I have two reasons why: 1) My children and their peers. They will always be the reason I want to serve this community and district. I’m so proud of the imprint Eanes left on my life. I moved my family here so my children could experience that, too, and I want every student to feel that. 2) When I was a student in Eanes, if there was anything the community was united on, it was us. Everyone, from the owner of the sandwich shop to the Friday night football announcer, was for us, for our long-term success. Over the last few years, it feels like our community has lost sight of that. The pandemic’s effect on our cohesiveness as a community was enormous. The “us vs. them” mentality and the vitriol have created a divide, and our students have paid the price for it. I’m eager to see us come together again to find middle ground and unite behind the one thing we all have in common: the best interest of all students.

Safety: both the physical and mental/emotional safety of our students. Physically, this looks like continuing the securing of our elementary campuses in light of Uvalde, and fighting the national fentanyl crisis at the middle school and high school levels. Mentally and emotionally, this looks like taking a closer look at what our children are accessing through school-sanctioned technology. As an anti-trafficking advocate, I’ve learned about the risks of online exploitation, and it is paramount we ensure our students are aware of the dangers—both physical and mental—online. I want to ensure our students are accessing appropriate and empowering materials through school-sanctioned technology.

As a former teacher, I’m gravely concerned about the effects of our post-pandemic culture on our educators. Nationwide, trust has been lost in so many ways, and teachers have experienced this pressure more than anyone else. They’re leaving the profession by the thousands. Over the past three years, they’ve taken the brunt of the side effects of the pandemic, and many feel that they have to walk on eggshells. Our teachers and administration here in Eanes are incredible, and, for many reasons, we aren’t able to give them what they deserve financially. However, we can provide support and encouragement in other ways. I want to bring back the trust of our teachers. I’ve never met an educator who signed up to teach with bad intentions. It’s a hard job, and the stakes are high, but they show up for our children. Our teachers go above and beyond for our students, and I’m ready to work to ensure that they feel they have an advocate at the board level.

I’m eager to find solutions to the problems the district faces surrounding the Spanish Immersion program. This program is an amazing addition to our district, and it’s important that we find solutions that allow it to continue while ensuring that we’re providing an excellent and equitable education experience for our students outside of the program.

Eanes is a national leader in K-12 education and the reason we moved here two decades ago to raise our three children. I want to build on this excellence so the next generations also benefit from an outstanding education and school district. Success isn’t guaranteed. It requires problem-solving, communication and collaboration skills. My professional and Eanes volunteer work in the classroom, campus and district have prepared me for the challenges we face.

Supporting students. As a five-year member of the Eanes Student Safety and Health Advisory Committee I know that there has been a dramatic increase in student mental health concerns both nationwide and in Eanes, especially regarding the pandemic. Creating a culture of caring and identifying needs early is imperative as part of our focus on safety, both on our campuses and in our broader community. I also believe supporting students means creating an environment where they have world-class teachers who are, in turn, supported.

Teacher recruitment and retention is our most pressing challenge. Teacher quality is widely recognized as the most important variable in a student’s education. Most people recognize that the district is constrained by the basic state allotment to adequately fund teacher salaries. Both insufficient pay for highly important work and the pandemic’s aftermath continue to make teaching more challenging. We must also continue to advocate for policies that increase teacher salaries, and positively impact teacher recruitment and retention.

I want to make communication and community input a top priority in our district. This will not only help give us the most “bang for our buck” with limited funding but will also minimize misunderstandings and distrust. I want to make sure that the best systems are in place for our classrooms and campuses to share best practices and lessons learned. Additionally, I want us to carefully consider how we can leverage technology to help busy parents stay informed about the happenings in our schools.