Biography: From my early years of volunteering and working with children, I’ve faced many obstacles but forged my path forward via trade school and eventually working in the legal field. Despite my years of success outside of education, my passion for teaching persisted, leading me to pursue a bachelor’s degree in early childhood and elementary education later in life as a wife and parent to three young children.

As a parent to three Virginia Beach City Public School students, a former teacher, and a resident of District 5, I understand the unique needs of our students and teachers, and the important role a well-functioning school system plays in a thriving community. With over a decade of experience in education, including five years with Virginia Beach City Public Schools, I’ve had the opportunity to demonstrate my commitment to diverse student populations, from gifted learners to those in special education and Title 1 classrooms. I am not a politician, rather a uniquely qualified and passionate advocate for my community. My focus is singular: ensuring that our public schools deliver a high-quality education to every student by concentrating on finding solutions to the real challenges our schools face.

Why are you running for this office?

I am running for the Virginia Beach school board in order to use my knowledge and experience to give back to my community. I firmly believe that for schools to operate effectively, the experience of educators that have been in the classroom and on the front lines working with students is essential. My background in education and recent experience in Virginia Beach schools provides me with this invaluable experience. My objective is to ensure that the children in our school division are receiving the education they need to thrive.

What is the top challenge facing Virginia Beach City Public Schools, and how would you address it?

The top challenge facing Virginia Beach City Public Schools is achieving a budget which prioritizes staff and student needs. In the 2024 – 2025 school year, the division has a budget of nearly $1.2 billion, yet we still face shortfalls with regard to salaries, benefits, and capital improvement project needs. These are in part a result of fiscally irresponsible budgetary practices. When elected, I will critically review the budget and vote for budgetary priorities which reflect the core values of VBCPS, which first and foremost is putting students first. Students need not only safe buildings, but also a sufficient amount of valued faculty and staff. We cannot give students these necessary resources without the budget to do so.

How do you feel about the politicization of public education?

As a citizen and educator, I have watched our school board members waste precious time and resources arguing over problems that are political in nature rather than those actually faced by Virginia Beach City Public Schools. When the board prioritizes politics, our real problems are not being solved. Instead of arguing over which books to remove from libraries, we should be focusing on ensuring students have access to literature that is interesting to them and approved by their parents.

What is your view on banning certain books from school libraries?

As an experienced educator, I know that the only way to foster a love of reading is to provide a variety of interesting literature for students to choose from. No one wants to be forced to read any book, especially one to which the reader can’t relate.

Due to the new book policy, teachers are afraid to provide books to students, and parents are now burdened with the responsibility of providing books for their children. There are many parents across this division that are unable to provide reading materials for their children, which is why the schools have been partnering with libraries to provide those materials.

Our at-risk students are those with the greatest need for access to reading materials; however, now that the division’s partnership with the Virginia Beach Public Library is limited and teachers are severely limited in the books they can provide, students who need access to these materials will have their reading scores impeded even further. We are shooting ourselves in the foot by demanding higher reading scores from students while simultaneously removing their access to books.

Within the last year, the Kempsville High School baseball team was forced to forfeit the season due to racism allegations. How would you ensure there is not a racist culture within schools?

First, the school board needs to immediately and clearly speak out against racism. Those who are elevated to positions of authority have a moral responsibility to use their platform to speak out against racism. Their words carry weight and set the tone for the entire division, as does their silence. When racist videos circulated the internet this summer, I immediately spoke out against these racist actions, including directly to the school board.

Second, the school board should be enacting policies to address racism both inside and out of school. The guidelines should be directly and clearly spelled out with actionable consequences for students who refuse to comply. Our school division should be a place of safety for all students, and a failure to address racism creates an unsafe environment.

How will you still value constituents with whom you disagree with?

To be a good leader, one must be willing to listen, even when it makes them uncomfortable. As a board member, I will listen to and consider the opinions of all constituents, even those who may be passionate in their disagreements. While I will not agree with every single constituent or board member, every person in the community has something of value to offer. If I can have a conversation with someone and learn something from the discussion, then I consider that to be valuable.