Madison Metropolitan School District

two 3-year terms

Questions for School Board Members

1. What professional, occupational, civic, and community experience have you had that you believe qualifies you for this office?
2. What are the major issues confronting your school district, and, if elected, how will you deal with them?
3. What is the value, if any, of including the following in the school curriculum: a) bilingual education for all children; b) music and art; c) civics; d) 4-year-old kindergarten; e) preparation for the work force?

Seat 1

1. One eleven year experience that stands out the most for me is that my wife, Jenelle and I have a fifteen year old daughter whose way of learning is different than her two older sisters.
   When your child has trouble interpreting numbers (Math) and symbols (Reading) you are taken back. As a parent one learns to seek out other people and processes which will help your child succeed. I understand the struggles which many children and parents face with their child's different learning abilities.
   All children have the capability to learn but it's been proven they learn in different ways.
2. One large looming issue facing Madison's School District is MONEY!
   Issue two: Student's ability to learn and become vibrant contributors to our community.
   Issue three: Continue to create Safe, Vibrant Learning Environments in all our Teaching/Learning Facilities.
   Issue four: MMSD, Madison Teachers Union and the School Board must start putting Madison Students First, Parents and Taxpayers Next.
   All parties involved must improve in the giving aspect rather than the taking aspect from education. Our districts Job One- Focus on student development, advancement and success measurements.
   Focus our decisions based on the good it will provide to our students.
3. How is educational value measured today?
   One size doesn't fit all. Upon completing Elementary, Middle and High School what should students be able to accomplish? Isn't it more than? What should that more be?
   Our Teaching/Learning Facilities must become open, innovative, vibrant and wide with curriculum and experiences. How many students learn from just being spoken to? Can't there be more?
   Everyone is talking about no child left behind...Why would anyone want any child to be left behind? It's at the center of our moral educational character. What's Madison's educational character?

1. I have been active in Madison public schools for 12 years, first as parent volunteer, then School Board member, serving as Board president for the past 2 years. Community involvement includes membership on United Way's Born Learning initiative and Fitchburg Library Board; working with Madison Foundation for Public Schools; participation in abcMadison, a group advocating fair funding for public education. A parent of an 11th grader, I've served as president of Leopold and Cherokee's PTO. I am Director of Marketing/Sales for Promega, with experience as a budget planner, facilitator, negotiator and project manager.
2. Equitable school funding system. Unless changed, all school districts will be forced to make devastating cuts detrimental to all students. I will initiate community-based advocacy efforts to work toward changing the funding. Enhancement of minority achievement efforts by improving efforts in schools to raise instruction quality; expanding availability of schooling opportunities and working with community to develop policies that enable all children to begin/attend school on a more even playing field. Ensure we are providing students with skills needed to compete in the 21st century, irrespective of their path. Continue efforts focused on redesign of our high schools.
3. It is our responsibility to provide students with skills needed to be successful beyond school. This includes the ability to communicate in a global economy (bi-lingual education), provision of skills and knowledge necessary to participate in democratic life (civics); development of skills beyond basic academics needed for workforce participation. Arts give students the creativity to express themselves, keep children motivated in school and are integral in development of the whole person. 4K establishes a strong foundation for success in school and life and is instrumental in addressing academic achievement for all children and in helping to close the achievement gap.

Seat 2

1. I was elected to the Board of Education in 2006. Since then, I have chaired the board's Partnership, Common Council-Board of Education Liaison, and Finance and Operations Committees. I have worked to align resources with district priorities and needs, and to develop new strategies to make the best use of our funds. I proposed the plan to use TIF money to pay off short term debt, putting hundreds of thousands of dollars into education rather than debt payments each year. I also helped to keep neighborhood schools open AND cut costs, and proposed the review of district math education.
2. We face serious challenges that will only be resolved with strong board-school-community commitment and engagement. They are: rapidly changing demographics like the sharp rise in poverty among school families; increasing standards for students who seek post-high school jobs and education; rising numbers of students who are disconnected from school and society; and, significant gaps in school readiness among our youngest students. I will continue to address these issues by: advocating for programs that target urgent areas of need; engaging with parents, staff, and families to identify problems and develop solutions; and, working to ensure that district resources address critical issues.
3. All of these elements contribute significantly to the strength and vitality of a K-12 educational system. They help to engage a broad range of students, make sure that children are ready to learn when they begin school, and that young adults have an opportunity to consider different work and educational paths as they prepare to graduate from high school. I believe that they are important skills along with literacy, numeracy, scientific literacy, life skills, and money management, and cultural competence. They are critical elements of educating students for the future.

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