Objective
To improve the quality of public education using economically effective strategies; make education available to every child; and make our Gwinnett County school district among the top five in the nation
My goals are to provide a higher quality of education to the students of School District 5.
Additional funds
Allocate additional funds for schools with a large number of physically/economically disadvantaged and non-English speaking students/families.
Keep small class sizes to enhance the learning environment
Each student learns differently. By keeping the class size small, innovative methods of teaching will enable teachers to pinpoint the best approach to promote learning.
Focus on Building Strong Pre-K – 5th Grade Programs
My goal is to make pre-k and the elementary program stronger. When children have a strong education foundation early on, this leads our children to become more successful later in life, A strong early education foundation will lead to a decrease in grade retention, higher passing rates, less time & money spent in special education and better test score results. This would also increase graduation rates. I will strongly support additional Para-professionals in grades 1-5 (elementary school) in those schools where students are trailing behind on test score in order to see improvement.
Motivate parents to participate in school's activities
Parent participation is important for the success of their children. The path to success in school starts at home and parents need to be motivated towards promoting the success of their children. If parents are involved in school activities, then students are more likely to participate in his or her school academic activities. As a result, students will succeed in school and adulthood.
Strong PTA
I will support and assist in promoting strong PTAs. A strong PTA is an effective way for parents, students and teachers to know each other better. Parents will be able to understand the expectations of the teacher and the school. Teachers will better understand the culture and challenges of the child, his family and neighborhood. This deeper understanding of each other should promote more cooperation in working for the educational success of the child. I will also encourage the schools to provide counseling for troubled families because it is very important for the safety of our children, teachers and administrators. If we identify potential problems the family is facing and address them appropriately, the outcome is better for all that are concerned.
Renovate existing schools with high-tech educational facilities
A healthy and safe school environment is important for the success of students. Many schools in District 5 are old and need major renovation, but the present school board has overlooked these schools. My goal is to renovate existing schools and remove trailers with hi-tech educational facilities.
Increase and execute strategies to achieve higher level skills in Mathematics and Science
Mathematics and Science are two of the harder subjects to master, yet they are very important for success in the technical fields, as well as for success in life. By helping increase students' skill levels in Mathematics and Science, students will succeed regardless of whether s/he chooses to attend college or not.
Increase after-school programs
My goal is to increase after school programs for those students who need assistance in order to satisfy their classroom requirements. An after school program will help provide tutoring, mentoring and emphasize reading, which will help students to complete homework and satisfy classroom requirements. After school programs will also help increase all types of test scores such as CRCT and SAT scores. Increased test scores will also help lower the dropout rates.
Increase Test Scores CRCT, SAT and decrease dropout rate
If we take care of all the above goals such as increased funding, maintain small class size, establish a strong pre-K through 5th grade program, motivate parent participation, strenghten our PTAs, install high tech educational equipment strengthen our emphasis on math and science, and increase the number of after school programs, our district's students will achieve improved test scores and there will be a decrease in school dropout rate.
Make our schools and neighborhood safe
Drugs and violence ruin the future of children and our neighborhoods. If we work together to achieve the above noted academic goals, our children, schools and neighborhoods will be safe.
For the success of students, better schools and safe neighborhoods are REQUIRED.
Provide quality services to our teachers
Support the freedom of teachers in classrooms so they may teach in a way that is most comfortable for the teachers as well as meets the learning needs of the students.
Improve safe working conditions at schools
Support and retain qualified teachers in the district
Provide high-tech teaching and professional development to meet all of the needs in the classroom.