Five Pillars
Mark's Platform
Putting students at the heart of all we do.
Schools exist because there are students. As a school board member, I take great care to keep students at the center of every decision I make. Every classroom, cafeteria, playground, and bus ride must be a safe and nurturing environment. The climate and culture of a school is created and maintained by all of its skilled, and wonderful staff. As a school board, we need to model the expected civility, professionalism, tolerance, and passion that we expect our staff to exhibit as well.
Ensuring fiscal responsibility for stability.
I firmly believe financial decisions within a school district need to be human-centered and data-driven. Our vision, mission, and beliefs are important as we decide what to do next. A district’s budget is a direct reflection of its values. Priorities get funded and the funding itself should be informed by the community’s desires. I believe a school district must operate within its means to avoid a dangerous “feast and famine” cycle in the years that follow. By being fiscally responsible in the moment, school board members will ensure that future students receive the resources necessary to succeed. With my 35+ years of experience as a principal, superintendent, and school board member, managing multimillion dollar budgets, I am equipped to help avoid these cycles and build towards a better future for our community.
Bringing a systemic vision and creative-thinking.
As a school board member, we need to consider the pressing needs of the students that we represent, the desires of the families that we serve, the broad spectrum of “future ready” skills that our society needs, and the unintended consequences of our decisions. It is likely that the majority of jobs today’s ninth graders will have do not even exist today. Strong instruction in the basic skills, exposure to different exploratory courses, access to the arts, and a wide assortment of extracurricular sports and activities will be critical as we move forward as a school district and a community. The Pathways program currently being developed int he Hastings High school is a perfect example of a program that allows students choice and voice in their own personal preparation.
Supporting all students, staff, and families.
We often hear the phrase, “treat other people the way that you want to be treated.” However, it’s my personal belief that this statement does not go far enough. I often consider changing that statement to read as —“treat other people the way that they want to be treated.” As school board members, it is part of our job to see and feel the school experience from a multitude of perspectives. Part of our empathetic responsibility extends to those students who feel “othered” or “unsafe” to be themselves in an academic setting. Each child needs to be able to come to school as their whole, authentic self. As a school district, it is ISD 200’s duty to ensure that all students and families have opportunities to project their voice and be heard. It's not what is best for me as an individual, but what is desired and needed by the community as a whole.
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The present teacher shortage is real and will sustain for many years. As a school board, we also need to continually find ways to express our gratitude and pride to all of our staff. We need to trust the expertise, knowledge, talent, and experience of our teachers, paraprofessionals, cooks, custodians, administrators, nurses, secretaries, and counselors. It can be as easy as slowing down and expressing how thankful we are for the services that they provide. It is also critical for us school board members to model the respect, trust, and gratitude that we expect with our staff members as well.
Building upon our current successes and high performance, it is my intention to make Hastings a Destination District —somewhere that, because of out budding progress, attracts families and students; while continuing to add highly talented staff onto it’s roster. In order for this to occur, we need to let the bright lights shine on our staff, and resect their knowledge, training, wisdom and experience.
Leading with experience and compassion.
With more than three decades of experience in Hastings Public Schools, I know the school system and the community very well. I understand the multitude of agencies and governmental bodies that the schools collaborate with. My experience as a principal, teacher, and superintendent inform my perspective. I am creative, and I am knowledgeable about school finance and school law. I understand the relationship between school law, policy, procedure, and practices. As a school board member, I know how to “stay in my lane” and focus on policy level leadership.
I care deeply about the children of this community. I have chosen to run for the vacant school board position because I am passionate about dedicating my skills and leadership experience to the most important cause… our children. I am emotionally intelligent. I am a good listener and I am a natural consensus builder and collaborator. The true gift of collaboration is not only that ‘many hands make light work’, but that collaboration begets a better outcome and broader buy-in from all that have contributed.