accomplishments
Whether it’s helping a parent with a bus stop problem or passing a budget that puts our children and employees first; it all feels important. Working collaboratively with Superintendent Hanna and my school board colleagues, we have accomplished a lot over the past 7+ years.
Proud of My Record
- Provided leadership and a steady hand by keeping our schools open while providing virtual options, keeping our families and school staff safe during the COVID Crisis
- Helped Hartsfield Elementary School become an officially designated IB Primary Years Program, bringing a new, high-quality, and exciting inquiry-based curriculum available to all families.
- Created a District Sustainability Committee with incentives to reduce energy usage and to get students involved in sustainability projects like growing gardens, recycling, and reducing food waste.
- Led the School Board and Superintendent to place free menstrual products in secondary girls’ bathrooms to address “period poverty” helping to eliminate embarrassment and absenteeism.
- Pushed funding for getting classroom books approved and back on teachers’ shelves more rapidly.
- Led the charge to keep books like “I Am Billie Jean King” on elementary library bookshelves.
- Advocated for protecting our most vulnerable students, including our LGBTQ students who nationally have the highest suicide rate.
- Passed policy to provide Recess every day for Leon County elementary students.
- Passed a policy so that Kindergarteners and first graders no longer receive Ds or Fs on report cards.
- Funded School safety measures, including hiring certified law enforcement officers and mental health counselors.
- Allocated funds for pay raises, student activities, deans for middle schools, emergency reserves, and school safety monitors and behavior specialists.
- Serve on the Southside Foundation to enhance learning opportunities for our students cradle to career.
Accomplishments with the Superintendent and School Board
• Fortified School Hardening Measures/ Created Single Points of Entry.
• Armed Officers at All Schools/ Additional Officer at Each High School.
• Funded 50 Security Monitors to Assist Armed Officers at All Schools.
• Purchased Weapons Detection Dog.
• Instituted Anonymous Reporting App for Students at All Middle and High Schools.
• Utilizing Zero Eyes Camera Software that Identifies an Individual with a weapon.
• Extended School Security Hours for After School Programs.
• 24/7 monitoring of Social Media threats to students, staff and schools.
• Invested 10 million Dollars to Purchase Every Student A Mobil Learning Device’.
• Purchased CANVIS Learning Management Platform for All Teachers and Students.
• Graduation rates rank top 10 in the state
• Strategic Focus on Early Learning Initiatives from Birth to Age 5.
• Built Partnerships with Early Learning Coalition and Local Providers.
• Developed A Community Pop Up Pre-School Program and Built a Mobil Classroom.
• Created “Littles to Leaders” Program for New and Expectant Mothers.
• $500 thousand Dollars of Additional Annual Funding for Middle and High School Arts Programs.
• $500 Thousand Dollars of Additional Annual Funding for High School Athletic Programs.
• Middle School Athletic Programs Free of Fees for Students and Parents.
• Added Middle School Baseball For 2023/2024 School Year.
• Beginning Teacher Salary Increased From $36,500 To $47,500.
• Veteran Teacher Salary Increased By $10,700.
• Minimum Wage Increased From $9.34-$15.00 Per Hour.
• Bus Driver Salaries Increased By $7.34 Per Hour.
• Para Professional Salaries Increased By 35 Percent.
• Completed Rickards High School—2 New Classroom Wings (42 classrooms) and Site Improvement (60 million Dollars)
• Completed Fairview Middle School—New Classrooms/New Cafeteria/ Gym Remodeling (30 million Dollars)
• Completed New Athletic Fields and Tracks for All High School (8 million Dollars)
In-Progress
• W.T. Moore Elementary School—Site Expansion/New Classrooms (12 million Dollars)
• Hartsfield Elementary School—New Cafeteria 9 million Dollars
• Leon High School—Gym Renovation and Remodeling (10 million Dollars)
• Nimes Middle School—New Cafeteria/ Gym Renovations (12 million Dollars)
• Griffin Middle School–New Cafeteria/Gym/Classroom Building (36 million Dollars)
In-Planning
• Rae Middle School—New Gym/Performing Center, 2 New Classroom Wings (40 million Dollars)
• Cobb Middle School—Complete School Rebuild (50 million Dollars)
• Reduced Capital Debt by Over 140 million Dollars.
• Leon County Schools on Track to Be 100 Percent Debt Free By 2028.
• Developing Plans to Renew Half Penny Sales Tax Initiative to Support New Construction,
• Remodeling/Renovation, Maintenance of Facilities, Technology, Bus Replacement.
• Visited schools and helped them with their specific needs. Judged spelling bees, spoke at awards and promotion ceremonies.
• Active in South City Foundation
• Active in Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce and Big Bend Minority Chamber events
