I would continue to work within the local schools to serve as a parent volunteer with various organizations such as Student Improvement Council, and I will continue to work with the civic organizations I am a member of to serve the Rock Hill community.

I will continue to be involved by volunteering at our schools and coaching. I also volunteer for the York County High School Anglers and Rocky Creek Clay duster teams which serve many in our community. I will remain active in my church and working with various philanthropies around Rock Hill. 

I will continue to be involved in the community organization that I serve. I would also join the booster clubs at the High Schools, in order to further engage. As a business, I currently partner with Indepence elementary school and participate in various programs at Sunset Park Elementary School. 

I originally ran for school board because I was active in the community and in our schools, not the other way around. Serving children and being part of Rock Hill is who I am and what I do. Regardless of if I win reelection or not, I will continue to do the same thing I have always done which is work diligently for organizations such as the Boy Scouts, BSA, and school booster clubs, and serve on the CERRA board among other things. Being active in the community is not a function of my role as a board member, but who I am as a person.

I will prioritize visiting schools, talking to teachers and students, attending school events and being accessible to the district’s students, parents, and teachers. I will continue to be in our community and willing to engage teachers and staff to find out what is needed to improve school culture.

I currently serve as the Vice-Chair and Seat 4 Representative to Rock Hill Schools Board of Trustees.  As a board member, I attend many community events, meet with various groups, visit schools, and attend school activities like athletic events, plays, and awards ceremonies.  I also spend time reading and responding to emails from parents and community members, returning their calls, and meeting parents and community members one-on-one.

I work full-time as the Chief of Operations at Morton & Gettys.  I am on the Board of Directors of the South Carolina School Boards Association and on the Scholarship Committee of the Catawba Indian Nation.  I am a member of Oakland Avenue Presbyterian Church and participate in volunteer opportunities like the Hunger Outreach Program through my church. 

If elected, I look forward to continue to serve the community through the various boards that I currently sit on. In addition to continuing annual multi-cultural events that bring together our entire county. Such as, the iDream Week for kids and teens & The York County Culture Fest. 

I look forward to exploring new was to get involved in our schools and hope that they bring back exposing young listeners to opera through the early learning partnership.  

I would make myself available to hear their concerns and to support school and community events to show my support for all the key stakeholders in our community.

I feel like how you treat individuals tells them more about how much you value them than words will express. We need to be treating all families, students and teacher/staff with the respect they deserve. Having a positive culture is critical to ensuring that every person feels valued and respected. That is driven from the top down. We have taken that first step of hiring a superintendent who truly values all of these groups. As a board, we need to be evaluating/updating our policies to ensure that we enable the positive culture we desire. Incentives are always a potential option to help someone see how much you value them, but they pale in comparison to creating the positive work environment. 

I would hold quarterly or semi annual Town Hall meetings acknowledging or highlighting particular students and/or teachers.

Everything starts with relationships and in my opinion, the most important part is to listen to everyone’s needs and thoughts. Transparency and communication serve as the ground pillars, and as a board member, I pride myself in always being available to my constituents. Policies should be inclusive of all students and staff, and we should continue to have an open-door policy in the district.

Recognition at school board meetings, incentives for achievement, emails, phone calls, and increased communication with families are all examples of valuing these individuals.

My vision is that all our school communities are safe spaces that celebrate and accept each student, teacher, staff person and administrator as a unique individual with special gifts.  The hope of realizing that vision starts with me and the way I treat people.  I believe I should “be the change I wish to see in the world.”

In order to promote this vision, when I participated in interviews for a new district superintendent last year, I sought a candidate whose leadership would promote a positive change in our district culture.  The person we hired to become our district superintendent, Dr. Tommy Schmolze, leads by building relationships, and he has demonstrated his commitment to promoting a culture within our district of trust and accountability.  These values are filtering through our school district and are changing the way we approach our work and improving the way we relate to each other.  Changing a culture doesn’t happen overnight, and we all must commit to “be the change.”

I value our community in many ways, but the people in our city are the most beautifully diverse and multi-talented individuals. I look forward to helping young kids and families explore ways to stay connected to educational resources that broaden their horizon and challenge them to think big. I love the African proverb “I am, because we are”. And, with this as an adopted phrase I hope to lead by example by embracing equity, inclusion and diversity within our schools.

I would participate with school forums and provide my contact information for students who need to share any concerns. I believe having a visible presence on the schools will give them direct access to me when they need to share their concerns.

I strongly believe in an open-door policy. I’m always available for students, parents, teachers or community members that have concerns or need assurance. My cell number is posted on the district website along with my email address. I also maintain a website and utilize social media to enable better, quicker access. I’m open to participating in community meetings or lunch and learns to better open up dialog with groups of people across all of Rock Hill. 

Establish regular office hours as a means for students to reach out to me for one on one discussions online or in person meetings.

I am always out and active in our schools and interact with kids, and encourage them to advocate for their needs and what they want to see in their classrooms. I love coaching kids on how to participate in board meetings and community events. My cell number and email are readily available and I always respond quickly!

My contact information (email and phone) will be available on the district website, and I will make time to sit down with families who have concerns. I will be honest about what policies are in place and about what changes are trying to be implemented.

Over the last four years as a board member, I have learned that the work of school board is so much more than two board meetings each month.

I love to hear from students.  My contact information is available on the school district website, and I spend time every week responding to emails and talking on the phone to various people who reach out to me as a school board member.  I love when students come to board meetings to speak about issues that concern them.  I welcome the opportunity to meet with student groups at any school to hear concerns or answer questions.

I thrive in media spaces and love connecting to families near and far. I do hope that we continue to utilize social media to connect with the community. This will allow the students to connect with us through a school social media landing page and engage with us in a modern way. Sometimes, this anonymous approach, yet personal touch can be the best channel to support students with concerns and also reassure them that we are present. 

Programs such as the Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) recently presented by the district’s Instructional Department is aimed at continuous improvement within the regular classroom setting that focuses on the positive educational experiences and outcomes of all students. This approach to improving instructional practices in the district shows the efforts already in place to identify and address performance gaps.

Student engagement is critical to growing and improvement in the district. We need students that are focused and engaged to maximize the classroom experience. I’ve always supported district initiatives in the area. As someone who works in the HR arena, I readily recognize how critical professional development is for our staff to maximize their impact on our students. 

Some specific initiatives could be: 

• encouraging thought provoking conversations 
• utilizing automation for progress monitoring and/or communication 
• validate learning 
• celebrate accomplishments (even small victories) 
• having clear classroom expectations and consistency in routine 
• frequent discussions with all participant responses 
• hands-on activities 
• small group instruction 
• games 
• student choices 
• movement about the class/school 

I would to designate funds in the budge to encourage non-traditional professional development or find other ways to acknowledge and reward teachers who have found new and innovative ways to engage students.

Professional development should be driven by teachers and supported by the board, not the other way around. Teachers need professional development in a format and on topics that they feel best serve them.

I will encourage smaller class sizes (if needed) so teachers can have more opportunity to develop relationships with their students.

I want proven successful teachers to lead workshops for newer teachers on student engagement.

There needs to be a support system for teachers who need assistance/training in classroom management.

True student engagement requires a positive relationship between a teacher and a student.  While I think our primary focus should be on training which promotes best practices in instruction, I am also in support of training in relationship building.  Building a relationship with someone from a different background is often difficult.  For this reason, I support of training which helps us understand different cultures, customs, and perspectives. 

I would continue to support continued education credits given to teachers and staff who are interested in supplementing their education and broadening their horizons. Additionally, I would love to see community-led initiatives where teachers are encouraged to attend and have the option of being compensated for their involvement. This will help to meet the students where they are. Allowing the teachers to step into their realities yet not having to make a financial sacrifice to do so. 

Engage the teachers in providing direct feedback regarding what challenges and barriers they may have in performing in their roles as educators, and work with the district administrators to develop a plan to address those challenges. I know the district has begun exploring ways to increase teach pay and provide additional instructional support needed to enhance the learning environment.

This is already a priority in our district and part of the superintendent's focus. I think our entire team always needs to be working on recruitment. When everyone is telling the great story of RHSD it reaches a much bigger audience than HR alone. We need to look at recruiting in new and innovative ways. The recruiting landscape is very different than it was just a few years ago. We need to have our recruiting start earlier and not stop just because all of our openings may be filled. Developing a pipeline of talent that is eager to join our team is important. In the event that we are struggling to fill certain roles, we may need to look at partnering with a search firm to fill those roles so our team doesn’t get bogged down with one search that is extremely difficult. 

Obviously teacher needs should be a high priority. I think a team could be assembled to determine those needs and the District leadership would have to evaluate those needs and prioritize them.

1. Support organizational culture change that promotes a supportive environment where they feel valued. 
2. Continue to support pay increases and recruitment and retention bonuses. 
3. Always listen and hear their concerns and be an advocate both on the state and local level.

Three ways, (1) help Dr. Schmolze ensure we have strong ethical administrators in all our schools, (2) lower student/teacher ratios, and (3) higher teacher pay.

A qualified educator is the most important component in delivering quality instruction to students.  Everything our district does should support the work occurring in the classroom between teachers and students.  Pay and benefits are important in recruiting and retaining teachers, as are working conditions and culture.

I put a high priority on recruiting and retaining experienced classroom teachers and advocate for more substantial salary increases to be considered for teachers with 5+ years of experience, who love teaching and want to remain in the classroom.

Tapping into marketing resources that are non-traditional has proven to help broaden the reach and frequency of messaging. Where there’s a need, there’s a message. I look forward to helping to develop what message we can send that is consistent with our district's mission and attracts teachers in a vibrant and compelling way. Exploring avenues such as forums and surveys on a regular basis to gauge satisfaction aligns with marketing strategies that are used to compile key performance indicators.

I would like to do a deeper dive into the budget allocations to determine options for funding all programs within the district. We could also research other areas to determine creative ways to support all programs we offer to students.

As a parent of a student who was involved with the arts, I completely understand the need for those areas to be adequately funded. I will be digging much deeper into the budgeting process this year to ensure that all priorities of the district get the funding they need to be successful. 

I participated in band, beginning when I was in 4th grade. We were the only school that had a band at that time. I believe that we have to continue these programs in our district. They are equally as important as sports. Unfortunately, they simply don't generate the revenue that sports generate. I think we should actively seek out community partnerships and grants for the Arts. Also the District has to be committed to setting aside money to fund these programs.

I am a chorus parent and serve on both the chorus booster board and the musical theater board at NHS so I am actively supporting and encouraging the arts. I plan to continue to be an advocate for funding and promote partnerships and participation from the community.

Strong music and arts programs are critical to a well-rounded student and school. They are classic components of a thorough and rigorous education. School expenses and budgets need to be reviewed to ensure there are appropriate funds allocated to art and music programs.

I place a high value on education in the arts.  I am proud of our many and varied arts instruction programs, from our arts integration choice program at Northside Elementary to our digital arts pathway at the Applied Technology Center to the various art instruction opportunities available at every school in the district.

I am also very proud of our extracurricular arts programs.  As a parent, both my children’s “sport” was in the arts, drama/musical theatre and dance.  Through art, students have an opportunity to express themselves and develop their creativity.  Additionally, through performing arts, students develop confidence in front of a crowd.  As a board member, I have regularly attended student performances and will continue to do this in the future.  I am also vigilant as a board member to ensure resources are allocated to the arts and recognition is given to our arts programs and will continue to prioritize this in the future.

Personally, I am a product of a strong arts and humanities program that helped to shape my world view and allowed me to catapult my career in performance at a very early age. Having public school teachers that helped to identify gifted and talented characteristics helped my parents make decisions for my future and education. Developing a process to identify these students early will allow us to support their strengths and assist them in thriving academically and artistically. Accessing opportunities for these students to have exposure to programs and patrons that can financially support their gifts will be a great way to prioritize them and steer them in the direction of success. 

If elected, I would like to increase communication and transparency regarding funding that is projected to cover facility upgrades within the district. This can be done by offering community forums to share the district’s plans for future renovations and upgrades and how those projects will be funded. Providing forums would give the community an opportunity to ask questions and ensure they understand the long term goals the district has established in addressing those concerns.

With fewer schools to maintain, we should be able to divert more investment into improving our existing inventory of schools. Restrooms should certainly be a priority when spending money on our schools. We need to have schools that are designed with the modern learning environment and learning needs in mind. When you have limited resources, you often have to make choices about the best way to provide for all of our students within the financial constraints. Eventually, Rock Hill does need some new, larger elementary schools. We need to take a case by case look at what’s the best option for each school or scenario. 

The needs of our students today are very different than they were when most of our schools were built. Some of our schools are over 80 years old. When our older schools were built, they were built to keep students separated. Today's learning environment is very different, it is more collaborative and oftentimes bringing students together is part of that. Often, it is costlier to try to update these older schools (to bring them up to today's standards), than it is to build new ones. 

The district is currently working on a strategic plan to address our short-term and long-term facility needs. The implementation of that plan will solve many issues, including: overcrowding and dilapidated facilities and issues in our schools. There is always a debate about whether or not we continue trying to modernize/update/upgrade old schools versus building newer ones. The reality is that we probably need to do both… The overall impact on the students and the tax payers should always be considered when deciding which option is best for a given facility. 

I would need to have a discussion with Facilities Services to get an understanding of the facilities and the concerns that students have. I think it would be great to have a High School Student Representative to the Board of Trustees. It would be beneficial to both the Board to get an understanding of the concerns of the students in the District; additionally, the students could benefit from understanding the role of the Board of Trustees and how it works.

We have aging buildings in our district, and the plan for revitalizing and rebuilding some of our oldest campuses as well as renovations of much-needed facilities across the district is the next step. We will target areas in the order of greatest need, and I support utilizing the funds from sold properties as well as capital savings.

Each school building in Rock Hill School District welcomes hundreds, sometimes thousands, of students, teachers, and members of the community daily.  This daily use causes a tremendous amount of wear and tear on any building, especially an older building.  Many of our buildings are 50, 60, and 70 years old.  Our district spends a tremendous amount of money to maintain these buildings.  We do simple things like cleaning, painting, and polishing floors and more expensive things like replacing roofs and replacing heating and air conditioning units.  Replacing plumbing is particularly difficult.  In a home plumbing is often behind sheetrock which can be easily removed to replace a pipe.  However, plumbing in schools is often behind cinder block and concrete requiring major renovation to access and replace.  Our maintenance department continues to work hard to keep our buildings in as good as shape as possible.  However, some older buildings are at or nearing the need to be replaced.

There needs to be continual assessment of our district’s infrastructure. Rock Hill Schools needs to prioritize building modern schools with large classrooms to, in most cases, hold no more than 20 students per class. We must solve problems now to ensure present and future success and not put money into obsolete infrastructure.

Transparency is key. Oftentimes our students are not involved at the table during board meetings. They are celebrated but, their voices are not elevated at the decision-making table. Developing a process to have student involvement through communication channels when financial decisions are made could be very beneficial in developing trust. I look forward to accessing the current budget allocation and figuring out ways we can better communicate the financial  benchmarks that must be met, and where we can make improvements in allocations to insure we don’t overlook needs such as updated restrooms. 

I would like to research and explore what opportunities for provided in other districts similar to ours to determine what new courses and programs may be added to the districts catalog.

With limited resources in a district, we must identify the programs that are critical to our collective success and invest adequately in those programs. In my estimation, a program needs to have a strong demand and provide a large impact on our students in order to be considered critical. If the IB program continues to be deemed as one of the most critical programs in our offering, then we need to determine the appropriate investments that need to be made whether that’s expanding course options or certifying more teachers, etc. and make it happen. Our budget should reflect the priorities of the district.

I would want to understand the will of the parents and students, first. I don't believe there is a deficiency in IB offerings. I do feel more parents are interested in increasing dual credit courses.  This allows students to enter college with credits and possibly a degree already in hand. That translates to savings on college tuition, lower student loan debt  and parent PLUS loan debt.

Any course offerings have to be driven by a desire and demand from students, and the availability of teachers. I support any expansion of course offerings where we have students actively advocating to learn.

I strongly favor expanding instruction options that give college-bound students the opportunity to graduate with college credits.  These options allow motivated students to increase their knowledge and experience before graduating and also provide an opportunity for families to save money by potentially eliminating a semester or more of college tuition.  I am proud of all three college credit programs we offer – International Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement, and Dual Credit.

I strongly favor expanding instruction options that give college-bound students the opportunity to graduate with college credits.  These options allow motivated students to increase their knowledge and experience before graduating and also provide an opportunity for families to save money by potentially eliminating a semester or more of college tuition.  I am proud of all three college credit programs we offer – International Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement, and Dual Credit.

I am a huge believer in preparing our students for the real world and to compete in the global arena after schooling. I would love to see connections being made with out-of-state and international programs and course accessibility through the baccalaureate program. Understanding that standards make it challenging and hurdles are often in the way, bringing in our legislative decision makers could better the relationships needed to make sure we address these needs at a state level which will impact us on the local level. Also, attracting and recruiting teachers that have international exposure and multi-cultural experiences academically could help to further the conversation by elevating their lived experiences.