Interviews & forums

I have always been involved in this community and in the activities of my children as a volunteer.  I am uniquely qualified to serve our school district with over 30 years of experience in Business Finance, Operations Management and Human Resources (HR).  As a parent of four OHS graduates and three future ones, I am passionate about student achievement and am excited for this opportunity to be a more integral part of our amazing school district.  I will bring a fresh perspective and would like to see stronger partnerships with parents, student improvement in our core subject areas and better communication between the school board and our community.  I will prioritize face to face conversations as we work to better understand each other and continue to work towards a better school district.

Our District is well run by administration, our facilities are top notch, our teachers and staff are committed and many students excel in academics and extracurricular activities.  Our business community strongly supports our schools and our community rallies around our sports and fine arts activities.  We are going in the correct direction, but I do believe it is time for a fresh perspective as we work to improve our core subject areas and prepare our students for what lies ahead.  We need stronger connections with each student and understanding of all perspectives.

I will seek stronger partnerships with parents, cooperation with students, teachers and staff, and accountability to taxpayers.  I will cooperate with my fellow board members to provide a safe and academically challenging environment for every student.  Another priority will be to improve the communication between the school board and the community by encouraging face to face conversations that work on bringing us closer together and understanding each other.

I will use my finance background to understand and analyze our budget.  I will make sure we stay within our means and utilize our tax dollars for the effective education of our students.  I will rely on the expertise of our district staff to provide realistic solutions and then analyze the best course of action and implement the solution that will bring the better result.  I have been involved in several different deficit budget situations in my leadership roles, my job and my family.  I have the courage to make difficult decisions and get the results we desire by using the best information available and communicating properly with all parties involved. 

My primary role as a school board member will be to hold our superintendent accountable for this task and set a budget that fairly compensates our teachers.  I will also work to support our classroom environment and make sure that we properly allocate our resources to positively impact our students and teachers on a daily basis.  I once had a music teacher say to me, "Why wouldn’t I want to teach in Owatonna? You have quality students and a supportive staff, committed parents and a supportive community.  You don't find that everywhere!"  We need to create this level of support in all of our classrooms.

As an elected board member, it will be my job to represent all viewpoints and to foster a collaborative decision making process that keeps the progress of the students foremost and the dollars of our taxpayers working to improve our education process.  I will rely on my values and beliefs to act in the best interest of our district.  I will champion the values of our Owatonna community and work to ensure the policies we adopt reflect our local values.

We need to make sure that every student is seen and acknowledged every day so that they feel a connection to their school community.  Every positive interaction between staff and students will work to build up an environment where students feel like they are heard and belong.  We also need to learn from the challenging interactions with students to build connections and understanding in a respectful manner.

All employees deserve a fair wage, our community deserves a strong school district and our taxpayers deserve good use of their tax dollars.  I will work to understand the best outcome for all these groups and implement it in a timely manner, making sure that we communicate appropriately and effectively.