Focused on the issues that matter most to South St. Paul students, families, and educators.
WHERE I STAND
1. Student Mental Health, Safety & Belonging
Focused on the issues that matter most to South St. Paul students, families, and educators.
Students learn the best when they feel safe, supported and valued for who they are. That safety should extend beyond the classroom to school busses, bus stops, activities, and the journey to and from school.
Mental health, bullying, trauma, disabilities, and unmet basic needs can all affect a student's ability to learn and participate in school.
I WILL ADVOCATE FOR
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Accessible mental health services
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Early intervention
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Inclusive and accessible classrooms
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Strong supports for LGBTQIA+ students
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Effective special education for disabled and neurodivergent students
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Clear safety plans and trusted support plans for immigrant and newcomer students and families
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Written action plans for bullying and harassment that include family communication, meaningful accountability, ongoing follow-up, and restorative practices when safe and appropriate
Every student — regardless of their identity, ability, language, background, or immigration status — deserves to know they belong in South St. Paul and that the adults around them will show up for them.
2. Literacy and Math Achievement
Most of our students in our middle and high school today were still building the foundational reading and math skills when the COVID pandemic disrupted their classrooms. Those effects did not disappear when schools reopened. The pandemic deepened the achievement gaps that already existed in Minnesota. As a state, we continue to have significant disparities based on race and income. In South St. Paul, students are making growth, however Black, Hispanic, and low-income students continue to face those achievement gaps.
I WILL ADVOCATE FOR
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Identifying learning gaps early
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Targeted small-group tutoring through the school day so support is available to all students, not only families who can afford private tutoring or transportation.
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Additional Tutoring and learning opportunities before and after school and during the summer
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Regular progress conversations and follow up with students and families
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Clear and measurable goals for closing achievement gaps with progress reported by student group so we are able to track who is benefiting and who is struggling, and where changes are needed.
This plan is based off of practices which were developed in other districts and implemented similar practices and saw their math and literacy rates increase significantly. These are evidence-based practices that are affordable and reasonable and take into consideration the challenges our schools are facing.
3. Chronic Absenteeism and Student Engagement
Far too many of our kids are missing school, but it is important to understand that there is no single reason why. Mental health challenges, bullying, academic struggles, transportation issues, housing instability, family crises, fear related to Immigration enforcement, and feeling disconnected or unsafe from school all impact school attendance.
Accountability matters however we cannot solve chronic attendance issues through punishment or truancy referrals. We need to respond early, listen to students and families, identify what is getting in the way, and create a clear plan for getting students reconnected with school.
I WILL ADVOCATE FOR
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Identifying attendance concerns early before occasional absences become a long-term pattern
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Personal outreach from a consistent, trusted adult that builds a relationship with the student and family
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Relationship-focused meetings in a location that feels safest for the student and their family – in home, school, or another location – not visits intended to intimate or punish families.
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Individualized, written attendance plans which are created with students and families that identify barriers, establish clear expectations, accountability, and responsibilities, connect families with support, and include consistent follow-up.
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Stronger coordination with city, county, and community partners to address mental health, housing, food insecurity, transportation, health care, bullying, tutoring and other barriers which are impacting attendance.
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Measurable goals and transparent reporting which will help us track which approaches are helping students return to school and where changes are needed.
These goals do not excuse absences or remove accountability instead they create a collaborative relationship between our schools and our families which helps build trust and connection, remove barriers we can, and help our students feel safe.
This plan is based off of practices which were developed in other districts and implemented similar practices and saw attendance rates increase by 9-16 points. These are evidence-based practices that are affordable and reasonable and take into consideration the challenges our schools are facing.
4. Supporting Educators and School Staff
When I talk to educators, I consistently hear the same challenges: chronic absenteeism, increasingly complex behaviors, and growing student mental health needs are leading to burn out and overwhelm. Teachers and school staff are being asked to manage all of this while also educating every student. Our educators and school staff cannot do their best when they are stretched too thin or do not have the tools and support they need.
Supporting students and holding them accountable need to be something educators feel they can confidently do to support their classrooms. Clear consequences are an important part of addressing challenging behavior, but they must also be paired with support that helps students understand expectations, repair harm, and encourage better choices. Educators and other students should not be expected to be exposed to behavior that makes classrooms unsafe.
I WILL ADVOCATE FOR
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Enough educators and special education staff to meet student needs including teachers, paraprofessionals, subs, and behavioral support professionals.
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Ongoing training in de-escalation, trauma-informed practices, disabilities, neurodivergence, mental health and classroom behavior.
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Restorative justice groups as an appropriate response to certain behavior levels, with participation handled carefully by people trained in restorative practices and never forced upon a student who has been harmed.
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Individualized, written plan for students experiencing ongoing behavioral challenges, created with families and reviewed consistently to ensure they are working.
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Clear, school-wide expectations and appropriate consequences that are applied consistently, regardless of who is involved.
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Strong administrative follow-through so educators can intervene early and respond when a student is in crisis.
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Manageable workloads, competitive wages, and respect for staff members’ time and expertise to reduce burn out and improve retention.
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Administration, school board, and Superintendent decision making that takes into mind how the policies and decisions they make are impacting educators and school staff’s working conditions and classrooms.
5. Family and Community Partnership
Families should not have to know the right person, have the right relationship, or have to make repeated phone calls to fight for answers and get support for their children. When families face struggles due to what’s happening in their communities or internal family systems, schools should not be a struggle for them to navigate but should be a partnership to make things easier for the students. Families should have confidence that their schools will hear their concerns and that they will be followed up on and that students will have the support they need.
Our schools cannot address the variety of issues that their students are dealing with which is impacting learning – chronic absenteeism, student mental health, housing instability, food insecurity, transportation, and other community challenges alone. It will take collaboration between our schools, families, city, county, and community organizations to truly be able to address and support our schools and families.
I WILL ADVOCATE FOR
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Clear and accessible communication so that families understand what is happening, who to contact, and what steps need to be taken to support their student and consistent follow through that would include a clear timeline and updates throughout the process.
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Communication in the languages that families use and information broken down in a way that is understandable to people with different abilities and levels of familiarity with school systems.
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Increased opportunities for students and families to share their experiences and help shape decisions. This may includ listening sessions, advisory groups, surveys and community conversations. Again, these will be broken down in ways that are understandable to people with differing abilities and levels of familiarity with school systems.
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Holding meetings and engagement opportunities at different times and locations so that families with different schedules can participate and feel safe and supported to participate. It is also important to have parents from various backgrounds, experiences and languages represented in these spaces so that all of our community feels welcomed to the table.
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Stronger partnerships with city, county, local organizations, libraries, businesses, and community groups to connect students and families with needed services such as basic-needs assistance, mental health care, housing support, mentoring, and other supports outside of school.
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Real and regular collaboration between the school board and city leaders on issues that are impacting students both inside and outside of school. I am advocating for a regular meeting that occurs between our city leaders, school board, and school leaders.
We know that strong public schools are imperative to strong communities. Good public schools are good local government make great cities and together they create a foundation for a thriving and strong community.
6. Responsible Budgets, Transparency, and Long-Term Planning
A school’s district budget is more than a collection of numbers – it reflects our priorities. I believe that every budgetary decision should be thoughtful, transparent, and should be centered around students and educator’s needs, while being cognizant to the fact that each and every decision impacts families and our wider community.
Being fiscally responsible doesn’t mean cutting everything. That would be detrimental to our students and families, as well as our educators. As a district with limited budgetary resources, we are aware that we have somewhat limited resources compared to other larger districts, so we need to be aware of how to use those resources wisely, look at if our investments are working, consider long-term needs while ensuring that our short-term decision are not creating larger and far more expensive problems down the road.
I WILL ADVOCATE FOR
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Student-centered budget decisions that protect classroom instruction, student support, adequate staffing and ensures the resources our educators need.
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Clear, plain-language explanations of the budget to ensure all community members can understand where the funding comes from, how it’s spend, and why decisions are made the way they are.
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Regular evaluation of programs and spending to determine what is working, what needs improvement, and where changes need to be made. We should not continue to put money into a program that is not having success!
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Long-term, pro-active planning for increasing enrollment, staffing. facilities, technology, and changing student needs. We want to be pro-active when making budgetary decisions before issues become urgent and more expensive and we are having to react and spend more money on issues. This is especially important when it comes to repairs and maintenance.
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Seeking grants, partnerships, shared services, available state or federal funding to expand needed resources without placing the entire burden upon taxpayers.
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Clearer education about where tax dollars are being spent, why the tax dollars are being asked for, and what the plan is for the tax dollars so that our community members feel secure in where their dollars are going into our schools.
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Present voter education about school funding proposals and issues, including the Permanent School Fund Amendment which will be on the ballot this November 2026.
I will ask questions, expect clear answers, and when I don’t know the answer, I will find the person who does. Our community deserves to know where its money is going, and our students deserve thoughtful planning that protects their education and their schools.
Focused on the issues that matter most to South St. Paul students, families, and educators.
WHERE I STAND
1. Student Mental Health, Safety & Belonging
Focused on the issues that matter most to South St. Paul students, families, and educators.
Students learn the best when they feel safe, supported and valued for who they are. That safety should extend beyond the classroom to school busses, bus stops, activities, and the journey to and from school.
Mental health, bullying, trauma, disabilities, and unmet basic needs can all affect a student's ability to learn and participate in school.
I WILL ADVOCATE FOR
-
Accessible mental health services
-
Early intervention
-
Inclusive and accessible classrooms
-
Strong supports for LGBTQIA+ students
-
Effective special education for disabled and neurodivergent students
-
Clear safety plans and trusted support plans for immigrant and newcomer students and families
-
Written action plans for bullying and harassment that include family communication, meaningful accountability, ongoing follow-up, and restorative practices when safe and appropriate
Every student — regardless of their identity, ability, language, background, or immigration status — deserves to know they belong in South St. Paul and that the adults around them will show up for them.
DONATE
Small-dollar gifts buy the signs and the mailers
VOLUNTEER
An hour of door knocking moves more votes than anything else.
YARD SIGN
Put her name on your corner & spread the word!
VOLUNTEER
An hour of door knocking moves more votes than anything else.
YARD SIGN
Put her name on your corner & spread the word!
My first coffee in the park!
PULL UP A CHAIR
& CONNECT!
I'm hosting community meetings across South St. Paul to hear what's on your mind. Sign up and I'll let you know when the next one's near you!