My Bio
I am passionate about making Tooele County the best place it can be for everyone who lives here. As a longtime resident, parent, and educator, I bring both experience and perspective to strengthening and supporting public schools. I know our kids need a great education for our community to be strong, and I also know how difficult it is to get by financially in these economic times.
As a parent of 6 children, I have experienced both the joys and frustrations of the education system, which has given me an understanding of the needs of students and families. I know there are problems. I have been working hard to find solutions and would love to share with you what is being done and what I see still needs to be done in many areas.
I have been teaching in some formal capacity for 26 years. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and have taught in a variety of settings—in person, online, locally, and internationally. I was a teacher and math coach in Provo School District, and still hold a current teaching license. My ongoing training interests include education finance and education law.
I am currently in my first term on the Tooele County School District Board of Education, where I am known for thoughtful research, collaboration, and advocacy for students and families. I face problems with the attitude that we will grow and improve as we work together to understand situations in depth and find creative solutions.
I work closely with board members across the state to develop innovative solutions to challenges in education, and have been invited to present to the Deseret News Editorial Board. I currently work as a substitute teacher and am always eager to listen, connect, and work with community members. If you have questions or concerns, don't hesitate to reach out!
My Key Issues
Fiscal Responsibility
I am raising a family and paying taxes in Tooele County, and I know how tight finances are. I know that in order to educate our children in a way that prepares them to contribute to society we need to invest in education, but we need to maximize every dollar. There have been changes that resulted in savings in the last few years, but we need to do more. We have recently hired a new business administrator who has been tasked to provide budget options, and I want to get public feedback on the options that are presented. Additionally, I will continue to research and advocate throughout the state for a better education funding structure. The current structure puts districts like Tooele County at a disadvantage because we have a high number of residences compared to business and industry. I will work with others to bring to the forefront policies that will ease this burden while funding our schools. Two things of note - when I was elected, the board had already voted to end the contract with My Tech High, and Deseret Peak High School was already under construction. While I wasn't there for these decisions, I have researched both issues in depth and am happy to share what I have learned.
Student Achievement
Tooele County has historically lagged behind other districts in the state academically, but recently there have begun to be big advances in many areas. This is being achieved by focusing on the classroom practices that are shown by research to be the most essential to student learning, and by developing grade level plans for teaching specific skills. These plans are in the early stages, but are already making a difference. Even though these gains are encouraging, there is still much work to be done. These new initiatives are hard work for teachers, and I want to make sure they receive the support they need to accomplish what they've been asked to do. Teachers are saying student behavior and attendance are highest on the list of things that need to be addressed, so those are my priorities. I serve on the Teaching and Learning Committee. There I work with district leaders to develop plans using what research shows about what is best in education along with the feedback I get from teachers and parents.
Communication on Issues
I have done my best to ensure that everyone that comes to me with an issue is given my full time and attention. Sometimes I help people to know who the best person is to contact. Sometimes I research an issue so that I can advocate a good solution. Oftentimes, I spend time listening to issues and explaining complicated issues to people. I have spent hundreds of hours on the phone and answering email and I have met people at parks and classrooms to discuss their concerns. Every person that has reached out has received my attention. As board members we know that we need to be careful to make sure that we don't present our individual opinions as facts about Tooele County School District, because each of us only represents one opinion out of seven on the board. For this reason, I try to advocate for our district communications team to put out informative press statements and information for the community, and try to point people towards this. We know more needs to happen in this area. Recently, we have hired an outside consulting firm to look at how communication in the district works with all stakeholders (teachers, parents, community members, etc.). We will use the results to inform our next steps. If you have a way you would like me to communicate with you, please reach out!
Send Me a Message
Have questions or suggestions? I would love to hear from you!
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916 Silver Spur Rd, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274