Thank you for visiting my website. You'll find information on my educational background, priorities as I serve on the board, issues effecting education, and how to contact me. I am qualified and excited to serve as your representative. I have a passion for education and have enjoyed contributing to my children's education and local educational community over the past 25 years. I have also been passionate about building strong communities and neighborhoods, as demonstrated by my work as a neighborhood council chair and member of the Logan City Council. Research indicates that the single most critical component for academic success is the quality of instruction, that is, a good teacher, using evidence-based practices in the classroom. We must recruit and retain high quality educators, and support them with ongoing professional development. We must also give these teachers support in the area of manageable class sizes, technology, materials and time to collaborate and plan instruction. I am a believer in the power of parental engagement as well as community volunteers. A little support and input from parents and caring adults can go a long, long way in the classroom. The most rewarding experiences for me, whether they happened working in the PTA, on city council, or now on the school board, have been when I’ve been able to empower parents and citizens by sharing information with them, representing their needs in the decision-making process, and then allowing these stakeholders to help develop solutions. It’s not all about me as an elected official—it’s about how I can inform, educate, and empower people so that they can help change and improve their schools and communities. I take my work on the State Board of Education very seriously and believe that Utah students, families and community members deserve my best effort. Although Utah faces significant challenges in public education, I am an optimist at heart and believe that we have the capacity to continue Utah’s tradition of strong public schools. I represent Cache, Rich, Box Elder, Morgan, and parts of northern Weber counties. For more information on the Utah State Board of Education, go to www.schools.utah.gov/board. |
