improving TVUSD. The plan will be designed by a broad spectrum of groups and individuals who represent the community and have opinions on how our school district sets goals, spends funds, and delivers instruction for our students. The result will be a Master TVUSD Plan for all students that reflects the needs of our community. 

 

Right now in TVUSD we have goals but our actions are not always tied to those goals. First we must establish the shared vision in our Master Plan and then set out specific goals for the parts of the plan. 

 

In the last two years, rushed judgments and actions without respecting normal process have set our School District back. I am committed to building bridges, respecting the process, and getting good work done for our students. As a candidate and Trustee, I will meet with anyone who has ideas, needs clarification on my positions, or wants to get involved in a positive movement to make TVUSD the best it can be for our students.

 

This local election is critical!  We can choose to elect candidates who lead with misplaced emotion—who push personal and political agendas and disregard the needs of all students and families in TVUSD. Or we can elect Trustees who are focused on quality local governance. We can choose to continue being divided and distracted or we can choose to refocus on education, and on providing positive school climates where all students can thrive.

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Focus on Education

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One of my top priorities is to return the TVUSD School Board to a Focus on Education.

 

Over the past two years, our school board Trustees were not focused on educating local students but were spending their time on national political issues that are unrelated to what's best for the students of TVUSD. Money was spent on many things (especially legal fees) that did not directly improve education. 

 

That needs to change. Our attention and our budget need to directly focus on educating our local students. Students deserve the best instruction we can provide for them!

 

From TK to grade 12 we must engage all students in learning, following rigorous standards.

 

• Our educational leaders, including trustees, must understand that students learn in various ways.

• We need to keep our teachers trained with the most current instructional strategies to keep students engaged.

• In an ever-changing world filled with technological advancement, we must commit to instruction that promotes student success in the 21st Century.

 

District leadership must provide teachers with the tools necessary to deliver instructional strategies that are proven to work.

 

• Trustees must apply fiscal responsibility to all decisions and focus budgets on classroom instruction. This focus on education is doubly important as state funding diminishes. 

• We need to analyze learning data and look at where we are post-pandemic, reviewing curriculum and systems to evaluate their effectiveness and appropriateness. 

 

 

 

Experience Counts

 

Experience in leadership, local governance, and multiple aspects of education means I can quickly and efficiently serve as a quality trustee.

 

I’ve had years of experience in education and leadership roles that have prepared me to learn quickly and get to work for our students. Many of these experiences were right here in TVUSD and The City of Temecula.

 

I am currently a commissioner for Community Services in The City of Temecula. I also recently founded and was the President of the Board of Directors for a local nonprofit. In these roles I’ve stayed up to date with Board decorum and processes that can help me collaborate with other TVUSD board members.

 

In addition to community volunteer work, I have volunteered in classrooms and programs at TVUSD schools where my daughters attended and district schools where my grandchildren currently attend. Having the perspective of a parent, grandparent, and volunteer is essential in being a trustee who can empathize and collaborate with parents and families of our students.

 

Finally, I am a career educator with a variety of experiences in teaching, coaching, extra-curricular activities, and administration. I have worked in private and public schools from Kindergarten to master’s level college courses and have taught a myriad of subjects and programs. This broad range of educational experiences gives me valuable background as a trustee to make decisions on student safety, curriculum and instruction, and fiscal policies.

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​​​​​​​​​​Safe Schools Where All Students Can Thrive

 

Safety is the foundation for all good things that happen in the classroom. 

 

Parents must feel that their kids are safe at school. Students who feel safe will come to school and be able to learn. When we achieve safe school cultures, great instruction can happen!

 

Crosswalks, e-bikes, drugs, special needs support in classrooms & on campus—all of these safety issues and more need continual work to make programs more effective. On some issues like e-bikes, we’ll work jointly with the city and law enforcement. I have experience in this kind of collaboration from working on the Community Services Commission.

 

The most important aspect of safety is school culture. You feel culture when you walk on a campus. If you see kids playing well together, see staff interacting, and feel energy in classrooms, you know the school culture is working. There’s a positive, proactive approach; everyone knows this is how we behave around here. And all students, regardless of learning ability or background, are given the support they need to advance their learning.

 

To have a good school culture at all sites, we need to develop systems that assure a great learning culture across the district. Our community-developed Master Plan will give us the basis for setting specific goals and following through. 

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