School Board District 5

My priority is our students, and my goal is to provide them with a holistic, world-class education so they can realize their dreams and potential to become happy and prosperous members of our global society. 

Reaching this goal will take a multi-prong approach of support, investments, and innovation. 

• Investments in high-quality instructional resources & curriculum, expanding educational opportunities and improving access to academic and life experiences. Examples include relevant and evidence-based curriculum, deeper learning initiatives, expansion of dual credit, advanced coursework, Career & Technical Education courses, fine arts, world languages, educational field trips, internships, and more. 

• High-quality educators have a direct impact on improved student achievement. It is vital to continue to invest in our workforce holistically. Examples include raises, paid paternity leave, classroom stipends, grow-your-own initiatives that allow our employees to grow as professionals, high-quality professional learning, and more. 

• Strengthen communication and connections between the schools, community, and families. We are all in this together – working to support the next generation. Every voice matters.

• Continual review and monitoring for improvements in our policies, procedures, and budget, ensuring we align our resources directly with the needs of our students, schools, and community, as demonstrated by our data.

As a board member, my role includes asking relevant questions, considering the various perspectives of issues, continuously reviewing policy and procedures, monitoring student progress and data, listening to all stakeholder input (including those that are often unheard), and reviewing current district financials. All this work helps inform the board team’s important job of identifying budget goals and priorities and ultimately approving an annual budget that aligns resources with needs and objectives, supported by the appropriate data. 

The budget process is continuous, and I carefully review all items, ensuring I am doing my part to be a wise and prudent steward of our community investments. For example, if a previous initiative were given time to be fully implemented and did not produce the intended results, it would be essential to reconsider the purpose of the initiative and the data and engage in conversations with our education professionals on the best steps forward – possibly considering aligning resources in another direction.

A high-quality workforce is always a worthwhile investment in improving student outcomes. Data shows that high-quality educators directly impact increased student achievements. Investments in our educators are investments in our students. Investments in our students are an investment in us all.

As a board member, I am committed to continuously reviewing and monitoring data, ensuring our district initiatives and programs align with our strategic priorities and student achievement goals in our CDIP (Continuous District Improvement Plan). An example of this continual review process is implementing a program review study facilitated by a third-party research firm. This is currently underway here in FCPS. I look forward to the results and learning how we can better align our resources to support our schools and students equitably – ultimately improving student outcomes. We must embrace continuous improvement and the changes that will come.

It's also vital to visit with our students, educators, and schools to learn firsthand what they think is working, where improvement and more support are needed, and learn from their ideas. Each school serves a unique population. Thus, the specific needs of each school are different. It’s essential to listen and learn about each school – their demographic profile, socioeconomic profile, how families and students commute to school – walkers, drivers, bus riders, whether the school is closely accessible and connected to its community, etc. Only when we understand the specifics can we better serve our schools with equitable funding, initiatives, and programs.

FCPS’ student-teacher ratio is lower than the state’s average, and the student-counselor ratio is lower than the national average. For the 24-25 Tentative Budget, over 75% of the general fund is allocated to direct student, staff, and school support services. Comparatively, only 1.2% of the general fund is allocated to district administrative support services. This figure has been decreasing and is also lower than the national average.

When considering the number of educators who work directly with students in our schools, it’s important to clarify that many of these teachers are considered district-level employees because their department is centralized at the district office. These district-wide direct student support services include special education educators, gifted & talented educators, ELL & multilingual educators, student transportation, food services, mental health specialists, nurses, occupational and physical therapists, speech therapists, family and community liaisons, reading and math specialists, band and orchestra educators, technology support specialists, substitutes, law enforcement, and more. 

There are also district-wide positions that directly support our educators and schools, ensuring they have the support structures they need as professionals and have the time they need to devote to educating the next generation. It’s vital to support our educators and schools strongly.

I will vote NO on Constitutional Amendment 2. Public funds belong to public schools that serve the needs of every student.

Amendment 2 would allow public funds to be used by unaccountable private education providers, siphoning away resources from the over 90% of Kentucky students who attend public schools. These private entities are not accountable to the same rules, standards, governance, and transparency as public schools. They are not bound by law to serve all students, are not required to accept all applicants, and can dismiss students without cause.

Here in Fayette County, it could equate to an annual loss of $52 million in funding and 380 educator jobs lost, negatively impacting our students, families, community, and workforce. As the 2nd largest employer in Fayette County, our public schools are a foundational economic driver for our community and businesses. In other states, many private schools raise tuition after voucher laws are passed – keeping them out of reach to families that couldn’t previously afford them.

Amendment 2 would also create loopholes in seven parts of Kentucky's constitution – tearing apart the foundation of the commonwealth. Public schools are the cornerstone of our democracy and society, an investment in our future.

a.  My top priorities are Increasing Student Achievement Data, Having transparent and frequent Communication with all stakeholders, and Employing Fiscal Responsibility.

b.  My goal is for our district to be the top education body in the state of Kentucky.  We will achieve this goal by focusing on student achievement, communication, and fiscal responsibility.

As a board member, I will look at all departments to determine the need to propose budget cuts or additions.  I will not propose or support budget cuts that impact programs for students.

I will make sure programming is offered equitably across the district through communication with administrators, SBDM, Leadership Teams, and other teacher groups in the school district and from each school.  Each school is different.  Needs vary from each school level and each school at all levels.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2022/2023, Information data is gathered from each school district and reported to this site), FCPS has 41,422 students and employs 3,086 teachers giving a student to teacher ratio of 13:1.  At the State of the Schools Leadership Breakfast on August 2. 2024, Superintendent Liggins report FCPS employs 9,000+ Full and Part Time employees.  As a board member, I will seek the information to determine the departments the employees are located.  After review, I will support movement to make sure all departments have equitable resources.  While I know the student teacher ratio looks good as a ratio, a review of the actual classroom numbers will be addressed to support meeting the needs of students.

As a board member, I will follow the state rules/laws/guidance that is the result of  the peoples vote  on Amendment 2 on November 5.  If the amendment passes, I will follow state law for public school funding as set forth by the passing of Amendment 2.    If the amendment does not pass, I will follow state law for public schools funding