Real Solutions. Measurable Results.

“I am running for School Board because I care deeply about the success of our public school system — it is the reason why many of us choose to live in Arlington.”

Effective Transparency

The approach the School Board uses to communicate proposals affects whether proposals are received with trust or mistrust. Likewise, the approach used to collect and respond to feedback affects the likelihood that community members believe that their input is valued and taken into account, regardless of the ultimate decision that is made. I plan to:

  • Make sure the any proposals and decisions made by APS and the School Board are driven by well-vetted data and solid research
  • Publish decision criteria before plans are at the proposal stage, and ask for feedback from stakeholders — parents, teachers, students, and the community
  • Use that feedback to refine metrics that drive the proposal process
  • Consider multiple proposals and communicate how those proposals align with goals and metrics
  • Respond to wider community feedback for the final proposals

Most decisions made by APS and the School Board involve trade-offs. How the decision process is communicated, and the level of community involvement impacts how those decisions are received. It’s not enough to provide results — we have to show the work to earn trust.

I currently lead teams who are building tools for transparency, communication, and complex decision-making. Building similar tools for the APS and School Board decision processes will allow us to involve the community earlier and more often in an asynchronous fashion, which will still enable fast and responsive decision-making. By making parents, teachers, and members of the community partners in the decision-making process, we can respond to new challenges in a fair and responsive way.

 

Supporting Teachers

Teachers are the heart of the school system. With teacher shortages and burnout all over the country, we need to help support the talented educators we have in Arlington. I plan to:

  • Make sure that our teachers feel heard and supported through actions, not just words
  • Reduce the number of tasks assigned to teachers that are not related to teaching students
  • Provide more opportunities for teachers to plan as well as collaborate so they can share ideas

Through my work as a software lead in the healthcare sector, I have led efforts that dramatically reduce the reporting burden for clinicians. As in education, clinicians spend a significant percentage of their time on mandatory documentation, and much of this documentation can be automated in a way that preserves accuracy while streamlining the manual burden. Within the clinical space, my team’s efforts have increased mandatory documentation compliance rates from 3% to 95% by dramatically reducing the amount of time that people need to spend on documentation. I would like to bring the same assistance to our teachers so they can spend more time teaching.

 

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

Arlington Public Schools has an obligation to educate a generation of children who come from economically and racially diverse backgrounds. The diversity of backgrounds has the potential to enrich the experience for all children. I will advocate policies to maximize the benefits of a diverse student population, reduce gaps in education, and minimize the risk of safety issues. I plan to:

 

  • Reaffirm high expectations for academic performance and behavior across all cross sections of the student body and put the supports in place for students to live up to those high expectations
  • Continue fostering the educational approaches that teach emotional intelligence and encourage students to act as caring, compassionate members of society
  • Ensure that all students have access to resources tailored to their academic needs
  • Enhance opportunities for parents and students to learn together to strengthen the connection between learning both in and outside of school