Candidate Q&A

As a board member, I will approach budget shortfalls with transparency and long-term planning. My first priority is always protecting the classroom — ensuring that teachers have the tools they need and students continue to receive a high-quality education. Administrative costs and overhead should be the first place we look for savings before cutting into programs that directly serve students. I also believe in giving the community clear financial forecasts so that taxpayers understand the challenges and can be part of the conversation. By focusing on efficiency, accountability, and protecting student learning, we can weather funding uncertainties responsibly.

The mental health challenges facing students today are unlike those of past generations. I believe schools must be proactive in partnering with families, counselors, and community organizations to provide layered support. This can include improving access to school-based mental health professionals, creating strong referral systems to outside providers, and embedding social-emotional learning into classrooms in age-appropriate ways. Just as important, we need to reduce stigma around seeking help by normalizing conversations about mental health. When students are mentally healthy, they are better able to learn, grow, and succeed.

Fair and consistent discipline is essential, but we must also acknowledge disparities and work toward solutions that keep students engaged in learning. That includes examining discipline data regularly, providing staff with training on alternative approaches, and expanding restorative practices that focus on accountability without unnecessarily removing students from the classroom. We must also work with families early when issues arise. Every student deserves both high expectations and the opportunity to learn from mistakes without being set back in their education. Our goal should always be to build responsibility and character, not barriers to success.

Collaboration is critical. As a board member, I would work with fellow members, township and county officials, and state legislators by building relationships based on facts, transparency, and shared goals for our community’s students. One key example is facilities planning — our district faces aging buildings and deferred maintenance, which require state support, local collaboration, and community input to address responsibly. These types of long-term challenges cannot be solved in isolation. When stakeholders work together, we can find solutions that are fiscally responsible and meet the needs of our students and taxpayers.

When I first ran for the board in 2009, the district had just devastatingly lost a levy and we were in the throes of the biggest recession in our lifetime. I was blessed with a likeminded board that emphasized minimizing the impact in the classroom. We trimmed central office, reworked contracts and worked with our administration, teachers and ultimately the community to maximize savings. The overriding principle in all our decisions was to prioritize the classroom.
And even through those very dark times, we maintained the highest state rankings for achievement and performance. Every year.

In my 12 years on the board, I have helped navigate through the highs and lows of changing state and federal support. And the results speak for themselves, year in and year out, we maintained excellent results for our children at a cost less than the average of surrounding districts, and far less than districts with similar stellar performance.

We need to meet the children were they are. Our students come from a variety of backgrounds and upbringing, all of which affect their ability to cope and to learn. And what is expected of the district has evolved. School-based mental health professionals are front line help, but as the first question about budget shortfalls pointed out, schools can't do it alone. We need to continue to develop relationships with community partners and referral organizations to provide multilayered support. I will build on those relationships and foster new ones to give out students the mental health support that they need.

When I was on the board, we emphasized practices to keep our students in the classroom and to maximize their experience there. This emphasis included everything from exclusionary practices in school, to discipline in our athletic programs. Just as importantly though, we unequivocally provided for the safety of all our students.
Coming back to the board, I would first determine the extent of the issue. Suspensions/expulsions are necessarily difficult to evaluate from the outside, as there are solid privacy laws surrounding such events. That said, as a board member, I would work with my administrative team to address these issues as they arise. Our students need to be present in classroom to learn and we need give them the opportunity to learn from their mistakes. We also need to balance that with the needs of their classmates. It is a delicate balance.

As a former board member, I have developed relationships with county/township officials and state legislators to advocate for our district. After years of animosity with our local government officials, I was part of an unprecedented collaboration with the township trustees and the parks. For the first time in decades, we met regularly. And when the pandemic hit, we had established relationships to navigate the constantly changing rules, financial issues and varied information form the state and feral government to help not only our students, but the community at large.

With the fellow board members, I am a consensus-builder. I served as president of the board for 5 years, and all my boards were comprised of citizens with diverse viewpoints. They represented all of our community, always with a combination of republicans and democrats. And I was able to work with all of them to advocate for our students and maintain the excellence of Forest Hills. I am excited to bring that experience of collaboration and consensus-building to the next board.

Depending on exactly how you calculate it, between about one fifth and one sixth of the Forest Hills budget comes from the State, and the supermajority in the Ohio legislature has made clear that we’re unlikely to get that much in future budget cycles. If nothing changes in Columbus the next deficit-spending year will be here even sooner than currently projected. Our district can’t be reactive. We need to establish and maintain good relationships with state lawmakers to help them understand the importance of fully funding our public schools, but we also need to educate our community about the cause of the continued funding reductions, who’s responsible for them, and what we’re doing stave them off. We need to prepare for funding cuts by prioritizing services so we and the community know what’s at risk. Student safety and wellness and meeting state academic standards (for all students) are non-negotiable top priorities. Other programs should be prioritized with reference to the breadth and depth of their impact and the consequences of canceling or reducing them. It’s common to suggest cutting busing, for example, but busing can’t be cut without knowing whether and which students cannot reliably or affordably get to school without it. We need to be careful not to put programs out of reach. Above all it’s important to have community involvement in this process, so they both can help set the district’s priorities and can be as prepared as possible if the cuts do happen.

Our board needs to lead by example and make sure that the kids in our district knows that their well-being is the board’s top priority. Both words and deeds matter here. The board needs to tell kids that their mental health matters and vote accordingly, but the board also needs to be more visible and accessible directly to students in school and at school events, because creating a sense of belonging at school is one of the best tools we have to improve student wellness and mental health. The district should continue to invest in and expand PBIS, which has helped identify students needing additional support or intervention and has helped to reduce measurably the number of disciplinary actions, which helps improve student wellness, instructional time, and academic outcomes. The district should encourage mentoring opportunities, and should seek out new and additional evidence-based mental health/wellness methods or programs or systems.

We need to recognize that the types of behavior that typically produce out-of-school discipline are often linked to non-school issues or unmet needs, and do what we can to address those problems. That may mean helping students apply for free or reduced-price meal programs, facilitating access to counselors or medical providers, and so on. It also means collecting, reviewing, and using data on school discipline to ensure that it is not being imposed unfairly or disproportionately. Relatedly, school-resources officers provide important safety services in our schools. They should never have a disciplinary function in our schools.

I’m a lawyer in my day job—a litigator. That means that every day I talk to lawyers who represent clients whose interests are directly opposed to those of my clients, and we have to work to understand what happened and why, to try to find common ground, to figure out a path forward. There’s no trick this. The only way to do it is to be completely prepared for the discussion, to communicate your preferences, ideas, and concerns clearly, and to be open to feedback and criticism. In this type of discussion it's important to presume good faith, to debate issues and not personalities, to challenge your assumptions, to reconsider your positions when evidence warrants it, and to be willing to admit when you’re wrong. Other than the robust internal discussion I would expect at every board meeting, the single most obvious scenario where advocacy and collaboration with other governmental agencies or officials is likely to occur is on school funding.

Information and communication are the two most important tools for confronting a budget shortfall. In my work as an attorney counseling nonprofits, I have seen organizations act too rashly when facing a budget shortfall, jumping immediately to cut what they consider the “obvious” candidates in the hopes of restoring fiscal order immediately. The problem with that approach is that what is obvious to one board member is not to another, and is often based on nothing more than intuition (“It feels like our XYZ program is pricey.”) or perceived norms (“The most recent program we added was ABC, so I guess that should be the first to go.”). Cutting budget items too quickly in the name of stewardship too often leads to the opposite–it causes ill-fated decisions that cost more money down the road to fix. Before taking any action, a school board needs information, including detailed financial reports, program data, and stakeholder input.

The second element is communication. I mentioned stakeholder input above, and it’s important that solicitations for input from students, teachers, and community members are framed as just that–input. Opinions from affected people are vital ingredients to an informed decision, and at the same time the passions of one group cannot dictate the best course of action for the entire district. Clear communication, ample opportunities for input, accessible board members and senior leadership, and transparent decision-making all go a long way in helping people understand and accept decisions.

Create a safe environment. The first pillar of support for students’ mental health at school is a safe learning environment, both physically and mentally. While recess seems like a “throwaway” to some, it’s actually an important opportunity for a brain reset that can help students process information and prepare for more learning. Similar benefits come from physical activity and deliberate relaxation. Curriculum should include age-appropriate approaches to self-care and self-regulation, including emotional intelligence, coping skills, and stress reduction. 

Incorporate support into schools. Students need access to peer support groups, qualified counselors, and crisis support. Teachers, counselors, and administrators need professional development support to stay updated on best practices for supporting student mental health needs through evidence-based approaches, delivered with compassion.

Recognize the additional needs of some children. Some students are subjected to additional risks to their mental health due to their circumstances outside the school building. Students facing food insecurity, students experiencing homelessness, and students concerned about violence at home all confront serious threats to their mental health. Even relatively commonplace life events like the birth of a new sibling, parental divorce, the death of a grandparent or other relative, or moving into a new home can all potentially create destabilizing change for a child. By having tools and systems in place to support students in these types of experiences, schools can support the mental health needs of all children in their district.

Analyze disaggregated data. By analyzing data on relevant inputs, including teachers’ classroom management reports, detentions, negative office referrals, privilege deprivations, in-school and out-of-school suspensions, and other disciplinary actions, our school district can better pinpoint disparities. Narrowing down the sources of these disparate outcomes can help the district create a tailored approach well-suited to the day-to-day realities faced by teachers and students. Disaggregating the data provides the most objective lens through which to evaluate whether outcomes in a particular area are indeed disparate and can help determine patterns or sources that can lead to targeted solutions.
 
Review existing discipline policies and revise if needed. Outdated policies and policies that lead to disproportionate outcomes need to be identified and replaced. Schools can use the expert input of educators, child development specialists, and psychologists to create policies that reflect the best approach to discipline for the district’s particular needs. District panels that review disciplinary policies should include mechanisms to receive input from parents and teachers. As with all policies, the district needs a plan for how to make people aware of the policies and any updates.

Train teachers and give them support. Every teacher should feel well-equipped with multiple tools in their proverbial belt to handle classroom management and conflict resolution. Teaching students how to work through issues with others is a fundamental life skill, and schools should be providing teachers with techniques and approaches that can deescalate conflict and help make everyone feel safe and supported.

Successful advocacy is built on understanding other people’s needs and interests. I teach a graduate school class at Harvard Law School on advocacy, and we do a deep dive into the details of determining the best approach to advocacy for a particular topic depending upon the nature of the subject matter, the relationship of the parties, and the available advocacy resources including time, money, and grassroots support.

Perhaps the biggest need for collaboration among board members, local officials, and state legislators is school funding. As a candidate for school board, I am reaching out to local and state officials alike to set up meetings, hear from them about their ideas about collaborating with local school boards, and give them information about what we are seeing on the ground at the district level when it comes to school funding and community sentiment. To me, these relationships should be bipartisan, ongoing, and based on a spirit of professional collaboration.

While I’m not sure how much there is even left to cut, as a general rule I would try to prioritize keeping budget items that directly affect students and staff untouched if possible.  I would also work to advocate for our schools and our budgets at the state level as necessary, and I believe this will become increasingly important in the very near future. 

In any situation where cuts need to be made, it is important that the board not only communicates with school leadership, but also with the community, and I would strive to involve all stakeholders input into decisions on prioritizing cuts to programming or services.  While the board ultimately has to make the decision, doing their due diligence includes taking that input from the community as part of the decision making process.

As a board member I would support current mental health programs publicly, push district leadership to continue finding new ways and avenues to support our students' mental health, and work to create a school culture that is accepting of ALL students and where all students feel safe and respected.

In some local schools, programs like Hope Squad have recently become very prominent in the battle to combat the student mental health crisis.  This program and it's growing popularity is a great example of a program that has been added recently, and is being celebrated in multiple districts as having a positive impact on student mental health as well as school culture.  Continuing to look for and add these types of programs, while simultaneously continuing to support the many current programs that schools offer will start to help build a positive school culture.  In a culture like this, students know that not only are their teachers and counselors and administrators there to help, but that their fellow students also care and are willing to help in times of need.

Focusing on whole-child supports and interventions (especially preventative interventions / first offense interventions) vs. exclusionary discipline is the biggest change, and that likely involves possible changes across the district as a whole. 

Exclusionary discipline should be reserved for students who present a danger to themselves, other students, or staff, or who habitually and extremely negatively affect the learning process for other students.  Being aware of the disproportionality, and tracking that data in our own district, will create a framework from which we can self-reflect and adjust practices as needed.  I believe having administrators with varying backgrounds and disciplines is always a good thing, and may be invaluable in situations like this where many life experience perspectives would be helpful.

At a state level, advocating for expansion of the SAFE act could help keep more students in the classroom, and should be included in a comprehensive plan along with advocating for sufficient funding for districts so that schools have the space and resources they need and creating programs to engage the community.

I am happy to advocate for our district’s needs with city / county officials both electronically, over the phone, and in person.  In the past I have worked with state representatives on personal issues, and have many years of experience advocating to elected officials locally and at the state level on behalf of schools while working on various school levies in my 23 years as a public school teacher.

This advocacy is essential currently with budgeting, but is also essential for things like standardized testing, curriculum at the state level, etc.  One example of this would be advocating for moving the Ohio EOC (End of Course) Exam windows back a few weeks until the start of May.  As currently scheduled, many of the testing windows fall in April, a full 6 weeks or more before the end of the typically scheduled end of school year (late may).  I believe working with fellow board members, elected officials, and legislators it might be possible to push these windows into May, allowing our students multiple weeks of additional classroom instruction before taking these exams.