Why are you running for this office?

I am running for office because I deeply believe in the mission and purpose of public education and its critical role in fostering economic empowerment and social mobility for our youth. School is quickly becoming the safety zone for many communities and is where youth go to eat breakfast, to learn, to build friendships, and to figure out their purpose in life. As a parent with two children in public schools, I am personally invested in ensuring our schools are well-funded and stable. I believe that we need people on our School Board that have a strong professional background and who are firm believers in public education and the role it plays in educating our children.

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

Nationally, there’s a significant teacher shortage that is impacting staffing. Locally, this shortage is manifesting in our schools, where we see its impact from bus drivers to classrooms not being fully staffed that leads to larger class sizes. This issue is significant because it directly impacts the quality of education and the safety of our students. I believe that if we want to have the best possible outcomes for our students, then that starts with well paid educators and staff as they are the frontline of the educational experience. Equally important on the frontline of the educational experience are the physical buildings where our students learn, as we urgently need new schools and upgrades to existing facilities.

In order to address these issues locally, we must advocate for having the highest competitive pay in the region, develop pathways for professional development and growth, form meaningful partnerships with talent pipelines, and ensure that the City Council provides the needed funds for our growth. We must also advocate at the state and federal level for financial support for our infrastructure.

How do you feel about the politicization of public education?

It is extremely unfortunate that school board races and public education continue to be at the center of politicization. I was recently reading through the amount of money spent on School Board races in 2023 in the State of Virginia and it is honestly sad that some elections are costing well over hundreds of thousands of dollars. Just imagine if we took that cash and invested into our academics, playgrounds, or staff. Both sides of the political aisle constantly accuse the other side of having a political agenda. I think we absolutely need to get back to the things that matter, which is our children learning, pursuing academic excellence, and letting teachers teach.

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

Book bans deprive our students of vital knowledge and violate their right to learn, while also introducing unwanted political agendas into our classrooms. It is important that the lived experiences of our diverse students are found in the books that are available in our libraries. Parents currently have the power to control their children’s access to specific materials under Virginia law and I fully support parent’s active involvement in their children’s education and engagement with the books their kids are reading. It is essential to review, analyze, and update standards, but this responsibility should rest with educators and experts and not political organizations. I understand that there are concerns over the content of some books and I would encourage individuals to follow the set process in place to review said materials. I believe that librarians and specialists have done a good job at defining age appropriateness for book availability for our youth and we should continue to allow them to do their jobs in which they were trained to do.

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?

Anti-racism must be integral to our values as an organization. As a school system, we must champion diversity, equity, and inclusion, and stand firm on the belief that every student, regardless of sexual orientation, socio-economic background, religious identity, gender, or racial identity, has the right to access education and a safe learning environment. In my past professional experiences, I have worked extremely hard at building evidence-based inclusive communities that promoted equitable learning. In order to achieve this goal, first it starts with ensuring that our values are properly communicated and that all staff are allocated professional development time to adequate training on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Next, students and parents need a clear way to safely report incidents that have a well written process to address issues. Further, I would look at ways to measure student sentiment and achievement and have transparency on reporting these metrics to the public. When we as an organization stand firm on our values, have clear processes to address issues, have well trained staff, and clear metrics to assess if we are hitting goals, then I believe this process will help ensure there is not a racist culture and address issues when they arrive.

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

Every single parent and caregiver wants their kids to learn and obtain academic excellence while in school and it is important that we clearly keep this as our North Star. My commitment to my constituents in District Seven is to have open office hours on a regular basis, attend events at schools across the district, and really meet with people in more informal activities in order to encourage dialogue. Further, as a policymaker, it is extremely important to have a diverse range of perspectives because that strengthens our decision-making process and leads to more well-rounded and effective policies.