MY PRIORITIES
Striving for Excellence in
Unprecedented Times
We are clearly living through a time when no version of school - in person, hybrid or remote - is school as we experienced it, as our teachers trained for, as our children are accustomed to and need. And we are living through a time where the only thing we can count on is that we can’t count on anything - budgets, schedules, tried and true systems.
So how do we respond? We adapt. We get creative. We collaborate. We stay grounded in what’s important to us. This is what I did throughout my leadership at BART, building a school from scratch, creatively adapting to the facility, financial and educational challenges that we faced. I was never alone - I did it with a team of volunteer board members, professional educators and committed parents, ensuring we handled the unending challenges and still developed a high performing school that put kids’ needs first.
The current faculty, staff, school administrators and School Committee at Mt. Greylock have laid the groundwork for this creative collaboration to move forward - an agreement is in place with the bargaining units; we have a new superintendent joining in November; we have the active engagement of parents, partners and community members working to support the district. I am excited to bring my public school experience, passion and skills to the School Committee to ensure we continue to build a world class district here in North Berkshire.
Data and Accountability
I am a firm believer in accountability throughout a school community - and believe it should be a foundational element of any strong school district culture. I’m not talking about accountability that breeds fear or mistrust - I’m talking about accountability to our goals and to each other to achieve the community that we want to be and the results that we want to see. This type of accountability requires a clear vision, good data and metrics, honesty and integrity in our analysis and reporting, and a good dose of humility to admit where we need to continue to grow. It means assuming the best of people’s intentions and still having hard, direct conversations among ourselves and with others when our results don’t measure up.
Collaboration
Delivering a high quality school program to children ages 4 to 22 takes the work of many. Everyone who participates in a school brings unique skills and, given their role, has a different perspective on what is needed to do the work. Of course, the (many and varied!) needs of kids come first. And the needs of the educators (teachers, paraprofessionals, support staff) are also critical to consider, if they are to perform at their best in service of students. I believe the role of the School Committee is to lead the district in setting the vision and then work tirelessly and collaboratively with the administration to ensure that all of the resources are in place to deliver a program to meet that vision. Collaboration is best when multiple skills and perspectives - even competing perspectives - are at the table, allowing for fully considered solutions. My skills as a leader and facilitator will contribute to making this collaboration effective.
Equity
All members of our school community need to know that they are valued, that they belong, that they matter. Unfortunately, given the historical context of our society, this is not the case for too many students and families. While I believe this can be addressed as a standalone issue, it is actually best achieved when we address any and all issues through an equity lens. In the context of the School Committee, it may be as we evaluate policies such as attendance, transportation, or annual calendars. Or when we create personnel policies or make key hires. Or when we identify budget priorities and approve School Improvement Plans. Or when we discuss challenging issues that impact various community members extremely differently. To achieve this, we need a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI); an equity lens in all that we do; clear processes for how we will bring disparate voices into the room; and agreements for how we will disagree respectfully.