Candidate for
Board of Education Member; City of Piedmont

My husband and I have lived in Piedmont for 20 years. We are lucky to live in a community with an active and engaged citizenry. When I tell people where I live they always say, "oh yes Piedmont, good schools". Our Piedmont schools are the heart and pride of our community. And it is that pride that has inspired me to run for School Board. After 15 years of hands-on participation in our schools I am proud of the wide range of opportunities we are able to offer to every child in our school district. After 15 years of attending Budget Advisory meetings, and chairing annual giving campaigns for the schools and leading parcel tax campaigns, I am acutely aware of the financial struggles we encounter as we work to provide opportunities to every Piedmont child. As a school board member I want to use what I have learned to make sure that EVERY child gets the best possible eduction that they can. I want every Piedmonter to continue to hear "oh yes Piedmont, good schools" and know that statement is as true today as it will be tomorrow and for years to come.... despite what happens in Sacramento. I want to use what I have learned during my 15 years of participation in the Piedmont Schools, combined with my 15 years of financial experience in the private sector to be a part of the problem solving that will be required to assure our Piedmont Schools remain the heart and pride of our community.

But there is another reason, or really two other reasons that I have decided to run and they are my children Lucy and Sam who have gone all through our Piedmont schools and are now in college. Lucy could have been successful at many schools but other schools don't have Piedmont High School's Acappella program. Lucy was in 3 musicals, traveled to Italy, Germany, and to NYC to sing at Carnegie Hall. In fact right now she is off to the airport to fly to Boston to rejoin her choir at Wellesley and they are off for a choir tour in Portugal. Lucy is majoring in psychology and economics at Wellesley but she is still singing. Piedmont schools gave my daughter a gift that continues to enrich her as a student and as a person.

And there is Sam, my good but not overly engaged student until he got the history bug at PHS. Now he is in his first year at Macalaster College in Saint Paul MN. He has not declared a major yet but he is ENGAGED and on vacation just finished reading the new JFK biography. Sam was inspired by teachers who invested in him and presented opportunities that continue to enrich him as a student and as person.

Because we are a PUBLIC school system, our job is to educate every child. As parents, administrators or policy makers, our job is to support teachers who strive to find the spark in each child to make them successful whether it is math, science, art, history or singing.

Piedmont does a very good job at this but we can't become complacent or worn out by ongoing financial struggles. We need to keep working, we need to be creative in our approach to problem solving and we must continue to push for improvement.

We need to think about new ways to deliver a quality education and be resourceful about doing more with less. In fact money is not the answer to everything. It is how you spend the money that matters. Our budget is a reflection of our values as a community. Even if we did not have financial issues we would still have some difficult decisions. How do we better integrate technology into the classroom? How do we adequately develop, access, and retain great teachers? Most importantly how do we ensure that Piedmont students will continue to explore the world beyond with curiosity, rigor, flexibility and a moral compass that reflects empathy for their fellow citizens?

This is a dynamic time for education and exciting things are happening. We need to continue to be strategic about positioning our Piedmont Schools not just for the next few years but for the decades to come. I am uniquely qualified to be a part of this discussion. For 15 years I held leadership roles at Wildwood school, Piedmont Middle School, Piedmont High School and now serve on the Piedmont Educational Foundation. I led the largest and most critical fundraiser for our schools. As a Budget Advisory Committee member for 10 years, I regularly sat down with School Administrators, parents and community leaders to hash out budget issues. I had leadership roles in the last three parcel tax campaigns. I understand first-hand the complexity and nuances of PUSD funding.

Collaboration among parents, the schools and the greater community allows Piedmont schools to flourish. I received the Art Hecht volunteer of the year award because of my leadership and because I know how to be part of a team.

As the parent club president at the high school I oversaw a budget that did the initial funding of the PHS/PMS Wellness Center. I also co-chaired the first Every 15 Minutes anti-drunk driving program in Piedmont. I was a member of the PHS parent board when we approved a grant that funded a group of teachers to become Nationally Board certified. As a board member of the Piedmont Educational Foundation, I voted to fund a cutting edge instructional leadership program that will allow our teachers and administrators to strengthen teaching and learning. And lastly recognizing that we need to do a better job of communicating with our parents and community I have been a member of the team that just launched the Piedmont Portal,

I would like your vote in our upcoming election. For 15 years, I have worked closely with three site principals, the District Administration, and I have listened to parents. I appreciate the importance and balance of this unique collaboration. The starting point and the ending point of conversations must be: What is the best way we can serve the needs of every child so we continue to offer an extraordinary PUBLIC EDUCATION.

Thank You