My Priorities & Plan to Address Them
In addition to these priorities, I pledge to operate with and promote transparency, accountability, collaboration, and respect in all actions.
Focus on Academics
Schools help our children grow and develop in many areas. However, a core and essential mission of our public schools should be to ensure that all students are proficient in math and reading, as well as ready with the academic skills needed to succeed at the next stage of their education and careers. Our test results around academics have been slipping. The number one reason parents sited in the "Why Not Weston" survey about private schools was lack of appropriate academic programs. I believe the School Committee should keep a strong focus on core academics. Action steps I would take to address are:
Over the past 10 years, the budget has risen by 30% while enrollment has dropped 15%. In 2020 our spending per pupil was over $27,000. I care deeply about our schools, and my aim is not to chop the budget. Instead, I want to take a data driven approach and business lens to our school operations to make sure that we get the best value for the money we spend and that we are laying a foundation for continued fiscal responsibility.
Steps around fiscal responsibility I would propose include:
Our schools should always be place that is free of bullying and discrimination, safe and inclusive for every student. Each child should be supported so they can succeed. Particularly given the emotional and psychological toll that Covid has taken on our community, addressing the non-academic side of our schools is important at this moment. We have a implemented a number of initiatives around these areas in recent years, but without measurement and follow-up we do not know if they are effective. If elected I hope to:
Schools help our children grow and develop in many areas. However, a core and essential mission of our public schools should be to ensure that all students are proficient in math and reading, as well as ready with the academic skills needed to succeed at the next stage of their education and careers. Our test results around academics have been slipping. The number one reason parents sited in the "Why Not Weston" survey about private schools was lack of appropriate academic programs. I believe the School Committee should keep a strong focus on core academics. Action steps I would take to address are:
- Add measurable goals around academics to district improvement plans and superintendent goals
- Emphasize academics in district strategic plan
- Push for evidenced based programs during curriculum reviews of academic subjects
- Support small class sizes in budget plans and policy decisions
Over the past 10 years, the budget has risen by 30% while enrollment has dropped 15%. In 2020 our spending per pupil was over $27,000. I care deeply about our schools, and my aim is not to chop the budget. Instead, I want to take a data driven approach and business lens to our school operations to make sure that we get the best value for the money we spend and that we are laying a foundation for continued fiscal responsibility.
Steps around fiscal responsibility I would propose include:
- Develop a long term operational and budget strategy to balance declining enrollment with the need for outstanding education
- Professionalize union negotiations and work with the town to synchronize WEA negotiations with town employee health care/benefit negotiations so that all levers can be considered at once
- Benchmark operational, fiscal, and performance measures not just with surrounding districts, but other top-performing districts from around the country
- Conduct a zero based budget analysis to help identify areas where funds can be repurposed to higher impact uses
Our schools should always be place that is free of bullying and discrimination, safe and inclusive for every student. Each child should be supported so they can succeed. Particularly given the emotional and psychological toll that Covid has taken on our community, addressing the non-academic side of our schools is important at this moment. We have a implemented a number of initiatives around these areas in recent years, but without measurement and follow-up we do not know if they are effective. If elected I hope to:
- Address bullying and discipline with transparency in reporting, updating policies, and monitoring for bias
- Include measurable metrics around DEI programs to ensure they are working to support our desired outcomes
- Provide students with the SEL tools and mental health support they need to succeed and include metrics to measure the success of our programs
- Have open and honest conversations about what is happening in our district