Taking the step from active parent to running for a seat on the PCSD Board of Education is a big one. People ask me when I knew I would take the leap. Truth is, I don’t think I could pinpoint one moment when I knew. It was more like puzzle pieces fitting together to see the full picture.
I knew when I became a parent in this district I wanted to be more involved. I started as a PTA mom, but I could not volunteer every week because of my commitment to my younger children at home.
While I loved pitching in when I could, I felt like it was not a big enough impact. I then started to serve on different committees and councils over the years, but I had a nagging feeling I could do more.
Finding My Way
A few years back, my husband and I made a deal: when Scarlett enters Kindergarten, I’d run for a seat on the Board of Education. At the time, we did not know that we’d add a sixth child to our brood, who is now a special needs preschooler.
Although I could have said I already had my hands full, it was still something I felt I needed to do. We had a lot of family discussions. We are a team at home —some joke we could easily have our own basketball team. I believe in transparency in all situations, so we talked it out. We all decided that it was right for our family for me to run because I could help so many other families in our district.
Taking Action
Prior to the start of the 2016-2017 school year I delivered a document to the current PCSD Board of Education about myself and why I was running. I wanted to reach out to them personally because I knew if elected, I would be serving side-by-side with some of them in the future.
After going through the school district’s budget and finding a $9 million error last fall, I felt even more strongly that it was time to get fresh faces on the board. We need people who are invested in the district, who will put students’ needs first and who will have transparency and accountability with stakeholders.
I knew after speaking with countless teachers and staff not only in our district but others in the region, we weren’t hitting the mark of excellence we could be. I knew as a whole, the district was hindering our teaching staff with constant budget cuts and reductions in force. We need to find a better financial path that didn’t cut so deep into the classrooms.
I stand firm in my decision to run for the PCSD Board of Education and continue to strive for transparency and accountability in our district.