genuine commitment to public education ….

genuine commitment to public education for all children. As a member of the school board, I would support the values, beliefs, and priorities of the students, staff, parents, and every other member of our community. I believe board members serve in roles of extreme trust which is something I live by every day as a member of the Sheriff’s Office. I lead by example and hold my integrity to the highest level when it comes to supporting the community’s visions and goals.

I want to bring practical solutions, ideas, and honest answers to all constituents within the community who are involved and uninvolved in the school district. I want to focus on the values of public education and represent all citizens of the district. I strive to be part of what the community desires regarding enrichment programs, student growth, extracurriculars, and academic improvement. I want to focus on being competitive with surrounding communities regarding opportunities offered to our children and school staff.

I fully understand that not everyone has the same ideas, opinions, and beliefs including members of the school board, school staff, and community but I feel everyone wants to be heard and respected, something I assure you would happen if I were to be elected to the board. I believe through teamwork great challenges can be overcome with positive results involving community members, businesses, school district staff, and students. I am a person who takes a thoughtful, sincere, and deliberate approach to problems and focus on teamwork to solve these issues. I believe we should all be working together to reach goals, no one should be working alone, and we should all be coming together to make tough decisions making our community thrive. I believe it is important to express my opinions, beliefs, and values but at the same time, respect the different views and ideas of others.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing the Medford Area School District over the course of the next 5 years will be? As a board member how would you address them?

I am not sure of just one challenge because there are many, but some of these challenges facing the school district are going to force tough decisions to be made regarding uncertain school district financial resources, retaining qualified and exemplary teaching staff, and creating a school system fully accommodating to staff, students, and community members. We need to provide space for learning, work, community events, school sports, and other extracurriculars. Being a concerned community member and a candidate for the board, I recognize and know policies must be setup to plan and adapt for the future of our district.

A good way to answer many of these concerns right now as a community member is voting yes to the upcoming Medford School District referendum allowing financial resources to be available for construction of a new gymnasium, improve safety & security, updating critical infrastructure & technology, expansion / construction of classrooms, and relocating and rebuilding the theatre.

As stated earlier, I have a vested interest in public education and a positive environment for “all” students. I want to see students as a whole take advantage of advanced education programs, special needs programs, extracurricular activities, etc. In today’s world, we should be focusing on our youth creating programs that foster an up to date, safe, and secure environment. We need to keep our youth