Qualified & Informed Leadership

I have spent twenty-five years teaching, coaching, living, and leading in Saline, including fifteen years as a negotiator for the Saline Education Association. That work taught me the district’s finances, contracts, and policy from the inside, and how to turn one side’s priorities into decisions that work for the whole district.

I understand the strengths and struggles of the district. I know the community and the students because I have worked closely with both.

I am running because that knowledge belongs on the board, serving this community. I’d be honored to earn your vote on November 3.

Meet The Candidate

I have spent my professional life as an educator, coach, and leader in Saline Area Schools. Since 2001, I have taught across many subjects and grade levels, including everything from sixth-grade math to college-prep writing for seniors. That wide span of teaching experiences taught me about the broad range of students and ideas in our district. I know Saline because I know our students and parents.

Coaching was also an important part of my career. I led the boys cross country program for over twenty years and served as an assistant track coach for twenty-four years. Working with athletes and their families gave me a balanced view of our district beyond the classroom.

My fifteen years as a negotiator for the Saline Education Association gave me extensive knowledge of contract language, district policy, and labor law that few board candidates can claim. Effective negotiating required a deep understanding of the district’s finances, including where the money comes from, limitations on how it can be spent, and how Saline’s revenues and expenditures have shifted. I understand how board decisions impact the finances, students, employees, and families of the district.

I also have a personal stake in the district’s success. My oldest son just graduated from Saline High School, and my younger son is enrolled there. My experience as a parent has only reinforced what I already knew as an educator: Saline is an amazing district that offers something valuable inside and outside of the classroom. I want to use my knowledge of the district to ensure those experiences are available for future students.

The decisions this board makes in the next four years will shape Saline Area Schools going forward. I am running to build on the strong foundation of the current board and to bring twenty-five years of professional educational experience to that work.

I am asking for your support on November 3.

25

YEARS TEACHING

15

YEARS WORKING WITH SCHOOL FINANCE

25

YEARS LEADING

Practical Leadership - Clear Priorities

  • Why I’m Running

    First, I have a deep knowledge of every corner of this district, which comes from twenty-five years of working with students, parents, colleagues, and administrators. I also know school finance and our budget from fifteen years of negotiating here. That has value for our district.

    Second, I dedicated my professional career to public education and the students of Saline because I believe in the mission. It’s in my veins, head, and heart, and I want to continue serving public education.

    Finally, the people working with students—teachers, bus drivers, secretaries, paraeducators, building administrators—know what works. Listening to them leads to better decisions.

  • My Priorities

    My first priority is to understand the diverse opinions in our district, express disagreement without being divisive, and work well with the board to represent our entire community. I want to continue the steady and balanced leadership that currently exists.

    I also want to ensure our spending prioritizes programming for students. We can’t become a district with a large administrative team and require teachers to lead core classes with 30 to 35 students and cut extracurriculars.

    Finally, I want to strengthen the connection between the board and the needs of our support personnel, teachers, and building admin. Employee retention is a significant issue in schools, including Saline, and I want the board to better understand the root cause of the issue here so that we can attract and retain the best staff.

  • The Budget

    The budget published in late June shows $5.6 million in deficit spending, but that number will change. Since publication, we have learned more about staffing, state funding, and student enrollment, and those factors alone will likely resolve much of the projected deficit.

    In addition, Saline publishes conservative budgets. In the 2024-25 school year, the last year with audited numbers, the difference from the initial budget to the final audited budget was over $6.5 million to the positive.

    If an updated budget still shows a significant deficit, I would start by looking at spending that has grown substantially in recent years but is not directly tied to students.

    Budget cuts that do not reach students are always the right place to look.

  • Staff Retention

    Educators are mission-driven, but they measure job satisfaction the same way most professionals do: compensation, advancement, facilities, and whether leadership treats them like the experts they are.

    Saline’s salary and benefits are quantifiable. The harder issues to understand are how the district is managing the intangibles of professionalism, administrative support, and whether staff‘s expertise is recognized. Those things drive retention too.

    I would encourage the board to view feedback directly from staff. In every organization, what leadership understands and what employees experience are not always the same thing. Closing that gap is a goal of mine.

    After twenty-five years working alongside Saline’s educators, I know what it is like to work in an environment with great employee morale and poor morale. The difference matters to our district.

  • Technology in the Classroom

    I support clear boundaries with reasonable exceptions on cell phones in school. Experience in the classroom has shown me these policies work when teachers know they will be backed up when enforcing them.

    For other forms of classroom technology, the research on best practices exists. Teachers need the time and support to apply them. I would encourage district leadership to allow departments and grade levels to set their own expectations, working collaboratively and grounding the guidelines in research, rather than mandating a one-size-fits-all policy.

    AI deserves specific attention. Students need to understand its potential and risks before they leave our schools. That conversation needs to be part of the curriculum.

  • Declining Enrollment

    Families choose Saline for outstanding academics, a wide range of extracurricular programming, and quality facilities. Protecting those things is the most important strategy available to us.

    We can also look at data to understand where students are going and why. In 2024, the district reported detailed data on why some families were not returning. The state also tracks in-district students who have opted to attend other nearby public schools. Examining both sets of data would provide insight and direction.

    Declining birth rates explain much of the enrollment drop, but the district has a responsibility to fully understand other issues and manage the factors it can.

Endorsements

Supported by Saline’s Educators and Support Staff

The Saline Education Association (SEA) and the Saline Educational Support Personnel Association (ESP) keep the buildings open, lead classrooms, work side-by-side with students, get students to school safely, greet visitors at the front door, and so much more. They are the names and the faces that students and parents know.

In early August, I and several other school board candidates were interviewed by the SEA and ESP. Following that interview, I was endorsed by the teacher and support groups.

I have worked alongside these professional educators for twenty-five years, and they know me well. I am so proud to have their support!

WCDP Forum on the Issues that Matter

In early August, I joined four other school board candidates at a forum covering budgeting, superintendent oversight, accountability, DEI and free expression, and teacher retention, issues that shape this district regardless of where anyone stands politically.

Watch the forum and hear my full responses here.

Following the forum, I was endorsed by the Washtenaw County Democratic Party.