Why are you running for CCSD Trustee? What is your vision of success for this role? 

I am running because as a mother of children in CCSD, I am witness to many challenges that have left me and so many other families frustrated. In speaking to other families, teachers, and even teenagers, I am consistently finding that teacher shortages, school safety, and low expectations for students create an environment that is not conducive to a positive learning experience. I am running because these serious issues that plague our massive school district remain year-after-year with no real solution. I am running because our community has lost faith in the school district and without the two working together, the school district will continue to struggle. I am running because as a businesswoman in this community, I grow concerned with a lack of economic diversity within Southern Nevada. We have tax benefits for businesses to come here and yet when many of them get close to moving their organizations here (organizations that would bring in new industries and new jobs), they back out when they learn about our school district. The Southern Nevada community is one that I am incredibly proud to be part of. As a native to Las Vegas, I have seen a lot of change and growth over the years. This community does so many things well, but we are missing the mark on education. I am running, because I want to help change that.

My vision for success is simple: I’d like to see our school district thriving. Our school district should be one where students, teachers and staff feel safe when they go to school. One where we have an abundance of teachers who can give the time and dedication to their students (right now, many of them are running all over their campuses to fill different positions because of the vacancies. Many are exhausted, but many stick with it because they are committed to our kids. Imagine if they could just focus on their classroom. What a big change that would make for them, for our kids, and for education in SNV). Finally, our school district should be one where the expectation is set higher than what it is. Our kids are capable, and we should expect more from them. We hear about math and reading proficiencies and how Nevada’s numbers are so much lower than the national average. This can be changed when basic needs are met: They feel safe, they have teachers to teach them, and they are given the work, the tools, and the expectation to be at their full potential.

How do you define student success? What experience do you have and what role do you intend to play in advocating for student success?

Student success is different for every student. We have students that have different needs, different learning styles and abilities, and we have students and families who view success differently. I don’t believe it’s our role as a school district to determine one major outcome that we want to see and mark that as “success”. I rather think that the school district’s role should be to provide the resources our kids need to reach their full potential and find the success that they desire. For example, my oldest son has never desired to go to college. Success to him is serving his country and enjoying a career in the United States Army. I am grateful that his high school offered an amazing JROTC program that has been helping him prepare for that.

My experience lends to a big focus on education. I currently chair the board for the Academy of Finance at Clark High School. I currently sit on the advisory committee for Communities in Schools (SNV), I currently sit on a financial literacy committee at UNLV, and I have sat on the advisory committee for Mission High School (local high school that helps youth in recovery receive the resources they need to stay sober while still receiving an education – this is a free high school program offered by CCSD). The young people and programs represented on these boards/committees are very different. That being said, my experience has proven that while the needs focused on by each of these groups is different, the path to success is always very consistent: the bigger the “tribe” and the more time and energy that is put into a student, the better the rate of success for that student. This brings me back to a point I made in the first question: the school district cannot succeed without its community’s involvement. We need families, coaches, teachers, and community members to work together for the success of our children – our next generation – our future employees – our future leaders. I’ve seen this happen with the organizations I work with, but I have also seen it in my own children’s lives. I am single mother. My oldest son is leaving for the army this year. He is excited and he is prepared. I could not have gotten him to this point on my own. He has had wrestling coaches, friends and family members that have given him their time and support, and it has led him to where he is now. We need more of this, and I will always advocate for community involvement/support for our children.

On the 2022 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), fourth-grade students, in Nevada, scored 6 points lower in math and 7 points lower in reading when compared to 2019. If elected, how can you use your position to ensure Nevada stops following this national trend and starts leading the way for student outcomes?

I have seen the report on this and there are 2 major factors that have contributed to this result. The data shows that in 2019, we did not have the teacher shortage that we are currently experiencing. The data also shows significant drops in performance and attendance when our kids came back to school after the COVID shutdown. If elected, I would work with the board and the superintendent to re-evaluate policies on attendance and determine best practices for getting our students back in the classroom consistently. The other thing I would do is reach out to community partners whose expertise is in quality recruiting. With their assistance/counsel, we would work with the board and the superintendent to implement a strategic plan to recruit quality teachers and staff. We would have clear expectations laid out for how many we want hired and within what time frame.

What, if any, barriers currently exist to educational excellence and equity for every student? If elected to the Board of Trustees, how will you help eliminate these barriers?

I think there are 3 major barriers to education excellence and equity right now. One is the shortage in teachers. Having a ratio of over 40 students per 1 teacher/substitute teacher creates a challenging environment for learning. Our teachers are outnumbered and that makes it difficult to control a classroom – let alone provide quality education. Two is that our school district typically “sets the bar low”. I have seen this in my sons’ classrooms for years. Some teachers do an amazing job of challenging their students to reach their full potential. They expect more from their students and hold their academic progress accountable. But if policies keep expectations and accountability low, we can’t expect that academic progress will reach new heights. We need to expect more from our kids – they’re capable. Three is funding. In the past, Nevada was ranked one of the most poorly funded school districts in the nation. However, in 2019, the legislature changed that, and CCSD has access to much more funding than they’ve had in the past. We haven’t seen all of the data to represent this information yet, but the question of many in the community is, “how much of these funds are going directly to the classroom?” We need to ensure that our children are the main beneficiaries to the public funding the school district receives.

What do you believe are the top three most persistent challenges facing the CCSD Board of Trustees? What is an example of a bold approach you would propose to address one of those challenges?

The first and probably biggest challenge that the CCSD Board of Trustees faces is that they’ve lost the trust of the community. The school district cannot thrive without the support of its community. Another challenge the board of trustees faces is having the time to get things done. The role requires 3-4 meetings per month, but those meetings can go on for hours. Most trustees have full-time jobs outside of serving on the board so it’s not always easy to manage all the duties that one would expect from their representing trustee. A third persistent challenge a CCSD Trustee has is the ability to work closely with their constituents. Southern Nevada has grown exponentially, but the board still only has 7 voting members making up 7 districts – each one representing hundreds of thousands of people. The first challenge I would address is the trust factor. The community desires a board of trustees that can prove that their number 1 priority is the children/families they serve. The community wants to feel heard. They want to know that their trustee is going to represent them well at meetings – that their stories matter and that the school district cares enough to listen and take action. I plan to host virtual townhall meetings for anyone in my district to attend. I want to listen. My expectation for each meeting is that with every complaint, there’s a proposed solution attached to it. Again, the board of trustees cannot make positive and effective change without its community. I want to bring us together and have real conversation that produces action and change!

In January four appointed members were added to the Board of Trustees. How will you leverage the expertise of these appointed members to best serve students? Do you think the appointed members should be voting members? 

The appointed members should absolutely be voting members. As stated earlier, Southern Nevada has grown so much and so fast and yet we still have one trustee representing a district that holds over 300,000 residents. Bringing other voices to the table with different expertise that can help represent our local community more broadly and effectively is something I’m excited about.

Research suggests that more than 50% of a board meeting should be focused on student outcomes. How would you ensure the board allocates this amount of time to student outcomes?

This is a purposeful initiative that requires “buy in” from the whole board. I would want to set a precedent that when we plan the agenda, we dedicate more than 50% of agenda items to student outcomes. The only way this works is if: 1.) The board can effectively define what items fall under “student outcomes”. 2.) Everyone can agree that this must be the focus and that the board will stay on task. 3.) Accountability matters. If during a meeting, board members start to get off track, any board member can jump in and bring and the group back on track. This may sound simple, but I’ve sat in many board meetings where I’ve seen how effective a purposeful agenda and a unified board can be.

If elected to the Board, how would you approach challenging conversations and/or criticisms that might arise from fellow Board members, stakeholders, and the broader community?

Effective communication, professionalism, and “thick skin” are major qualifications for a position like this. A trustee must go into this role with the understanding that they won’t be able to please everyone. That being said, the best way to work through these kinds of conversations and/or criticisms is to listen. There are always a lot of voices in the room. Everyone wants to be heard. I would listen. But at the end of the day, if I’ve done my job as a trustee – I’ve been in the community, I’ve listened to my constituents, and I’m keeping my focus on representing them and their children’s best interests – I will vote accordingly. I will propose policy accordingly. And for those that would disagree, again, I will listen. But if it goes against what the people want and need – then we’ll just have to disagree. A trustee is not an employee of the school district nor are they there to represent the school district. A trustee is there to represent the people in their district and that is what I intend to do. When challenging conversations arise, I will handle it with professionalism. Letting one’s emotions take over in a conversation (just because they’re hearing something they don’t like), doesn’t usually end in anything productive. My desire is to represent my district well, communicate effectively and professionally, and as a result, produce positive and effective change.

What key indicators would you use to assess the performance of CCSD’s Superintendent? How would you hold the Superintendent accountable?

When holding anyone accountable, there must be some level of measurable standards that they are expected to meet and/or excel in. For the superintendent, there are 2 major documents that express these standards, and the board should be reviewing them regularly to ensure that the superintendent is staying on track and moving forward. The first is their contract. The contract expresses what they are to expect from the board just as it expresses what the board expects of them. The second is the strategy of the school district (the board and the superintendent work on this together). In order for the superintendent to be held accountable on expectations or “key indicators” within these documents, the board should have measurable desired outcomes and time frames identified. For example, if one of the strategies is for the school district to be fully staffed and to fill all teacher vacancies, the board would want to ensure that there are time frames, check-ins, and numbers added to this. An example of that might look like this: “1,000 teacher vacancies to be filled by 2028.” If by 2026, we still had 800 vacancies, that would be a key indicator that something is wrong and accountability conversations would begin (if they hadn’t already). This is just a random example, but it exemplifies the idea of expectations being measurable.

In a recent survey, 77% of Nevada residents agreed that parents should be able to send their children to the public school they feel is best for their child, even if it is outside of their neighborhood. Do you agree? Please explain your reasoning.

Yes… yes… and yes! School choice is important. Families should have that ability to put their kids where they believe would be the best fit for their student. So many families are exercising this right by sending their children to charter schools, but it would be great if the school district allowed it as well. Recently, my oldest son was awarded a zone variance to attend a different high school than his zoned school, because it had a JROTC program, and his zoned school did not. The next year, I needed my youngest to attend the same school because I am a single mother, and it was too much trying to manage all of their sports and extracurricular activities between 2 different schools. I asked for a zone variance and was denied. The school district had done away with zone variances and had implemented a version of school choice. Unfortunately, this “version” of school choice had a lot of limitations with little to no exceptions. When the school district puts restrictions on this, they unknowingly create barriers for non-traditional families, and I experienced this first-hand.

The following question was submitted by a current public high school student: How will you ensure students are put at the forefront of the decision making process as a member of the Board of Trustees, and what accountability measures would you put in place to make sure this happens? 

Often times, when people ask me why I’m running, a quick response (without going too much in depth like I have with these answers), is telling people that I want to put our kids first. I love this question and knowing that a young person asked it goes to show how out of touch they feel the board is with their needs. When I sit on the board, I plan to represent my constituents. What I can tell from being out in the community and talking to people is that they want to know that their children are a priority: in their safety, in their academics, and in their preparation for adulthood. I want to work together with the board (because the entire board has to be committed to this) to ensure that agenda items are dedicated to student outcomes and needs (by more than 50%). We would be dedicated to staying on task with these items and provide measurable positive growth in the outcomes that we are focused on.