1. The first issue that I would like to address is the physical condition of many of our Public School facilities. While the mold problem has received much recent attention, the district has many buildings in need. For example, the auditorium in Rippowam Middle School has been inadequately lighted for years, and the modular classrooms in use are temporary solutions long past their use by date and many are now falling apart. This list is a long one. Transparency is the key. The Board needs accurate and timely updates as to the condition of our school buildings and the community needs honest and timely access to Board intelligence and priorities to be confident that issues of vital importance are being addressed in a timely manner. The mold issue is an excellent example of one that, if addressed comprehensively in 2012 when it was uncovered, would not have grown to such catastrophic proportions.
2. Staff Professional Development needs to be more individualized and more responsive to the specific needs of teachers and faculty members. The options for Professional Development are limited and lack emphasis on cultural responsiveness and social and emotional learning; two areas that are vital in as diverse a district as Stamford.

The current model used to evaluate a district’s performance involves too heavy a focus on state mandated test scores. Unfortunately, tests like the SBAC do not give a comprehensive picture of student aptitude or progress. To assess a district’s performance, you need a holistic understanding of how the student body is doing not just how effectively the district has “taught to the test.” I would employ a suite of benchmark assessment tools including but not limited to Lexia, Dibbles, and Math and Reading Inventories. My approach will give the district a clearer picture of the student body’s aptitudes and deficiencies than the current method and allow a more accurate assessment of the curriculum and teaching methods in use. I would also include an analysis of staff workplace satisfaction, and an analysis of statistics regarding staff turnover. Further, I would institute a review of the climate survey that parents complete at years end to develop specific strategies that address issues identified therein. Lastly, as parent engagement is vital to a well performing district, I would work with each governance council to best integrate the community with our public schools.

The most important responsibility of this Board is to create policies that allow school staff and administrators to best run their respective schools and to meet the needs of every student, regardless of their race, gender, zip code or socioeconomic status. To ensure that Board policies best support the administrators and educators that they will affect, I believe the Board should aggressively seek out input from representatives of those groups before implementing policy. With the formal endorsement of the democratic party and the Stamford Education Association I encourage all voters no matter their affiliation to come vote on November 6th.