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From financial challenges to the rise of new technology, our school district faces a future of complex change. My commitment is to lead with transparency, a focus on student well-being, and a collaborative spirit that brings together parents, teachers, and the community. By tackling these issues together, we can ensure Gilpin students are prepared for a future where they can thrive.
What's happening in Gilpin County School?
What's happening in Gilpin County School?
I believe our school district has many strengths. For example, our two newer principals are working hard to improve student well-being, streamline curriculum, and create a positive environment. I'm especially delighted to see their efforts toward making all students--not just the athletes--feel seen, supported, and important. This work is essential for building a school community where everyone belongs.
I'm encouraged by the push from the principals to improve communication. When our family was new, important information--from school supply lists and sports registrations to event schedules and volunteer opportunities--was often hard to find. We need clear, consistent, timely, communication so no family feels left out. We can keep improving at this.
My focus will be on:
Setting clear expectations for how and when families receive information.
Improving the parent experience by ensuring key details, like forms, event information, and upcoming deadlines, easily accessible.
Exploring new ways to improve communication, whether through a dedicated assistant or by "crowdsourcing" with parent volunteers to ensure messages are clear and widely shared.
Gilpin School is Great
Gilpin School is Great
Let's take a moment to gush about Gilpin School.
Gilpin School offers small class sizes that allow for individualized instruction. A current initiative is for teachers to use differentiated instruction instead of a purely one-size-fits-all approach to uniquely support each student.
The small community fosters strong relationships among teachers, students, and families. Teachers are truly invested in seeing students thrive and succeed. Parents are welcomed to participate and volunteer. Students themselves are part of the success by helping in classrooms, tutoring, and being leaders in the school community.
In addition to offering a solid core curriculum, the school offers an optional Montessori option for elementary school, AP classes in high school, and a dual enrollment (college) option.
All students are issued a Chromebook, ensuring necessary access for instruction.
The district has consistently been rated as Accredited by the Colorado Dept. of Education.
Diverse co-curricular and extracurricular options are offered; students can participate in band, choir, theater, play, and athletics (football, girls volleyball, spirit, basketball, wrestling, girls soccer, and track and field, with the option of participating in athletics at neighboring schools if the student's sport of interest isn't offered at Gilpin). The small student population means students won't be excluded from participation simply because they haven't been on a club team or taking private lessons since they were 4!
I think it's important to appreciate what is great about the school so we don't risk the temptation to "throw the baby out with the bathwater." Being great doesn't mean we ever stop trying to improve and adapt to ongoing change. So what's on the horizon and what can we improve on?
My priorities
My priorities
Next are three big issues that are impacting districts nationwide.
Financial and Resource Barriers
Financial and Resource Barriers
Our school's budget operates under two major forces: the challenge of state funding tied to per-pupil enrollment and the strength of the Black Hawk Educational Enhancement Tax (EET). While the EET currently puts Gilpin in a better position than many districts, rising costs--from salaries and special education services to basic operational supplies--demand that we plan now to maintain a high-quality education without being forced into difficult cuts down the road.
This fiscal pressure creates operational inefficiencies. For example, the lack of dedicated, full-time tech support means our principals and teachers are pulled away from their primary roles to handle basic IT issues. We must work to minimize these drains on staff time.
My focus: I will work to prioritize budget decisions that protect our core academic programs and explore creative ways to maximize our resources and stretch our resources further, through collaborative community partnerships.
Strategic Oversight of the EET: Ensure the Board acts as a vigilant steward of the Educational Enhancement Tax, maintaining the vital agreement with the City of Black Hawk and directing those funds to their highest strategic impact, namely protecting core academic and support programs.
Data-Driven Operational Efficiency: Apply my background in software and systems to conduct efficiency reviews of our non-instructional spending. The goal is to maximize our existing resources, eliminate operational bottlenecks like fragmented IT support, and redirect savings directly back into the classroom.
Creative Resource Maximization: Explore collaborative, shared service models with neighboring districts or local organizations to secure expertise that we cannot afford full-time (like instructional coach), stretching our Gilpin dollars further.
Personnel and Staffing Barriers
Personnel and Staffing Barriers
The health of our school rests entirely on the quality and dedication of our staff. While we are fortunate to have many excellent long-term educators, we cannot ignore the fundamental threat of the nationwide teacher shortage and the challenge posed by our high cost of living. Our ability to attract and retain top talent is critical to our students' success.
My approach as a Board member will be to treat our personnel as our most valuable resource.
My Focus:
Elevate and Value Current Staff: Actively promote a school culture of respect and support, ensuring our current teachers and staff feel appreciated, heard, and supported in their professional development.
Develop Strategic Retention Initiatives: Advocate for data-driven compensation and benefit reviews to ensure Gilpin's packages are competitive with surrounding districts. I will support the administration in exploring innovative solutions to the housing challenge, which is the single biggest barrier to attracting new, qualified staff.
Invest in Internal Growth: Support pathways for our own amazing paraprofessionals and support staff to pursue teaching licensure, investing in our local community members who are already committed to Gilpin's success.
Student Well-being and Learning
Student Well-being and Learning
Today's students are facing an unprecedented mental health crisis, which fundamentally impacts their ability to learn. To fully support every student, my focus will be to ensure the district’s commitment to academic growth is paired with a clear, dedicated plan to address student mental health.
Separately, we face ongoing challenges from pandemic-related learning loss and rising rates of chronic absenteeism. Addressing these gaps requires a data-driven, systematic approach.
I am encouraged by the Board of Education's October 2024 resolution to expand support for students through differentiated instruction and a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS). This work is essential to ensuring our curriculum meets the diverse needs of all students. My role will be to ensure this initiative is not just a policy on paper, but a fully funded and consistently implemented program.
Beyond traditional academic paths, we must ensure our students are future-ready with skills for a diverse range of high-demand fields. Our great partnership with Warren Tech is a start, but we need to resolve logistical barriers like transportation access. I'm also interested in launching local "learn-and-work" programs that provide hands-on experience and help students graduate ready for the workforce, particularly for students at risk of dropping out.
My Focus - I will work to ensure the district’s initiatives are fully implemented and supported by:
Establishing a Resourced Mental Health System: Advocate for a fully funded mental health support system that goes beyond career counseling, ensuring staff have appropriate training to address in-classroom support needs and support programs are in place to address the entire school environment.
Driving Academic Progress through Data: Leverage data-driven strategies to monitor the success of our MTSS program, actively identifying where students are struggling and ensuring resources are equitably and efficiently deployed to close learning gaps.
Creating Local Career Pathways: Work with local businesses and the administration to develop and pilot internship and apprenticeship programs that provide hands-on, high-value career experience for our students.
Addressing Chronic Absenteeism Systematically: Utilize data to understand the root causes of absenteeism and support the implementation of targeted intervention programs to get students back in the classroom and engaged.
School Safety and Emergency Preparedness
School Safety and Emergency Preparedness
A Compassionate and Effective Approach to School Safety
The fundamental right of every child is to feel safe at school, and parents have a right to feel confident that their children are safe. The issue of school safety encompasses everything from emergency preparedness to addressing the pervasive harm of bullying. My vision for safety is holistic, addressing both physical security and the social and emotional well-being of our students.
I believe our safety plans must be grounded in best practices and informed by the latest research from experts in school safety and child psychology. While necessary for preparedness, our approach to emergency drills and overall safety must be both effective and compassionate.
My Commitment:
Prioritize a Culture of Respect and Anti-Bullying: Bullying is a fundamental breakdown in school safety. We have a strong policy against it, but if reports persist, there may be some failure in communication and consistent enforcement. I will champion measures to clarify for students and parents what bullying is and how the administration is held accountable for immediate and transparent intervention--both to protect the victim and address the underlying behavior of the student who bullies.
Promote Transparency and Best Practices for Drills: While our school is already working to implement age-appropriate drills, we must do a better job of communicating these practices to parents. I will work to ensure our professional staff have the clear, evidence-based direction they need to conduct drills effectively and that families are informed on how these drills are designed to prioritize student well-being.
Strengthen Mental Health Support: Policies must include clear protocols to identify and support students who experience anxiety or distress as a result of drills. This includes providing readily available counseling resources and ensuring staff are equipped with compassionate support to address student needs and full context, not just their behavior.
Ensure Local Accountability: I will work with the District Accountability Committee (DAC) to ensure their role includes assessing our safety policies and providing feedback on their implementation and effectiveness.
Continue Strengthening Partnerships with Law Enforcement: We will continue to build a strong partnership with local law enforcement, including the sheriff's office, to ensure our safety plans are coordinated and effective.
My focus is on ensuring our school has a comprehensive, evidence-based safety plan that prepares our community for emergencies while prioritizing the mental and emotional well-being of our students.
Preparing our students for the age of Artificial Intelligence
Preparing our students for the age of Artificial Intelligence
One of the most significant challenges our students face is the rise of Generative AI. This technology is creating an uncertain future, much like a second industrial revolution, and we must prepare our students to thrive in it.
I will advocate for a curriculum that prioritizes the timeless human skills that AI can't replicate: critical thinking, creativity, emotional intelligence, problem-solving, and adaptability. Our focus must be on teaching students how to learn, so they can acquire new skills in a rapidly changing world.
I am concerned that students will increasingly "offload their thinking" to AI since it makes homework and projects easier. To combat this we need to make a determined effort to find meaningful ways to evaluate student learning that is AI-resistant (that students can't simply paste into AI and print out an answer) and that engages students to be interested in learning.
How I'm thinking about it:
I recently used AI to generate a magazine cover featuring my photo for a class activity. The result, while impressive, had clear mistakes--distorted imagery and typos. This simple exercise highlights a key lesson for our students: AI is a powerful tool, but it requires human judgment and critical thinking to be used effectively.
You can generate a magazine cover with a short prompt, too! Navigate to your favorite GenAI tool, for example, Google Gemini and try this prompt:
Create a magazine cover featuring a photo of me (I have attached it). The magazine title is "Gilpin Voter's Voice," and the main article is about my concerns for the school. Include a few other headlines related to education.
A Balanced Approach to Cell phones
A Balanced Approach to Cell phones
The debate over cell phone bans is a nationwide issue. More than two dozen states have now implemented limits, and studies show mixed results. I believe our district has the right approach: our current policy recognizes that cell phones are valuable tools for learning and safety, but their use must be managed to prevent distraction.
As a parent, I understand the desire to be able to reach your child, especially in an emergency. At the same time, I know that an attentive, distraction-free classroom is essential for learning.
I support a balanced approach that enforces our existing policy while actively seeking solutions that work for our community.
My commitment:
Enforce our current policy (JICJ): Support principals in providing clear, consistent enforcement of the rules that limit phones during class time but do not ban cell phones outright.
Partner with Parents: Provide resources to and encourage a partnership with parents (especially via DAC) to promote responsible technology use at home and at school. To safeguard our current, flexible policy, we need active parental partnership; without it, the negative impacts will leave the Board with little choice but to impose the very total ban that many parents strongly oppose.
Support Our Educators: Ensure our teachers have the training and tools they need to effectively manage technology in their classrooms.
By working together, we can ensure technology serves as a tool for learning and safety, not a source of distraction or harm.
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