I am privileged to be the superintendent of public schools in Monroe County.  The successes of our school district are numerous, and we will continue the great tradition of strong leadership and effective teaching and learning.  Our children are 100% of our future, and they deserve our time, energy, and resources.  Determining what is best for our students shall drive our decision-making in the Monroe County public schools.

As your superintendent, I will continuously plan for school and district-wide improvement as the school system transitions from one superintendent to another.  We have well-prepared, capable, and dedicated faculty and staff throughout our school district.  The teaching of our children hinges on these professionals continuing to grow and develop in their fields of study and continuing to love, nurture, and advocate for their students.  We have a diverse student population, and our success shall be measured by our ability to meet children's needs where they are and move them forward to where they need to be in academics and in life skills.

Our community is important to the success of our public schools, and, likewise, public school is important to the success of Monroe County.  As public school goes, so goes the community.  Therefore, it is imperative that we work together in this reciprocal relationship.  Our community and our public schools face many challenges, and the solutions to these challenges begin with us working together, valuing each other's perspective, advocating for what is right, and finding the common ground that binds us as a community.  As superintendent of Monroe County Public Schools, I encourage your ideas, solicit your suggestions, and will celebrate the solutions that you offer. 

We are in a 21st century world, and we cannot continue to teach our children as if we are in the 19th and 20th centuries. The days of our teachers "standing and delivering" while our students"sit and get" the information, as passive learners, is not our best strategy.  Instead we must engage our children with hands-on, active learning opportunities, and we must embrace technology in our classrooms and utilize technology to prepare our students for a world that expects them to be technology savvy.   

Our schools must be safe-havens for learning.  We will maintain discipline and order so our students will learn and thrive in our schools.  We must teach our children how to disagree agreeably without physical altercations.  We will hold students responsible for their behavior, and we will look to parents to provide needed discipline and guidance so that their child's conduct does not interfere with another child's learning.  Principals are in charge of their schools, teachers are in charge of their classrooms, and we are all accountable to our public. 

Together, we will make our schools safe, orderly, and well-disciplined.  Together, we will prepare our students for college and the work force.  Together, we will build our communities around our schools and our children.  Together, we will make Monroe County public schools a drawing card for business and industry in our community.