UNITED AT THE TABLE

    In the wake of COVID-19, families began to realize that their children were struggling to learn when virtual education was the only option.  For many families, virtual learning offered a unique opportunity to glimpse at how their children learn, and the content they are being taught. This has generated increased interest amongst families to be more involved with their children's education, in contrast to educators previously experiencing years of the opposite-uninvolved parents. 

   Families in our community have been gathering together to express concerns for their children's physical, mental, academic, and emotional wellbeing. It has truly been a blessing and honor to connect with people of all walks of life and situations, to hear their stories, and to have them share their families with me. In working alongside these families, I began to sense and experience firsthand a need for stronger communication from district board of education and administration members. 

 

Families have experienced: 

• Lack of response to their emails & phone calls.

• Being denied access to physically attend board meetings based on belief systems. 

• Name-calling by sitting board members simply for asking direct questions and expecting direct answers. 

• Pre-determined outcomes when entering a board meeting, where a debate and vote is to take place. 

• Restrictive and difficult-to-access board meetings. 

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My goal for the Appleton Area School District is to bring families back into our schools. You are your child's best advocate, and my primary job is to LISTEN to you. This means that as your elected representative, I will:
 

• Work to establish fully open and accessible meetings immediately and encourage community attendance.

• Respond to every single email and call.  

• Seek opportunities for parents to spend time in our classrooms and schools. Help facilitate parent- involved learning and building parent-teacher relationships. 

• Consistently seek parent & teacher feedback for major decisions that affect our children.  

• Work to provide a safe, welcoming platform for educators, as well. I have conversed with educators on both sides of important issues, and one commonality resonates with me- they don't feel that they can approach the board and administration with concerns or challenges in their classroom, for fear of retaliation. No educator should ever feel this way, and I vow to protect everyone's voice.

• Do real community outreach. We cannot keep utilizing surveys upon surveys, that have proven low participation and engagement. We need to step out into the community to talk to families and taxpayers, and into classrooms to work alongside teachers.  
   

Why is this so important to me?

Because we're better together. We can problem solve together; fully equipped with a variety of perspectives. Teachers offer a perspective that can only come from their experiences as educators. Parents have understanding of their whole child, and community members share a wealth of knowledge from daily and historical lived experiences in the community. 

 

I want to promote an "open door" policy in our district, meaning that no matter who you are, what you believe, or where you come from, you're welcomed with open arms. I believe in honoring everyone's right to choose what is best for their families, and I believe that together we can work towards solutions we can all get behind, to embrace every child as a unique individual, meet them where they're at, and serve their needs.  Together, parents and teachers can build a solid foundation to meet all needs of a child, every day and every step of the way, through strong partnerships. 

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