Our children and our community deserve a School Board member who listens first, carefully examines
the status quo, asks difficult questions, and keeps students at the center of every decision—and I
am that person.
Living in Bennington since 2006, raising a BPS graduate, and regularly attending School Board
meetings have taught me a great deal about our schools and how they operate. My life and work
experiences have prepared me to strengthen the Board by keeping oversight consistent and bringing
community members to the table. As a Board member, I am committed to helping Bennington schools
maintain their standard of excellence, ensuring our district operates in a fiscally responsible
manner, and supporting our students, teachers, and staff.
My Priorities
Pay as we grow
Link investments to paydowns: connect new capital spending directly to an aggressive principal paydown strategy.
Solicit competitive bids: initiate a competitive bidding process for all major design, construction, purchasing, renewals, and professional services contracts.
Before we ask local families to contribute more of their hard-earned tax dollars, our first duty
is to maximize our current budget and find efficiencies. Growth is vital for Bennington, but it
must be managed responsibly alongside debt reduction to protect our future borrowing power. As
our community expands, our school facilities and staffing must keep pace—without creating an
undue financial burden at home.
Improve access to Board meetings: stream clear audio and video so viewers at home can seamlessly follow discussions and presentations.
Increase meeting participation methods: provide a secure online portal for pre-meeting public comments and questions.
Facilitate consistent and reliable communication with community members: promptly respond to our neighbors, teachers, and staff members.
Every member of our community deserves to be heard—not just those who are available at 6:00 p.m.
or those who are comfortable speaking at a microphone. I will advocate for technology upgrades
to stream high-quality meeting audio, video, and presentation slides cleanly to YouTube. By
improving our livestream, we can welcome broader public participation, including pre-recorded
comments from home.
I am committed to an open-door policy with prompt, professional email and phone communication
for neighbors, teachers, and staff. By widening communication opportunities to more people, we
can bring everyone into the conversation and build a shared pride in the excellence of our
schools.
Partner with teachers
Empower educators: support the targeted training and tools teachers desire and need to excel in their craft.
Foster dialogue: promote communication among staff and Board members about successes and opportunities for improvement.
Teachers are at the center of our students’ learning. They dedicate their careers to our children
in a field that is constantly changing. I will examine proposed training, tools, and instructional
initiatives, and assess whether they help teachers strengthen their skills and enrich classroom
instruction.
Provide holistic student support
In today’s world, it’s vital for schools to provide a balance between learning, screen time and
physical activity.
Protect recess: protect daily recess so students have a necessary break from their desks to move, play, and socialize.
Prepare students for their futures responsibly: ensure the district has clear rules around AI and technology usage.
Learning requires a healthy balance. I will advocate for protecting daily recess so our students
have a necessary break from their desks to move, play, and socialize. Giving children this
dedicated time to recharge reduces stress, improves classroom focus, and ensures they are ready
to learn.
Chromebooks are assigned to every Bennington student. It is my view that the Board and school need
enhanced dialogue around AI usage and protecting student data.