What experience would I bring to the Committee?

• Arlington resident since 2005; Precinct 21 captain for Build Arlington Future Campaign in 2019

• Parent of two children: Audrey (grade 8 Ottoson) and Eviana (grade 5 Peirce)

• High school science teacher in nearby Needham, Massachusetts, since 2003.

• AP Biology Teacher:  Worked to support individual students' needs and increase enrollment in AP biology from a cohort of 8 to a cohort of ~60.

• Education Collaborator: Worked on a team to develop and implement an innovative program as an optional pathway for 9th graders to take their core classes through an interdisciplinary program that focuses on 21st century skills, 2019-present.

• Vice President of Needham Education Association: Supporting members of all bargaining units, continually working to address contract language, meeting regularly with district Administration to resolve conflicts for the last 15 years.

• Joint Health and Safety Advisory Committee member:  advised on district (Needham) Covid safety policies from June 2020-June 2022.

What would I work to accomplish as a Committee member?

• Listen to families across the district to understand how APS can grow and use my experiences in the classroom and as a parent to critically evaluate data and inform policy changes.  This includes:  clearly articulated special education and support programs and transparent processes that ensure equitable access to programming.  For more about special education read my position linked here.

• Work through the override process to provide the financial support necessary to attract and retain diverse, high quality educators across all bargaining units. 

• Support the new Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction to ensure that innovative AND sustainable programs can grow within the APS.

• Understand how the data tells the stories of the seven neighborhood schools and work to ensure that the unique needs of the various schools are supported.

• Support the relationship between the district and the school community, including the families who reside outside our town borders.

• Continue to work to support availability of school-based before and after school programs that are essential to the many young families who treasure Arlington’s elementary schools.

• Continue to ask the questions and look at the data to ensure our curricular and co-curricular options are accessible to all students who wish to take advantage of these offerings.   This includes: looking at the hidden costs associated with athletics and performing arts and ensuring that a tiered intervention system is identified, utilized and accessible to all students in the classroom.

• Understand the data collected on recent social emotional inventories and work to provide the support systems needed as we work to support children in a post-pandemic educational setting.