Richmond 5th District School Board Race - 2024

When that policy first came out I was reticent. ... But we started talking about this. I do know that cell phones have been used to arrange fights. Cell phones have been used to create meetups where students are doing things they're not supposed to do, and they are distracted in my classrooms.

And I've heard from principals who actually corroborated that and really wanted us to do something about cell phone distraction.

I am now in support of limiting cell phone access, and banning cell phone access during bell-to-bell school time. Kids have been using them since 1 year old. They are neurologically dependent on the cell phones. And that's a problem.

I think it is a humongous distraction. I think it's something that will push our division to enhance the technology that we currently have in schools and is being used around the county. There are whiteboards, smart boards and all kinds of things that children can gain access to the internet and technology.

Children are being distracted. Teachers are going to have to stop what they're doing, stop instruction, to address the behavior that's contributing to the distraction.

I think it's an awesome idea to ban cell phone usage, and remember that it's something that's going to look different in elementary schools, middle schools and high schools. And high school students will still have access to their phones and their technology after school hours, so they will be able to catch you up and let you know what their activities are after school.

One of the key roles is to hire and hold accountable a superintendent. What our students really need, though, is stability, and being able to count on that. They don't need constant change that doesn't bring progress.

I'll always hold the superintendent accountable. We can evaluate metrics, and if we don't see progress we can have that discussion, but as long as the superintendent is making progress towards state goals and improving, they should stay on as long as they can deliver results.

Results, to me, are all that matter. And honestly, right now all the results are on the upswing.

Hiring a superintendent and evaluating the superintendent is the responsibility of the school board as a whole, and I think it's important that the school board makes that decision collectively. It's a data-driven process that requires a support system being put in place so the superintendent can be successful.

I look forward to the opportunity to work with the superintendent to watch and see what the data reports are showing, and to make decisions accordingly based on data-driven information.

I do believe that consistency is necessary for student success, but we've had so many challenges over the past few years, and we've had opportunities as well for students to grow. The uptick in test scores and graduation on-time rates have been wonderful, but having the opportunity to work firsthand with the superintendent and see what the staff is having to say about his perforance is necessary.

Certainly we have experienced that as a board this time around, and we have to work to be very careful about how these district lines are drawn. There is so much evidence and research that shows that neighborhood schools tend to be more effective than large conglomerate schools.

Certainly there are some financial considerations and overcrowding - those need to be addressed. I will work to do everything we can do address that by building schools and increasing resources to those schools and not closing successful schools.

While previously on the board, we had a situation where we had redistricting done. We also had the closing of Clark Springs Elementary School, which had horrendous outcomes. I watched students as Clark Springs was closed down, they went into three different elementary schools, and their performance as we followed the data plummeted.

So I think when you're considering closing a school, and potentially saving a small amount of money, in respect to the budget, you have to consider what the educational outcomes would be for the students, and how parents would be able to have access in terms of proximity, so those are things that I would definitely consider before going through that process.

I have to complain. I hate clear backpacks. I am a child who was creative, and I like expressing creativity on my body. That is just who I am. It's important. It could have something to do with my neurodivergence, and I am sure that I'm not the only one. And I'm sure we have kids who are also feeling this.

I understand why we have to vote in favor of these backpacks, but I really want us to spend more time looking at our childrens' hearts, trying to understand why they feel that they have to bring contraband to school in the first place.

We don't talk to our kids enough. We don't hear from them enough. All these rules are coming, top-down, without discussions with our children. So if I had it to choose, this would be a temporary measure that would then be followed with very deep discussion with our young people, and hearing from them about what it is we could do to make sure our schools are safe.

I think that the clear backpacks have multiple reasons for their implementation. There are concerns about weapons being brought to our schools. There are concerns about drugs being brought to our schools. And I think it's important for our administrators and our security to see what exactly is putting our schools at risk, and our children and families at risk.

So I definitely support clear backbacks. I would also ask that there be a higher level of transparency as it relates to why the clear backpacks are in play.

While I've been in office, we've done a number of things to improve equity in our schools. We did change admissions policies to our specialty schools so they better represent the communities our students come from. We've seen test scores increase, and achievements increase, because of investments we made to support English language learners and other students.

We all know equity is important, although I can tell you equity has become a bad word in many spaces in the state. We have to think about equity. Not everyone has the same access at home to resources as everyone else. We need to focus on early childhood education and partner with the city.

Equity is something that requires you to put a hand over your power. There's no one who knows better about what's happening with our students and our teachers than our building principals. I think for that reason, and more, it is important that we give our building leaders the autonomy to be able to distribute the resources that are necessary to bring things up to a level playing field.

When it comes to equity, I understand it so closely because I wrote the first equity policy for Richmond, and that was about channeling the resources and giving an ear to the people who are most impacted, so those resources can be directed towards them.