Euclid Teachers Association

The questions and answers below were provided in response to a request for information from the Euclid Teachers Association.

1.  A little about my background personally and professionally.

I was a longtime social worker, mostly in healthcare, including Euclid Hospital emergency dept, Hospice of the Western Reserve and Gateway Nursing Facility on 200th Street — for 15 years before transitioning to a career in nonprofit communications in 2015. I am also a small business owner and a leadership coach for the Cleveland Neighborhood Leadership Development Program. I work with several education nonprofit clients including Cleveland Schools Books Fund which provides free books and professional development for CMSD PreK-4th grade teachers and the Cleveland Transformation Alliance, a public/private task force developed to oversee the Cleveland Plan for Transforming Schools.

I have been a Euclid resident for 20+ years, and I am the parent of three children who have attended both public and private schools including several years at CMSD’s Campus International School. My two sons are current students at Euclid High School. I am also an active volunteer with Citizens for Euclid Schools, coordinating the social media and website, etc. for the ECS levy campaigns.

2.  Why do you think you are the right candidate for Euclid City School Board?

As an engaged parent and community volunteer, I have been a longtime advocate for Euclid City Schools who speaks openly about complex issues we face as a community.

I have been involved in all aspects of the public education system as a parent, a volunteer and a nonprofit communications professional. One of my primary goals will be to increase board transparency and communicate more effectively about policies and decision making. I am also committed to developing a community-centric vision for the work of the board, informed by our students, teachers and families. I am ready to do my homework and collaborate with those who are committed to being a part of positive change in our schools and community.  

3.  Do you support a more “hands on”(get involved) or “hands off”(leave alone) approach to dealing with Euclid City Schools administration (superintendent to asst principals)?

There is no “one-size fits all” approach to the kind of complex issues we are facing in Euclid schools. I will work directly with the superintendent and his/her team as is necessary to reach our goals. As a board, we can set a vision, and we can create policies based on that vision — but we need to make sure the right people are in leadership roles and then let them do their work. Ideally, I would prefer not to make changes in leadership. I would rather identify the strengths and areas of growth to align with our shared vision.

4.  Do you support a more “hands on”(get involved) or “hands off”(leave alone) approach to dealing with Euclid City Schools teachers and their union?

Again, there is no “one-size fits all” approach to the complex issues we are facing in our schools and community. I want our teachers to feel valued and supported, so they can do their best work on behalf of Euclid students. It is not the role of the school board to be “hands on” with teachers, though I do see the benefits of staying connected to teachers so I can understand the realities of day-to-day life in our schools. Regarding the union, my hope is that our improved board communications and new measurable outcomes (not dependent on state test scores) will help Euclid parents and community members see the value in public education and they will more actively support Euclid Schools — our teachers and future contract negotiations will directly benefit from these efforts.

5.  Do you feel the right to assign teachers (class and grade level) should be done strictly by administration, teacher leaders, or a collaboration between both admin and teacher leaders?

I would like to understand the role of “teacher leader” in our schools more clearly in order to respond to this question. I am an advocate of collaborative leadership, but not in a way that is imposed on teams without taking into account the strengths and characteristics of those who are leading. If a school culture is overall healthy and a teacher leader is qualified, then I would expect administrators to trust their leader’s recommendations for class and grade level assignments. In that scenario, the role of the administrator would be to support teacher leaders and help them grow professionally.

6.  Do you feel the boards abandonment of a renewal levy 2 years in advance (2023) is a good strategy for Euclid City Schools?

I can’t make firm statements about this without reviewing the current budget and understanding the board’s strategy. My initial impression is that it seems too early, with the unknowns of state budgets, etc., to say that we don’t need to keep the current level of local funding. It also seems easier to ask voters to support “keeping taxes the same” if we can demonstrate progress and outcomes over the next two years, than it would be to ask later for a “new tax” if we need money again.

7.  Do you support Betsy Devos, former Education Secretary under President Trump, who continues to emphasize charter schools and vouchers while undermining public schools and teacher unions? What are your thoughts on public vs charter/unions, and vouchers?

I can’t think of a time when Ohio state leadership more blatantly ignored its constituents than when Betsy DeVos was confirmed into her role. I was one of countless people making calls begging elected officials to recognize her dangerous lack of experience and conflicts of interest.

I am a vocal advocate of school choice — but I always say that school choice should not be at the expense of our public schools. I have participated in both local and statewide advocacy efforts in support of the Fair School Funding Plan, and I would like to see Euclid to work more collaboratively with other districts advocating for state level policy in support of public education.

CMSD has a portfolio school approach to charter schools, and the Cleveland Plan for Transforming schools gives Cleveland Transformation Alliance and CMSD the authority to “approve” high-performing charter schools based on established criteria. This has effectively created a more collaborative approach to improving all public schools in Cleveland through a shared vision and standards of excellence. Cleveland’s two most respected charter school systems even went as far as to speak out to in support of Issue 68, a property tax renewal and increase for Cleveland public schools, which passed in 2021.  I am hoping to work with Euclid’s city leadership to create a public private partnership similar to that of the Cleveland Transformation Alliance, so we can develop a sense of pride in our schools and a shared vision for the impact of strengthening and supporting our schools.