What are the primary strengths and weaknesses of your district’s schools?  How can your district make public school a more attractive choice for local families?

Parental rights and school choice stand out as a welcoming variable to parents. The Widefield School District 3 works for the parent and those living within the district, whether or not they have a student attending a school in the district.

Attracting quality teachers and staff exercising good morals and values, acting as positive role models in all schools within the district is paramount to student success.

Depending on the size of their district, School Board Members decide how to spend $10s of millions of dollars, or even $100s of millions, in taxpayer money each year.  How would you seek to prioritize the funds being stewarded by your district’s School Board?

My primary question to all budget requests, in this order, is… “How does this request/expenditure benefit out students?” “How does this request/expenditure benefit our parents”? and “How does this request/expenditure benefit Widefield School District 3”?

Having a detailed explanation and breakdown of each line item expenditure would be required. Widefield School District 3 Board Members have a fiduciary [best interest] responsibility to our students/parents and the interest of those living within the district and staff as to how district funds are being spent.

In recent years, established freedoms, including that of speech, peaceable assembly, exercise of religion, and medical autonomy, have been impacted by various mandates adopted by schools across America.  As an elected representative of the citizens of your district, how would you seek to secure the Constitutional liberties of your schools’ students and staff?

I believe in parental rights. There is nothing “confidential” when comes to keeping parents informed as to the social, emotional, and school status of their child. The 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees freedom of speech (and other guarantees). Our U.S. Supreme Court had stated those guarantees have limitations when it comes to the welfare of it’s people, such as yelling fire in a movie theater. Students should feel free to voice concerns with their teacher or district staff. I encourage all teachers and staff to exercise their voice or objections, without fear of retaliation, when it comes to the welfare of the students, staff, ineffective policies or operational procedures. Students should be recognized by their birth gender.

What do you consider to be a parent’s role in a child’s education?  Do you believe that any information about a student should ever be withheld from a parent?

I believe in parental rights. There is nothing “confidential” when comes to keeping parents informed as to the social, emotional, and school status of their child.

Parents should take an active role in their child’s education and a voice in district curriculum. I would encourage all parents to visit their child’s school, sit in on a class or two, and give feedback to the teacher/district as to their child’s performance and growth. Education starts at home with the parent from birth, development throughout infancy, in grade school, and through high school.

What are the primary strengths and weaknesses of your district’s schools?  How can your district make public school a more attractive choice for local families?

Our school district is amazing. We are a tight-knit community with some of the best people you will ever meet. Our strength lies in our resilience. One weakness is in our teacher retention rate, but this is a problem that can be fixed by bringing in more funding so we can pay our staff a wage that will allow them to stay and build a life here in our beautiful community.

Depending on the size of their district, School Board Members decide how to spend $10s of millions of dollars, or even $100s of millions, in taxpayer money each year.  How would you seek to prioritize the funds being stewarded by your district’s School Board?

Cut waste and concentrate on the needs of the district. I think that we need to ensure that our physical infrastructure is up-to-date, that our children are fed and protected, that they have all the necessities needed to learn, and that teachers and staff are paid fairly. The board should be listening to the schools and parents to determine what is needed and where it is needed.

In recent years, established freedoms, including that of speech, peaceable assembly, exercise of religion, and medical autonomy, have been impacted by various mandates adopted by schools across America.  As an elected representative of the citizens of your district, how would you seek to secure the Constitutional liberties of your schools’ students and staff?

I value our constitution a lot. I personally will not allow us to tread over individual rights, and I will not let individuals tread on the constitution. I will follow our constitution, state laws, and local laws

What do you consider to be a parent’s role in a child’s education?  Do you believe that any information about a student should ever be withheld from a parent?

I believe that we should obey all local, state, and national laws regarding this. Please refer to the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act for further information. As a parent, I believe in parents rights, and I also believe in following all procedures so we, as a district, do not get into legal trouble.

What are the primary strengths and weaknesses of your district’s schools?  How can your district make public school a more attractive choice for local families?

The primary strength of our district is the small town feel it has and the welcoming atmosphere afforded to all who come here. Primarily  a military community,  we have an often transient population, which is probably our biggest challenge. That, and that most of our funding comes only from property taxes. Because of this we must be very diligent about spending  money on programs and curriculum focused only on academic achievement. Charter schools and home-schooling should be options for parents if they feel their children’s needs  are not being met by the schools.  The district must work to bring  families back to our schools by making them irresistible to parents; free from things that do not promote academic achievement. 

Depending on the size of their district, School Board Members decide how to spend $10s of millions of dollars, or even $100s of millions, in taxpayer money each year.  How would you seek to prioritize the funds being stewarded by your district’s School Board?

The first priority for any school district should be the education of the children who they are entrusted to endow with knowledge and to prepare them for life after graduation. This is done through transparency and due diligence in not only the budget but the curriculum. The limited funds our school district possesses should only be utilized for education and not for the introduction of, or creation of, programs that do not promote or enhance that goal. Building improvement, educational materials, school safety, and staff retention are all things that should be made a priority in the budget. How and where the district money is spent should always be made very clear to the people of the district.

In recent years, established freedoms, including that of speech, peaceable assembly, exercise of religion, and medical autonomy, have been impacted by various mandates adopted by schools across America.  As an elected representative of the citizens of your district, how would you seek to secure the Constitutional liberties of your schools’ students and staff?

With the thought of COVID mandates rearing their ugly head again, it is paramount that our school district get out ahead of any such edicts and establish its own protocol and policy should that ever again become a reality. Mandates from the CDC or health and edicts about speech, behavior , association, religious freedom and medical autonomy are flat out unconstitutional. Our district should establish that, unless and until any such “requests or recommendations” become law, those who issue them do not have the authority to enforce them or to dictate the peoples actions.

What do you consider to be a parent’s role in a child’s education?  Do you believe that any information about a student should ever be withheld from a parent?

Kids come first and parents are in charge! Parents have the first and LAST word when it comes to their children. Any information about a child should never be withheld from a parent. We as a district do not have the right to second guess a parent’s right and ability to parent their own child. (Matters of abuse not withstanding.)