When my husband was about to retire from the United States Army, we wanted to put down roots where our three daughters would gain a great educational foundation for their future. The Park Hill School District had and continues to have great ratings, and the website promised opportunities, resources and diversity. Over the last four years, I have come to learn of aspects of PHSD that could not be discovered with an online search or by viewing the website. Though it is certainly true that many of our students are thriving, there are also many children in our community that are barely making it through, accomplishing just enough to obtain a diploma but unable to say they are truly prepared to go on to college or enter the career field. In this great district, our vision promises that we are building “successful future[s]” for “each student, every day;” and I am sure that all who believe in this vision find it as unacceptable as I do that we have yet to fulfill that promise to each student and their families
Nothing in this world is perfect, but if there are ways to improve and strive for excellence, then those pathways must be walked and the hard places softened so that as a whole, the Park Hill School District, its communities, businesses, and most importantly its students will truly be of excellence through guaranteeing equity, belonging and rigorous learning for all. Our vision is a hopeful statement about what our district can become in the future, and I am prepared to help us achieve that vision through action in the present.
So, I am running for . . .
• Every parent and guardian that yearns to make changes in the district but time, obligations and resources may not be on their side.
• Every child who has heard or been the target of slurs due to some aspect of their identity: race, socio-economic, gender identity, culture, sexual orientation or color.
• Every family working and providing diligently to help their child fit in at school.
• Every teacher who has seen learning and emotional gaps but has limited time, unavailable resources, and outdated and unengaging curriculum from which to work.
• Every students’ academic success and their various learning styles and needs, like IEPs, 504 plans and Bridges.
• Every family that doesn’t feel included within their district community yet presses forward because of the great opportunities offered by the Park Hill School District.
• Every student, teacher, parent, administrator, faculty member and guardian to be able to say in truth, “I Belong at Park Hill!”
• My daughters to know that they do not have to settle for less than what they deserve: a relevant education in a safe, caring environment that prepares them and their peers for success in life.