Four priorities. One commitment.

Every student — and every staff member — deserves to feel safe and supported at school. That starts with having the right people in the building.

I’ll advocate for keeping a registered nurse in every school, and for hiring our own district behavior specialist instead of relying on outside contractors. When a student is in crisis, a permanent specialist who knows our schools, our staff, and our kids can respond in a way a rotating contractor never can — and that keeps everyone safer, students and stretched-thin staff alike.

These are staffing decisions, and staffing decisions are budget decisions. I’ll push for appropriate staffing during budget discussions, because a safe, supported school is the foundation everything else is built on.

Having spent more than fifteen years as a teacher — including two years here in TVUSD, as an art teacher at Agua Caliente Elementary and Emily Gray Jr. High — I know what makes teachers feel valued, and what leaves them burned out.

I’ll push for more paraprofessionals in our schools. There are times when one student needs a safe space to calm down and an entire class has to leave the room so it can happen. The right support staff can prevent moments like that from escalating and let instruction continue — so teachers can do what they came to do: teach.

Supporting teachers also means showing up. In my first 90 days, I’ll visit every classroom in the district. In my two years teaching here, not one board member ever visited my classroom or asked how things were going — and I intend to change that. Teachers who feel seen and heard are teachers who stay, and reducing teacher turnover is one of the most important things this board can do for our students.

Families should never have to guess what’s happening in their schools. When the board makes a decision — especially one that affects budgets, staffing, or safety — families deserve a clear, honest explanation of what it will and won’t do.

That means straight talk. If a funding measure will help sustain certain positions, we should say exactly which ones and be honest about the trade-offs. Transparency isn’t just posting an agenda — it’s making sure every family can understand the reasoning behind the choices that shape their children’s education.

I’ll bring a perspective shaped by years on every side of the classroom — teacher, parent, and community member — and a commitment to making every decision one I can explain to the families it affects.

It would be a privilege to serve a district that holds an “A” rating — a testament to the hard work of our students, teachers, staff, and families. But an “A” rating isn’t a finish line. It’s the foundation to reach even higher.

Our district is one of the top in the state for the arts, and we should keep investing in what makes us exceptional. I’d love to help realize the long-held vision of a performing arts center at the high school — the kind of space that keeps Tanque Verde a premier destination for budding artists and well-rounded students.

Academic excellence has to go hand-in-hand with opportunity for every child. I’m running to make sure all of our students — no matter their background — feel supported, challenged, and prepared for life beyond the classroom.