Experience: I think it is vital that we have someone with first-hand experience in the classroom on our school board. Based on the biographies available on the EVSD website, none of our current board directors have professional experience as an educator. I do.
As a community college science instructor, I interact with graduates and current students from school districts across Yakima County on a daily basis. I have been consistently impressed with students from EVSD. As a lifelong educator myself, I also know that our teachers, paraeducators, and other support staff face many challenges in the classroom. I will bring a new perspective and my two decades of education experience to the board.
Choice: I believe a strong democracy requires that voters have a choice. All of the current board members were either appointed to their seats or won uncontested elections. Candidates who run unopposed are rarely required to articulate their positions and values to voters. Faced with the prospect of another uncontested school board race appearing on my ballot this Fall, I decided to run myself in order to give East Valley voters a real choice.
Transparency: My wife and I moved to Terrace Heights in 2019. We love it here and now have a one-year son who will be a future EVSD student. As a new parent trying to learn more about what is being discussed at board meetings and how decisions are being made, I’ve been frustrated by the challenge of obtaining this information.
EVSD used to advertise a virtual option for the public to attend board meetings, but as of Spring 2025 this had disappeared from the district website. Meeting minutes contain inadequate detail and lack the supplementary materials needed to know what happened at a meeting if you weren’t there. Parents should be able to keep up with the activities of the school board even if they can’t attend board meetings at 7 pm on Mondays…when many are busy with dinner or getting kids ready for bed.
If elected, I will encourage the board to:
- Resume livestreaming board meetings for parents and general public
- Make recorded meetings available online
- Record greater detail in meeting minutes and post supplementary materials and presentations online
Student Support: Attacks and cuts to education funding at the Federal level stand to impact our students. Federal dollars often go towards supporting the most vulnerable and marginalized students in our district. According to 2024-2025 budget documents, EVSD anticipated approximately $4.0 million in Federal funding that was primarily used to provide:
- “specialized support for students who are underperforming in reading and/or math”
- “special services for special needs students”
- “free breakfasts and lunches for students”
With the future status of this funding uncertain, difficult budget decisions are possible in the coming years. I will ensure that the needs of affected students are prioritized in these decisions. Our teachers and public schools are the backbone of our society and they deserve the full support of our local, state, and federal governments. As an individual, I will always advocate for fully funding our schools!