The Wednesday Journal sent questionnaires to each person running for public office in 2025. The Journal’s questions are in bold and the candidate’s responses are below.
OPRF does not hold an “exemplary” designation from the state, a rating given to the top 10% of public schools, how would you help the school get there? Why is it important to get there?
We have missed the `exemplary` designation for the past two years. in both years we scored very high in the academic categories, as high as our peer districts. Where we fell short two years ago was in our support of english learners. This past year our lower scores fell in Chronic Absenteeism and Freshmen on Track. Both of these categories are not altogether independent. I think really disseminating the data around the 10% of freshmen that are not on track will help us identify those students that needs additional supports and the appropriate support for those students. Being an exemplary school benefits us by knowing the areas where we excel and those where we fall short, therefore enabling the district to take corrective action
With a new presidential administration has come sweeping federal changes effecting public schools. How would you look to guide the district in this new climate?
As of today we do not have the knowledge of what changes the Federal Government will be making. We receive about $2.5-$3M in federal funding. As loss of federal funding will effect programs that benefit our most vulnerable students. We need to keep abreast of what is happening and also work with our state representatives to insure and funding can be substituted by the state. We must also make sure in our budgeting process that we eliminate any wasteful or ineffective spending.
What is the most important aspect of the Project 2 facilities upgrades currently underway at OPRF? How would you look to keep the plan on budget?
The most important part of Project 2 is the overall upgrade to our educational spaces, especially providing access to those spaces in compliance with ADA. We monitor the project through a `real time` dashboard on our website. The board also has regular reports and discussions with the general contractor and architects that allows proactivity when an issue regarding the budget arises. We also have a facilities committee whose makeup includes our vendors, administrative team and community members that regularly meet to discuss the progress of the project.
What does equity in education mean to you? How would you advocate for it if elected?
Equity means each student received what they need to achieve at the highest level. I have been a staunch advocate for Equity for my full tenure on the board. I would continue to support programing, initiatives and policy that provides an equitable experience for all of our students.
In recent years, OPRF has changed its behavioral policies to put a greater emphasis on restorative justice, what do you make of these changes?
We are in the 2nd year of a Behavior Education Plan. We have seen our out of school suspensions drop 56% our goal was 10%. Our disciplinary incidents have gone down almost 30% from 2023 to 2024. I think restorative practices have a great deal to do with this but also I would credit are work and awareness of mental health issues. I think adding mental health professionals to staff and especially a Trauma Informed Specialist has helped to improve our behavioral issues.