1.  What has been your involvement with the community and school district? Describe your leadership and volunteerism in the community. Did you or your children attend school in the district? Have you volunteered in or been employed by the school district?
This is my sixth year as a teacher in the school district and as such, I have worked tirelessly on the issues that my students and children face daily. I have been on the Teacher Advisory Committee for MDE for the past four years. I have also been in communication with local authority as well as lawmakers, trying to make the changes that I see are necessary for the success of our schools and community. I have volunteered and offered free afterschool tutoring, and I have been instrumental in improving my school’s scores from an “F” to an “A”. I was awarded last year’s Teacher of the Year award from Benndale Elementary and I am a National Board Certified teacher with a Master’s degree in education.

2.  Why do you want to serve on your school board?  
I have taught high school, middle school, as well as elementary school students and I have a unique perspective on how policies affect each level of education. I am also a parent to children in the school district and I am wishing to make policy changes for my children as well as my students for the betterment of our community.

3.  Students from low-income households often need additional resources to achieve academic success. What should your school district do to ensure that all students are successful?
Most of my students are from a low income household. Often times, proper nutrition is of the upmost importance and our school district has offered free breakfast and for several years in the past, lunch. We also provide Chromebooks for students to use on a 1:1 ratio. For years, I have found area resources to support families in need, no matter the need. Most importantly, the school district needs to offer support, and make sure that attendance laws are upheld. Our school district needs to provide academic rigor and support as well as the social and emotional support our students often need. Career discussions should start in elementary school and financial literacy education is a must.

4.  What strategies would you support to create a safer school environment?  What can your school district do to address cyberbullying, mental health, and physical safety?
Our school should have a no tolerance policy on bullying of any form. Mental health coaches and counselors should be available free of charge. More support is necessary. Cyber citizenship should be discussed and taught early, upon issue of a Chromebook. Physical resource officers have been excellent at maintaining physical security but vigilance and training are crucial for all teachers, staff, and even students.

5.  What do you see as the most pressing infrastructure needs facing your district?
Adequate space in classrooms is necessary. Bathroom facilities also need to be updated and secured with vape detection. The INTERNET issues need to be ADDRESSED! Some teachers have a very difficult time with any kind of online assignments. This has been an ongoing issue and has yet to come to a solution that is adequate. Help in this area is first and foremost as students in those classrooms fall behind in preparation for tests.

6.  Mississippi school districts are funded by a mix of federal, state, and local funds. The state contributes to local school districts through the new Mississippi Student Funding Formula (MSFF). The MSFF is intended to fund teacher salaries, retirement and benefits, transportation costs, facility maintenance, utilities, special education, and other programs. What role will you play in advocating for full funding of MSFF for your district?
First and foremost, our district needs to be fiscally conservative so that all funding benefits the students the most. We will need to trim the fat so to speak and reduce the teacher/student ratio by hiring more classroom teachers, or TAs. Grants should be applied for in any and all circumstances where grants are available. I personally have raised over $10,000 in the past three years for my classroom and school. Utilities can be reduced as we have no conservation policies at this time and those need to be created. We are losing money by wasting electricity. Special education needs to hire more TAs to assist with the workload. Tier assistance needs to become active earlier and needs to be addressed vigorously from Kindergarten to second grade. Early detection and early intervention leads to students who perform on grade level… period….

7.  Vouchers for private school tuition divert public funds away from public schools and toward unaccountable private schools. Do you agree that tax dollars should be used for only public schools and not for non-public schools? Why or why not?
I believe that parents are the ultimate decision makers for their children and some funding in the form of vouchers may be okay. It’s their money. More funding for schools needs to be taken from the lottery fund to combat this loss. Private schools should have accountability in order to be accredited. If the school is not accredited, only a GED should be obtained. I am much more concerned about the lack of homeschool minimum standards that are being met by some parents. Homeschooling can be done correctly, but often times, I see students who enter my classroom several years behind after being homeschooled. This should be considered educational neglect, and parents should be held accountable for not educating their children. The child has no choice and it is up to our community to step in if they are being held back early on, and their futures are being affected.

8. In Mississippi, academic standards are set by the Mississippi Department of Education and local districts choose curricula from an MDE-approved list. Do you trust educators in your district to teach using their professional judgment and training or should teaching be further regulated by school board policy or law? If you believe teaching should be further regulated, how so?
Most teachers know exactly how to get their students to succeed. But, the district may or may not listen to them. Getting a team of teachers together to decide the curriculum and get approval from the board is the best way to address the issue. Teachers are professionals and for the most part, want to be successful for their students. We need to STOP changing curriculum as often as we do, and STOP changing the testing software that we use. If it isn’t broke, why are we constantly trying to fix it? Gather data without being lazy. Too many people are making decisions that go against what the teacher wants and/or needs.

9. Mississippi is experiencing a severe teacher shortage. What strategies will you support to recruit and retain high-quality educators?  
STOP lowering the standards. STOP lowering the accountability of parents and students and piling everything on the teachers. STOP allowing the students to have all of the power and limiting the teachers’ authority. Teachers are constantly having to jump through hoops and be treated with blatant disrespect. Some administrators in the state treat teachers as if THEY are the students, and not the highly qualified and educated adults that they are. You cannot lower the behavior expectations while increasing the academic expectations and keep good teachers in the process. Support your teachers! These professionals love students but are NOT therapists, psychologists, nurses, nor are they executive assistants. They are EDUCATORS who want to educate! The money is something that we have all gotten used to, and rarely is the issue when someone is talking about quitting. It’s only when they have had to deal with the other issues that they feel like they need to make more money. There is very little respect left in the community for teachers. Transparency between the board and the community may bring back trust between the citizens and the school system and respect for our teachers.