My involvement with the school district started when my first son entered Kindergarten.  I believe it’s very important to share in the role of our children’s education.  Fostering a partnership with teachers and leaders of the school community is very rewarding and essential to the home/school connection.

I’ve been a PTA President for the Southdown Primary school and at Finley Middle school.  During that time,  I implemented several programs that continue today such as the Fitness Challenge at Southdown Primary School which is a three week challenge to get the students and their families engaged in physical activity. At Finley Middle School, I created the Pay It Forward program that focus’s on building peer relationships and to discourage bullying.  Additionally, I created two scholarship programs for Finley and Huntington High School.

I am currently serving my third year as PTA Council President which oversees all the individual PTA’s in the district including SEPTA.  This is a dynamic position that requires strong managerial skills, trouble shooting, problem solving and flexibility.  I’ve been privileged to work with students, teachers, building principals and central office administrators.

Outside the schools, I’ve participated in many workshops with local and state legislators to lend a voice to help get Huntington’s fair share of state aid.  I’m sensitive to the tough decisions the school board has to make when creating a working budget for our district.  We have to adhere to many unfunded mandates and a 2% tax levy limit while still providing a well rounded and challenging education that our community has come to expect.

My experience with the district this past ten years has put me in a great position to transition to school board trustee.  I have both the institutional knowledge of the district and of current educational issues in general to successfully serve the interests of students, parents and taxpayers. I’ve built a strong foundation to hit the ground running.