Child Champion

Did You Know?

• Education is not mentioned in the US Constitution; therefore, it is up to states and local school boards to establish schools to serve the families and community in which they reside.  

• Williamson County is committed to having great schools by evident of "putting your money where your mouth is" as approximately 70% of the total county budget goes to Williamson County Schools.  

• Williamson County has a wonderful statement regarding the district's educational philosophy. 

• WCS Board Policy 4.401 states, "A complaint about Board approved textbooks, instructional materials and supplementary instructional materials may only be made by a current WCS parent/guardian, employee, or student."  

• It was brought to my attention that principals are solely selected by the director of schools without even input from the PTO leadership at the school.

• Scripted curriculum has been purchased for teachers.  They must use that curriculum or risk losing their jobs.

My Stances:

• Schools across the U.S. have seen a shift in the local control of schools over the years as state and federal governments have become more and more involved in education.  This overreach has led to many school districts spending money to comply to state and federal mandates.  Why should local taxpayer dollars go to complying with these mandates, especially when they are not in the best interest of kids?  I do not think that they should.  Instead, I want to review the existing budget to see where potential wasteful spending might be occurring.  We need to leverage the fact that Williamson County has the best schools in Tennessee and only use our taxpayer dollars to fund things that directly impact our students, teachers, administrators, and staff and ensures we are honoring the district's educational philosophy to ALL students and families. 

• WCS board policy 4.401 updated in Oct 2022 takes the voice of some taxpayers away.  I do not believe in taxation without representation and will work to change this policy as every taxpayer has the right to have their voice heard.

• I will advocate for more inclusive hiring practices for all positions, especially leadership positions.  I would like to see a committee of stakeholders, including teachers, parents, and community members, to vet the hiring of educators, especially the principal and director of schools positions.  The community should be empowered to a voice in who leads their schools.

• Educators face more complex issues than ever before in history.  Collaboration with families and our community is the key to working toward finding solutions for the issues facing our schools.  I certainly want to foster collaboration and have experience doing it through my work with MNPS.  Check it out at http://www.mnpscollaboration.org/.

• Educators are professionals.  We need to treat them as such.  Instead of providing scripted curriculum, let's empower them to develop evidence-based, engaging instruction for their classroom. 

" Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future." ~John F. Kennedy

Ideological beliefs have infiltrated our classrooms of which some families do not agree.  Public schools are not the place for teaching children ideological beliefs of any kind.  Instead public schools are to provide a solid educational foundation to students. Beliefs are left up to families to instill in their children.  I want to see us return to providing evidence-based, engaging curriculum where students learn skills for being critical thinkers and problem solvers, and ultimately productive, upstanding citizens.

I read an article once that talked about if Rip Van Winkle woke up from his long nap today and walked into the classroom, he would notice that not much has changed as classrooms still resemble the ones from when I was in school 30+ years ago.  This model of education needs to change to prepare our students for their futures.  A future where many of the jobs that they will have do not even exist today.  A key to this change is by retaining and recruiting the best educators by providing them a livable wage and empowering them to do what is best for supporting student success in the classroom.