Personal Biography
I was born and raised in Wichita, with the exception of my military service, I have always been a resident of Wichita. I am a current teacher at Haysville High School. Previously I was a middle school teacher in USD259 for 10 years. This is my 16th year of teaching.
I am currently serving my 1st term on the USD259 School Board and look forward to serving another term.
Campaign Phone
(316) 838-7126
Education
BS in Secondary Education
Masters in C&I
Community/Public Service
volunteer for the local VFW Post 112
volunteer for Safe Streets of Wichita
My experience with USD259 began with my first teaching position at Jardin Middle School, then I taught at Charles Curtis M.S. for 10 years. During my tenure at the middle school level, I develop a good working relationship with my students, co-workers, and parents. After I left the district I saw the need for Hispanic representation on the BOE. Although this is my first term, I still feel the need to represent the Hispanic community, especially given the fact that Hispanics make up almost 40% of the students in our district.
Our schools should address the mental health needs of our students by providing the necessary care within our schools.
Our district can increase civic involvement by providing opportunities for community service in various organizations that provide relief to our citizens around our city and county.
Civic involvement is in the top 5 things on my priority list.
The most important issue facing USD259 in the next 4 years will be the funding of our schools as our district enrollment remains stagnant. Also, the need for more teachers will continue to be an issue along with the lack of minority teachers.
I do not support state funding (vouchers) for non-public schools mainly on the basis that the schools receiving this funding, do not have to accept students with special needs, behavior problems, and those with mental illness issues.
Also, I have not seen any definition of what a non-public school is.
Yes. Because of changing school demographics, this should be re-examined at least annually.
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Personal Biography
As a child, I attended USD 259 schools; I’m the mom of a current USD 259 student, a wife of nearly two decades, and a businesswoman. I oversee the contact center and interactive services teams at Meritrust Credit Union as the Director of Member Support Services. I have over 20 years of customer service and financial institution experience. I have a passion for people. I strive to advocate for others, using my voice to stand up against the injustices faced by those whose voices can't be heard.
Campaign Phone
(316) 302-4316
Education
Wichita State University, Wichita, KS - Bachelors of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Butler County Community College, El Dorado, KS
Bluestem High School, Leon, KS - High School Diploma
Community/Public Service
Volunteer and Former President of Congregation, First Unitarian Universalist Church of Wichita - https://firstuu.net/
Contributor/writer for International Customer Management Institute (ICMI), an international online contact center resource - https://www.icmi.com/
Former English as a Second Language (ESL) volunteer teacher at Pleasant Valley United Methodist Church
Former mentor to local youth, Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters - https://www.kansasbigs.org/
I grew up in and around Wichita, attended USD 259 elementary and middle schools, and I’ve had a child in the school district for the past 9 years. Addressing mental health needs, equity in educational planning along with supporting children and educators who belong to the LGBTQIA+ community, people of color, and those with learning challenges are the three driving factors of what led me to run for school board.
I think that it’s imperative that the school district addresses the mental health of students and educators. This past year and a half has taken its toll on many children and adults; we have an obligation to provide the necessary support to ensure students and educators alike can thrive.
We can help the children of USD 259 become responsible adults by ensuring they have access to opportunities that take them into the community and help them to support the community. I think it’s important that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are at the foundation of civic involvement. Some of the ways in which we can do this is by promoting healthy civil discourse, introducing students to subject matter experts in the classroom, and by offering community service opportunities. Civic involvement is one of my core values and that has led me to run for office.
Recruiting and retaining high-quality educators will continue to be a challenge facing our district. Pay structure, funding of schools, resource allocation between schools, opportunities for advancement, competitive wages with other industries, and quality of education are all factors that need to be considered in any strategy that’s intended to retain and recruit quality educators in USD 259. In addition, we need to focus on ensuring the diversity of our educators represents the diversity of our student body; this includes but is not limited to people of color, LGBTQIA+, and disabled persons.
If we allow state funding to go to non-public schools then we exacerbate the funding problems we are already experiencing in our district. I don’t support state funding for non-public schools but I believe it’s critical for us to provide all public schools with the same opportunities, regardless of what neighborhood that school is located in.
We need to continually evaluate the number of bus routes and students that need buses based on the demographics of the communities we serve to ensure that every student has the ability to get to school and learn regardless of family situation or availability of other transport.
e.thePeople
e.thePeople