As the Sterling District member of the LCPS School board, my goal is to support and advocate for the unique needs of the students, families, and staff of the Sterling District schools.
It has been my honor and privilege to serve the Sterling District on the Loudoun County School Board since 2011. My service to the community began when our oldest child started Kindergarten at Forest Grove Elementary School and continues after our youngest graduated from Park View High School. I believe if you want to raise your children in a happy and safe environment, you must contribute to make it happy and safe. My husband and I volunteered at every level of school, and in every extracurricular activity our children participated in throughout their school careers. We continue to attend their concerts and performances in college. Being present and visible has been a core belief of our parenting and advocacy for our children.
During all of these years, volunteering and advocacy have become my greatest joy and passion. I have learned so much about the Sterling community, the people who live here, and how dedicated the staff in our schools are to ensuring our children have an exceptional educational experience. What I have also come to learn through my experience as a substitute teacher, volunteer, parent, and school board member is the disparity that exists within our school division as a whole. As school board members, we should never allow even one school to be inferior or perceived as subpar to the rest of the schools in our division. This is the very reason, before making a decision or taking a position, I look at every question through an equity lens. Representing all 8 of the Title I schools in Loudoun is a huge responsibility. While we have made tremendous progress putting programs and polices in place to move towards closing the opportunity gap, there is still so much work to do!
When I'm asked why I ran for a third term, my answer is simple: I have made it my mission to speak for those who do not have a voice. We finally have a committee in place to address the issue of equity in our school division. I advocated for the creation of this committee for most of my tenure on the board. I am the chair of this committee, and although it is challenging, I look forward to continuing the difficult conversations that we must have in order to close the opportunity gap. I believe it is the most critical issue this school division is currently addressing and I want to continue the important work we have started.