Forest Hills Public Schools

Our district has multiple advisory councils attended by BOE members, holds open board meetings, maintains a social media presence, and holds surveys, such as Culture & Climate, to help inform myself and all Board members of stakeholder perspectives. During my term on the FHPS Board of Education, the Board recognized the need to hire a Communications Director position to increase the efficacy of communications within the district and to the community. Furthermore, I am a highly social and curious person who is genuinely eager to listen to a full range of people's perspectives. As a teacher, coach, Girl Scouts troop leader, parent, community volunteer, event attendee and avid walker, I am all over the place conversing with anyone willing to share their thoughts. This is how I individually engage parents, caregivers, students and community members -- learning from them and keeping them informed. It's also how I learn from and include faculty, staff, administration and students.

I would work towards building a healthy relationship based on open communication and collaboration between the district, board, FHPS families, and community members. I would hope to foster a culture where individuals are open to listening what each other has to say in a calm, constructive manner, where conversations are based facts. I welcome a process that would set up community events or workshops, small group or individual meetings where this could happen. If elected, I would also encourage community members to connect with me directly on matters they would like to discuss on a personal level.

By providing avenues for round tables, committees, as well as asynchronous feedback (surveys, feedback forms, etc.), we can ensure that all stakeholders in our school system have ways for their input to have an effect on decisions around curriculum and policy and budgeting.

When previewing materials for possible adoption and purchasing, our district should form a committee to review the materials, and have participants be able to provide feedback. We cannot possibly pretend to know all the various lenses through which students and families are seeing our curriculum materials.

It is important to remember with any roundtable or feedback forum - especially in a large district - that many people think just like we do. We get stuck in echo chambers and some individuals are louder than others. The reality is districts have a responsibility to make sure all voices have a chance to be heard, and then make the best decision with all the information. Not everyone is going to be happy with a district’s decisions 100% of the time. But if we make decisions responsibly by taking input from all stakeholders then we can continue our legacy of being one of the strongest educational institutions in the state of Michigan. We remain one of the leading school systems, not because we choose to follow one view or set of values, but because we embrace cultural differences, allow for voices to be heard, and consistently strive to meet the needs of our kids.

I will establish open communication with parents, caregivers, community members, and students to ensure their voices are heard. I will be available before and after meetings to meet and answer questions and emails. This includes focus groups and to receive feedback of issues discussed by the board, administration, teachers, and staff.

I propose as needed forming diverse advisory committees with representatives from all groups to provide input on curriculum, budgeting, and policy.

To empower students, I will advocate for their participation in school and activity meetings and join committees.

I commit to transparency by sharing information and updates on district initiatives.

Join community workshops to educate the community on key topics, fostering informed contributions.

Finally, I will request feedback to continuously improve our policies based on community input.

By engaging all members of FHPS and the community, we can collaboratively address issues and enhance the Forest Hills School District.