| On the Issues |
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Why are you seeking this position?
I have seven years experience working for a state education agency (the Colorado Department
of Education), I have 8 years experience working for a local education agency (the Lincoln
Public Schools in Nebraska), and I am an adjunct faculty member at Northeastern State
University. I am also president of the Tulsa Council of PTAs and officer for the Oklahoma PTA
Board of Directors. My professional and volunteer experience as a school administrator,
teacher, stay at home mother of four, PTA Officer, and business owner, indicate that I am the
best candidate for this very important position. My election to the Tulsa School Board will
enable me to be an effective policy maker and advocate for teachers, students, parents and the
community at large everyday, without exception.
What do you see as the greatest challenges facing your school district?
One of the greatest challenges facing TPS is educating children whose families are
disadvantaged economically. An economically disadvantaged student is a student who is a
member of a household that meets the income eligibility guidelines for free or reduced-price
meals. In Tulsa 78% of our students are eligible for the free or reduced price meal program;
the state’s average is 55%. Many of these children have a substantially lower chance of
receiving early education, formal childcare or even informal care provided by any paid adult.
These children start behind and find catching up incredibly difficult. In many of these
households, children live in the care of their grandparent, they are without health insurance, and
live in families where no parent has full-time, year round employment. We are loosing the
ability to deal with our children and their parents in a positive way. A lot of our children are
angry and their parents feel their backs are up against the wall because their children are falling
through the cracks. Our challenge as a district will be to ensure that we are providing quality-
learning experiences for every student, every day, without exception.
How can untapped community resources assist in improving your schools?
The school community has always had an interest in meeting the needs of local students.
School programs require that we tap into community resources in order to improve our
schools. Parent teacher organizations like PTA are great resources that are experienced at
building partnerships in the community, promoting school programs and helping students.
Through advocacy and community engagement, Tulsa’s untapped community relationships will
be essential in seeking support for our children’s education.
What do you believe are the chief responsibilities of a school board member?
The school board sets the vision for the school district and the decisions they make at their bi-
monthly meetings make a difference in the schools. The most important thing a school board
does is to establish a vision for the community’s schools that reflects a consensus of the
teachers, board, district staff, and overall community. The school board has a wide variety of
additional responsibilities such as adopting a balanced annual budget and issuing interim
financial reports, adopting the school calendar, negotiating contracts with employee unions,
approving curriculum materials and closing or constructing schools.
How much time would you plan to spend in the schools in your voting district on a
weekly basis?
As President of the Tulsa Council of PTAs I already spend quality time developing relationships
and building coalitions in the schools. Being on the Tulsa School Board will allow me the
opportunity to continue a regular practice of being present in the schools.
What should be your district’s highest priorities to implement during your term?
Creating a shared vision of partnering for the benefit of students and for the development of the
Tulsa community. This priority will only be realized through a collaborative effort among school
staff, students, families, and community members to create successful outcomes for our youth.
The effort would need to be multi-faceted involving curricular, policy, fiscal, and social support
strategies. Embedded in these strategies would be a commitment to creating bridges across
cultures, using a strength-based empowerment approach, coupled with continuous learning and
growth.
We must advance and ensure the highest levels of school community partnerships for
collaborative success. Another priority would be revisiting the community engagement that was
started three years ago. Approximately 10,000 educators and community representatives
spent from 4-6 weeks in a series of conversations to offer their ideas, hopes, and expectations
for public education. The next step in this collaborative process should be creating focus
groups to address some of the top issues raised in the dialogue such the widespread desire
for collaborative planning and assessment of student work by teachers and parents. These
priorities are essential for the positive emotional and social development, cultural growth, and
academic achievement of every child.
What should the relationship of the school board be to the superintendent?
One of the Board’s most important functions is selection and evaluation of the Superintendent.
School Boards are most successful when members work constructively and productively with
each other, with the Superintendent and with staff. Effective working relationships begin with
acknowledgement that each Board member brings gifts and strengths to the process, that
diversity of opinion leads to strong decisions, and that students are best served when adult
leaders establish stable, long-term commitments to their progress. The relationship between
the school board and the superintendent should be that of high performing governance teams
whose main focus is that of keeping the educational interest of children first amongst their
priorities. The relationship should also be that of a partnership centered on quality teaching
and learning.
What are the greatest strengths of the school district?
Parents that coexist as partners with schools are a great strength of the school district. Another
strength is the district’s teachers, which represent some of the most dedicated employees I
know. For five days a week, teachers of all levels are called upon to get to know each student
in order to individualize instruction in ways that address the personal needs, abilities, and
interests of every child, everyday, without exception. A number of the district’s teachers are
National Board Certified Teachers, another great strength of the district.
What are the greatest weaknesses of the school district?
The greatest weakness of the district falls upon teachers who do an exceptional job and
receive little or no extra compensation and little in the way of acknowledgement. We also don’t
offer enough quality time for teachers to make lesson plans and collaborate with their subject
and/or grade level peers. Expanding resources for district staff to re-open lines of
communication would also be an area for growth. . .
What changes and/or new initiatives, if any, would you like to see in Tulsa Public
Schools?
I would like to see the secondary schools offer a change in the start of the school day. I would
also like to see more teachers and parents actively participating on committees that hire
administrative staff (principals and directors of programs). I would like for all of the half-day four-
year-old programs to become full day four-year-old programs. I would like to see more children
being taken on extended outdoor trips that blend lessons across the curriculum.
I have seven years experience working for a state education agency (the Colorado Department
of Education), I have 8 years experience working for a local education agency (the Lincoln
Public Schools in Nebraska), and I am an adjunct faculty member at Northeastern State
University. I am also president of the Tulsa Council of PTAs and officer for the Oklahoma PTA
Board of Directors. My professional and volunteer experience as a school administrator,
teacher, stay at home mother of four, PTA Officer, and business owner, indicate that I am the
best candidate for this very important position. My election to the Tulsa School Board will
enable me to be an effective policy maker and advocate for teachers, students, parents and the
community at large everyday, without exception.
What do you see as the greatest challenges facing your school district?
One of the greatest challenges facing TPS is educating children whose families are
disadvantaged economically. An economically disadvantaged student is a student who is a
member of a household that meets the income eligibility guidelines for free or reduced-price
meals. In Tulsa 78% of our students are eligible for the free or reduced price meal program;
the state’s average is 55%. Many of these children have a substantially lower chance of
receiving early education, formal childcare or even informal care provided by any paid adult.
These children start behind and find catching up incredibly difficult. In many of these
households, children live in the care of their grandparent, they are without health insurance, and
live in families where no parent has full-time, year round employment. We are loosing the
ability to deal with our children and their parents in a positive way. A lot of our children are
angry and their parents feel their backs are up against the wall because their children are falling
through the cracks. Our challenge as a district will be to ensure that we are providing quality-
learning experiences for every student, every day, without exception.
How can untapped community resources assist in improving your schools?
The school community has always had an interest in meeting the needs of local students.
School programs require that we tap into community resources in order to improve our
schools. Parent teacher organizations like PTA are great resources that are experienced at
building partnerships in the community, promoting school programs and helping students.
Through advocacy and community engagement, Tulsa’s untapped community relationships will
be essential in seeking support for our children’s education.
What do you believe are the chief responsibilities of a school board member?
The school board sets the vision for the school district and the decisions they make at their bi-
monthly meetings make a difference in the schools. The most important thing a school board
does is to establish a vision for the community’s schools that reflects a consensus of the
teachers, board, district staff, and overall community. The school board has a wide variety of
additional responsibilities such as adopting a balanced annual budget and issuing interim
financial reports, adopting the school calendar, negotiating contracts with employee unions,
approving curriculum materials and closing or constructing schools.
How much time would you plan to spend in the schools in your voting district on a
weekly basis?
As President of the Tulsa Council of PTAs I already spend quality time developing relationships
and building coalitions in the schools. Being on the Tulsa School Board will allow me the
opportunity to continue a regular practice of being present in the schools.
What should be your district’s highest priorities to implement during your term?
Creating a shared vision of partnering for the benefit of students and for the development of the
Tulsa community. This priority will only be realized through a collaborative effort among school
staff, students, families, and community members to create successful outcomes for our youth.
The effort would need to be multi-faceted involving curricular, policy, fiscal, and social support
strategies. Embedded in these strategies would be a commitment to creating bridges across
cultures, using a strength-based empowerment approach, coupled with continuous learning and
growth.
We must advance and ensure the highest levels of school community partnerships for
collaborative success. Another priority would be revisiting the community engagement that was
started three years ago. Approximately 10,000 educators and community representatives
spent from 4-6 weeks in a series of conversations to offer their ideas, hopes, and expectations
for public education. The next step in this collaborative process should be creating focus
groups to address some of the top issues raised in the dialogue such the widespread desire
for collaborative planning and assessment of student work by teachers and parents. These
priorities are essential for the positive emotional and social development, cultural growth, and
academic achievement of every child.
What should the relationship of the school board be to the superintendent?
One of the Board’s most important functions is selection and evaluation of the Superintendent.
School Boards are most successful when members work constructively and productively with
each other, with the Superintendent and with staff. Effective working relationships begin with
acknowledgement that each Board member brings gifts and strengths to the process, that
diversity of opinion leads to strong decisions, and that students are best served when adult
leaders establish stable, long-term commitments to their progress. The relationship between
the school board and the superintendent should be that of high performing governance teams
whose main focus is that of keeping the educational interest of children first amongst their
priorities. The relationship should also be that of a partnership centered on quality teaching
and learning.
What are the greatest strengths of the school district?
Parents that coexist as partners with schools are a great strength of the school district. Another
strength is the district’s teachers, which represent some of the most dedicated employees I
know. For five days a week, teachers of all levels are called upon to get to know each student
in order to individualize instruction in ways that address the personal needs, abilities, and
interests of every child, everyday, without exception. A number of the district’s teachers are
National Board Certified Teachers, another great strength of the district.
What are the greatest weaknesses of the school district?
The greatest weakness of the district falls upon teachers who do an exceptional job and
receive little or no extra compensation and little in the way of acknowledgement. We also don’t
offer enough quality time for teachers to make lesson plans and collaborate with their subject
and/or grade level peers. Expanding resources for district staff to re-open lines of
communication would also be an area for growth. . .
What changes and/or new initiatives, if any, would you like to see in Tulsa Public
Schools?
I would like to see the secondary schools offer a change in the start of the school day. I would
also like to see more teachers and parents actively participating on committees that hire
administrative staff (principals and directors of programs). I would like for all of the half-day four-
year-old programs to become full day four-year-old programs. I would like to see more children
being taken on extended outdoor trips that blend lessons across the curriculum.