Why are you running for this office?

I believe public schools are an important foundation of a strong community. As our state heads into uncertain financial times it is important to have experience on the Stonington Board of Education as we work together through our fiscal challenges. I have served on the Stonington Board of Education since 2013. My education, work and community involvement provide me with the experience and knowledge to be an active, engaged, and an effective member of the Stonington Board of Education.

What is the most pressing local issue facing your community and how would you solve it (within the capacity of the office for which you are running)?

Potential reduction in state funding, and currently not having a state budget, as well as our declining student population are issues our Board of Education is currently faced with. We need to continue to work together with the Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance. These three boards have developed a good working relationship of trust and coming together for what is best for Stonington residents. I would continue to encourage the forward-thinking mentality which is being fostered in our district from teachers to Central Office. Creative thinking is what has initiated our partnerships with many business and organizations in our community. Developing new programs within our school system that may appeal to those outside our district, creating new partnerships, nurturing current relationships; these will all add to the variety of learning experiences creating an atmosphere of innovative and inspirational learning without additional expense and perhaps add income.

With the state's ongoing budget crisis looming over the election, what are your plans for your community's budget? Is there anything you can do make your town less dependent on revenue from the state?

I did address this question in the answer above because the two are connected. The Board of Education will need to be very thorough as we create the school budget this year. Those involved will need to be innovative and forward thinking. It will take the work of everyone in the district from central office, teachers, administrators and Board of Education members to create a good working budget that is fair to our students and our tax payers.

The legislature has been debating various ideas to allow towns to raise revenue locally through something other than property taxes. If you could ease your residents' property tax burden by adding another method of taxation, is there anything you might consider for your town?

Are you in favor of regionalizing more services in conjunction with other nearby communities? If so, which ones?

I would phrase it more as a collaborative educational initiative. There are areas such as entering purchasing cooperatives, professional development and special education where collaboration of services may be cost effective without losing the autonomy of a school system. Joining with other High Schools in extracurricular activities does already take place (i.e. swimming), perhaps this is an area to expand upon.

Should your school district get the same amount of education funding from the state if your district's enrollment is dropping?

Yes, we should continue to receive the same amount of educational funding from the state. The cost to run a school system has increased. Many reasons for a town’s education budget increasing is not within the town’s control. Health care costs have increased over the past 3 years adding a large financial strain on school budgets. The added mandates for teacher and administrator evaluations have increased staffing needs. The requirement that standardized testing be completed on computers has added substantially to technology budgets. This has required an increase in WIFI accessibility, the number of computers available to students and technology staffing. Although we have done a good job keeping costs down due to extensive negotiations with vendors, the expenses are still high. These items are outside the control of a town’s Board of Education or administrator; and significantly add to a town’s school budget.

What's one thing most people don't know about you?

I Co-founded the Deans Mill School Math Science and Technology day. So wonderful to see it has continued for over 10 years.