Thank You Douglas County!

I’m running for the Douglas County Board of Education as an advocate for parents and taxpayers.  School board directors are elected to represent the voters of Douglas County, not the teachers union and not the District as an entity unto itself.  The Board’s ultimate responsibility is ensuring that the District produces high quality students in a fiscally sound manner.

Teachers are our most important resource.  As an area that offers a high quality of life, Douglas County should be a magnet for the very best teachers.  In the ongoing effort to successfully compete for the most outstanding teachers, I believe the District should overhaul its merit pay system with emphasis being placed on performance, not seniority.  One of the key elements of assessing performance ought to be parent and student evaluations of teachers.

Douglas County residents understand that well funded schools are critical to securing a bright and prosperous future for our kids. The District operates on a budget over $400 million per year and the current leadership would seek to raise taxes as a means of addressing budget pressures. Tax increases implemented during recessions serve to prolong recessions.  Thus, in the current economic environment, with businesses, consumers, and state and local governments all being tasked with doing more with less, I offer you my experience in managing budgets in the millions of dollars in order to help the District achieve the same.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,