Platform: Needs, Goals and Enthusiasm

As a candidate for the DeKalb County School Board, I see the following "needs improvement" areas:

• Put student education above all personal, political or financial gain
• Focus all effort towards supporting the teacher in the classroom
• Use financial resources wisely and prudently
• Evaluate existing programs for educational effectiveness and potential system-wide adoption of methods
• Professional excellence in all areas of leadership and administration
• Positive role models in all areas of adult/student interaction

As a member of the DeKalb County School Board, I want to achieve the following goals:

1. Inspire all administration to always ask "How will this improve education?" before every new task
2. Rebuild public trust by both expecting and providing total transparency and professionalism
3. Enhance our excellent teachers by having lead teachers chosen by peers
4. Build a peer review process so teachers can evaluate other teachers and learn from or guide them
5. Improve new teacher retainment to 90% through excellent communication and mentoring
6. Improve grade level performance to 100% by requiring enhanced student effort to accompany excellent instruction
7. Drive the DeKalb School System average performance to meet or exceed national performance averages in all subject areas
8. See DeKalb County Schools nationally recognized and emulated for outstanding educational improvement and continued student achievement

As an education enthusiast, I want to see:

• Discipline issues decrease because students are too busy learning in all schools
• Small and large scale student group projects that incorporate many aspects of learning in all schools
• Music and art programs that are valued as much as athletics in all schools
• Science Olympiad and Science Fair participation from all schools
• A student written, directed, produced and performed annual Shakespeare competition across all high schools
• Effective daily use of modern technology to enhance education in all schools
• Programming languages taught beginning in middle school and available in all schools
• Student written and published newsletters or newspapers from all schools