Personal Biography
I am a lifetime educator. I have served as an elementary teacher, an elementary principal, an instructional coach, a district level coordinator, and a college instructor. I have a passion for education.
Campaign Phone
(316) 305-3457
Education
B.S.E. Emporia State University
M.A. Fort Hays State University
Community/Public Service
Board of Education, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, Band Booster, VBS teacher, SS teacher, LOGOS teacher,
My husband, Byron, and I moved our family to Derby in 1998. My children attended Derby schools and graduated from Derby High School. I now have grandchildren who are attending Derby schools. I want them to receive the highest quality education possible.
In addition to that, I am an experienced educator. Throughout my career, I have served in three Kansas school districts as a teacher, instructional coach, principal, and district coordinator. I am a lifelong learner, and my heart is in public education.
Shortly after retiring from public education in July 2020, I was appointed to serve in a vacant board position. I am currently serving as vice-president of the Derby Board of Education. It has been an honor to use my educational expertise to serve my community during this challenging time.
Mental health awareness is vital, and COVID-19 has increased the need. The pandemic has had a profound impact on the mental health of people of all ages. Now, more than ever, it is critical to reduce the stigma around mental health struggles which may prevent individuals from seeking help.
We have students who struggle with mental health issues. Some students have not been in school for 18 months. Our social workers will play a critical role in helping our troubled students. The district also has a curriculum (Second Step) from which teachers present lessons on social emotional issues. There will be a greater emphasis on those lessons this year.
Derby Schools provides an employee assistance program (New Directions) which allows teachers and staff members to call to get support immediately and anonymously. I think this service has been helpful and necessary. Mental health is vital to the well-being of our students and staff, and it must be addressed.
Civic involvement is extremely important in the health of a community. It helps students to see a bigger picture and contribute to the greater good. Part of our USD260 Strategic Plan is Community Engagement. Within that plan, schools have identified community partners, and each grade level has developed community engagement activities with which to participate. Several of our schools have won the prestigious state award for Civic Engagement.
Unfortunately, the pandemic caused some of the community involvement efforts to wane over the past year. I believe that this has been a high priority for the district in the past, and I would like to see that continue. As we prepare for the next Strategic Plan, Community and Civic Engagement will surely have an important place.
I believe that the most important issue will be the recovery of the Covid-19 pandemic. We will be facing learning gaps from students who were working remotely for part or all of last year, and our teachers will be working hard to close those gaps. We will be facing a growing number of mental health and social emotional issues that will need to be addressed. In addition, we will need to be sure that our teachers’ mental health needs are met.
Everyone has been hoping that this COVID pandemic will come to an end quickly, and we can get back to normal. However, it will take time, effort, patience, and persistence to get back to “normal”. We must stay student centered as we make decisions and continue to strive for excellence.
I believe that state dollars need to stay with public schools. Education is often seen as the great equalizer for society. Public schools provide access to an education for EVERY child in a community. They do not turn any student away based on academic performance, disability, or income level. This ensures that every student has the same educational opportunities as their neighbors, regardless of their personal or financial situation. Education for ALL is the key benefit that public schools offer.
That said, I have no problem with school choice within the public school setting such as magnet schools or public charter schools.
At this time, Derby Public Schools provides transportation to all students who live 2.5 miles from their school. The district uses an address locator software system called VersaTrans to determine the distance from the student’s address to the school. All patrons use that guideline to obtain the busing service. In addition, Derby also provides transportation to 18 special education routes to provide door to door service. In total, there are about 70 buses to provide transportation for approximately 1700 students. Some of the routes are full, some are less than capacity.
Some families need transportation, but fall short of the 2.5 mile distance requirement. I am supportive of Derby Public Schools exploring a “Pay to Ride” option for students who live less than 2.5 miles if such an option would be financially self-sustaining. I particularly like this idea for routes that are difficult for students to walk, (i.e. no sidewalks, busy intersections, etc.)
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