School Board Issues

I'm really excited to see how the pre-k pilot goes this year. Early reports are really positive! It's something that has been discussed for longer than I've been on the board, and it is thrilling to see it coming to fruition. The research is clear that early childhood education drastically improves student outcomes. We now have the opportunity to offer this service to the community and make an even bigger difference. There was a recent article in the Indy Star that said Purdue's preschool costs more than Purdue's student tuition. Obviously there is serious need in our community if people are putting their unborn children on preschool waitlists. It's so rewarding to be part of the solution to this problem for our community. These are the sort of big picture projects that are appropriate for the school board, and where we have the chance to really help the community and families.  

The main thing I am currently working on is advocating for increased academic rigor in the GPS and GPS+ diplomas that are to begin with this year's 8th graders. In designing the new diplomas, the state put a great emphasis on work and has lost sight of the fact that our children will live and work in a global economy. They've removed the requirements for foreign language, world history, and economics. I don't believe that our children will be fully educated and ready to succeed with these lower standards. They also will not be eligible for admission to our public universities. I feel that a strong liberal arts background is a great foundation for upward mobility and future education, and if we focus too heavily on work readiness, the employers of the state are simply transferring their responsibility to train their employees to the school system. Dr. Greiner and I met with the state superintendent of education, Katie Jenner, to talk about our concerns. This is happening right now, and we can't afford to wait to advocate for our kids. You can learn more about it here and leave feedback, but I encourage everyone to read some of the less biased news coverage about the changes this system would bring about.

We're also working on streamlining the board policies to align with our legal representation. Our policies were written when we were using a different firm, and so some of them are not consistent with our new representation's practices and opinions. Mainly, there are multiple policies that all say the same thing, so we're simplifying those. This is an ongoing project, and one that may take until my grandchildren graduate, but it is important work.

In more general terms, I think it's important to have board members who love and appreciate the diversity that we have in West Lafayette. I have always been and will continue to be an advocate for LGBTQ+ individuals. I have always been and will continue to be an advocate for diversity of thought and opinion. I believe in the freedom of families to set their own boundaries around books and media, but I don't believe that other families should be able to ban books for my kids based on their personal beliefs. I trust our librarians to curate an appropriate body of material for our students - after all, they went to college to learn that skill! I also trust our administrators to administrate and our teachers to teach. It is not the job of a board member to micromanage the school personnel. West Lafayette has a long tradition of everyone - board, teachers, admin, staff, and parents - working together to help each student achieve to the best of their ability. Kids are best served by collaboration. I will continue to foster a culture of teamwork for our students.