Why Are You Running?
As a DPS parent, I am a regular classroom and PTA volunteer. As a professional, I serve my community daily as pastor of Highlands United Methodist Church, one of District 5’s historic and active congregations. Together we have fed the hungry, housed the homeless, marched and rallied with our teachers, and built relationships that matter. My work in the school and my community come from the same sense of call – service to others. The opportunity to serve students, teachers, and the community with even greater impact is what led me to run for school board.
We need leaders who will truly listen to the community. I am someone engaged with and serving alongside the community every day. Decisions appear to be ‘top-down’ and cloaked by financial obfuscation. The influence of outside agendas has removed the board’s oversight and accountability at the expense of our students. A ‘community-up’ board solicits, listens, and responds to needs with intention and transparency, and particularly equity. Every DPS student, and the educators that teach them, should be provided with adequate and equitable resources to meet the unique needs of every learner and classroom.
My decision to run for school board was also shaped by the encouragement of my community and my extensive network of relationships throughout the district. This election is a unique moment and opportunity for change in the way our board serves our students, teachers, and community. I am running because I can bring the change our community is longing for, the kind of change I heard in the chants of teachers and see in the achievement gap statistics. My passion for this work was kindled by my partnership with the teachers of the DCTA on the picket line, as a speaker at rallies, and caring for ECE children during the strike. It is my hope to continue to build and honor that relationship as a candidate and board member.
My Priorities
- Establish academic equity in all DPS schools and classrooms so every student can succeed
- Close the achievement gap and improve reading levels
- Invest in our schools through a transparent and value-driven budget
- Engage the community’s voice in decision making
- Recruit and retain top quality educators by creating supportive work environments and improving teacher pay