Candidate Questionnaires

Kids Physical Health

What will you do as School Board Commissioner to ensure oversight and implementation of the mandated 20-minute recess policy and that recess isn't taken away as a form of punishment?

This is appears to be a straightforward matter of leadership in schools. I am aware that not all schools comply with this policy and I expect the superintendent to correct this.

Research shows that children often learn best through play. How will you support the implementation of play-based curriculum through NYS Next Generation learning standards?

I understand that play is an important part of education and child development, and is an important connection to school climate. I would support learning standards that are better in terms of play than the standards in place in recent years (common core).

How will you as a School Board Commissioner make sure that children are receiving comprehensive health education in elementary schools and that it doesn't take a backseat to other core subjects?  How will Professional Development play a role?

Health education is required in elementary school but many schools are not complying fully. I would start by learning about state requirements for health education and then learning about how RCSD has been implementing them. Professional development is an important tool for many areas of improved teaching, but it is also necessary to ensure that staffing is adequate and that teachers are supported in terms of time and resources devoted to health education.

What specific innovations or programs would you push forward to ensure every child has access to healthy and appealing school meals and snacks?

I would work with other board members and the superintendent to make sure that healthy meals that children will eat are a priority. Health education about healthy eating could also increase the chances of students making healthy choices at lunch and breakfast.

Kids Social Emotional Health

What specific programs or funding would you introduce to provide trauma informed practices in the Rochester City School District? How will you ensure that partner agencies are well-versed in these practices?

I would work with board members and the superintendent to ensure ongoing commitment and expansion of trauma informed practices, and ongoing professional development, in RCSD. Partner agencies must clearly understand expectations with respect to all student centered practices including trauma informed approaches.

Do you support long-term funding for restorative practices coaches in our schools?  Why or why not?

As a founding member of the Community Task Force on School Climate, I absolutely support and have actively, continuously and strategically advocated from deepened quality where restorative practices are in place, and for expansion of restorative practices into all schools. I know and value the restorative practices coaches, and collaborate with them often.

As School Board Commissioner, how would you leverage existing community resources to support the social emotional health of all kids in the district? How would you promote collaboration among these resources?

RCSD can do a better job of communicating with community agencies who want to help, and who have resources to offer. At the same time, it is important that board members monitor the cost effectiveness and outcomes of programs that are run by contracted agencies. As community leaders and financial stewards, board members play an important role in developing long term, financially responsible collaborations to benefit students.

Do you support the use of culturally responsive curriculum? If yes, will you work to ensure it is implemented? If no, please explain.

I support culturally responsive curriculum and pedagogy. I know that some very high quality materials and professional development resources are ignored by some of our educators - I would like to see the board and superintendent work with school chiefs (and unions if necessary) to ensure that cultural knowledge and culturally responsive pedagogy are required and non-negotiable. This is consistent with restorative practices because you cannot be restorative without strong relationships. You cannot build relationships if you are disconnected from the students you are trying to teach.

What have you done to champion children and whole child health within Rochester?

I am a member of the Whole Child Health Action Plan team, representing Dr. Walter Cooper Academy.

Parent and Family Engagement

What models and policies for parent and family engagement have you seen in similar districts across the country that you would like to bring to Rochester? Why do you believe they would be effective in RCSD?

Respondent skipped this question

What will you do as School Board Commissioner to support the Office of Parent Engagement to adopt and implement your ideas?  What do you see as barriers to parent and family engagement?

Respondent skipped this question

With the lack of neighborhood schools, parent and family engagement can often be a challenge.  As the neighborhood school (a majority of students attending a school coming from the surrounding neighborhood) and community school (coordinated community resources to meet the needs of the school community) models gain popularity among RCSD families - where do you stand on the issue?

Respondent skipped this question

Did you attend or have you had children enrolled in RCSD? How has this impacted your approach/views on Parent Engagement?

Respondent skipped this question

Priorities

Prioritize the following "10" polices, programs, and budget priorities using the numbers 1-10. (1 being the highest, 10 being the lowest)

Respondent skipped this question

Please provide your rationale for the above prioritization.

Respondent skipped this question

Kids Physical Health

What will you do as School Board Commissioner to ensure oversight and implementation of the mandated 20-minute recess policy and that recess isn't taken away as a form of punishment?

As a commissioner I would work closely with superintendent and building staff to make sure this policy is being rolled out and adhere to.

Research shows that children often learn best through play. How will you support the implementation of play-based curriculum through NYS Next Generation learning standards?

Keeping our students engaged is very important to me, in order to implement any curriculum I first would do my own research and them allow parents (students)and school staff to vote on what they would like in the district.

How will you as a School Board Commissioner make sure that children are receiving comprehensive health education in elementary schools and that it doesn't take a backseat to other core subjects?  How will Professional Development play a role?

Understanding the role that the district plays in our children lives is very important, In many cases the school has become the primary provider. Health Ed is Essential to the development of our students I will lead the charge on making our students receive a comprehensive curriculum on health/wellness. Great Segway to professional development the more Exposure our children get to any positive development closes the gap on drop-out rates and teen pregnancy and gives them a leg up in society.

What specific innovations or programs would you push forward to ensure every child has access to healthy and appealing school meals and snacks?

I would like meals to reflect our children/students and equipment classroom with snacks and supplies closet.

Kids Social Emotional Health

What specific programs or funding would you introduce to provide trauma informed practices in the Rochester City School District? How will you ensure that partner agencies are well-versed in these practices?

Enhance restorative practices and more community partnerships with churches hospitals and agencies such as ABC Center for youth Ibero.

Do you support long-term funding for restorative practices coaches in our schools?  Why or why not?

Yes

As School Board Commissioner, how would you leverage existing community resources to support the social emotional health of all kids in the district? How would you promote collaboration among these resources?

Being apart of the agency network I know a little bit about access it. So I would make it my personal responsibility to seek out partnerships in the community.

Do you support the use of culturally responsive curriculum? If yes, will you work to ensure it is implemented? If no, please explain.

Yes, it important curriculum reflects our Demographic.

What have you done to champion children and whole child health within Rochester?

I have been a youth development Facilitator and I have been a community asset navigator I have been a football and basketball coach and a advocate for youth voice and choice in government.

Parent and Family Engagement

What models and policies for parent and family engagement have you seen in similar districts across the country that you would like to bring to Rochester? Why do you believe they would be effective in RCSD?

I believe in best practices and being parents informed.

What will you do as School Board Commissioner to support the Office of Parent Engagement to adopt and implement your ideas?  What do you see as barriers to parent and family engagement?

Enhance the office with more field support

With the lack of neighborhood schools, parent and family engagement can often be a challenge.  As the neighborhood school (a majority of students attending a school coming from the surrounding neighborhood) and community school (coordinated community resources to meet the needs of the school community) models gain popularity among RCSD families - where do you stand on the issue?

I Believe in neighborhood schools and parents choice the neighborhood school will not thrive if the community around it is not thriving.

Did you attend or have you had children enrolled in RCSD? How has this impacted your approach/views on Parent Engagement?

I have a child in rcsd and Countless niece is a nephews I know that parents being engaged is pivotal to the success of student education and graduation .

Priorities

Prioritize the following "10" polices, programs, and budget priorities using the numbers 1-10. (1 being the highest, 10 being the lowest)

• Create policies and incentives to ensure diversity in the district workforce (I.e. From building level staff, teachers, and those at Central Office).

  1

• Ensure all Pre-K to 3rd grade classrooms in the districts have access to and implement a play-based curriculum.

  2

• Ensure adequate funding for all paraprofessionals to receive professional development appropriate to their role.

  3

• Increase funding for culturally appropriate and trauma informed professional development for all adults who work with children in the district.

  4

• Develop a school board policy that commits to prioritizing parents for open positions in RCSD.

  5

• Allocate funding to modernize and install water bottle fillers in every school to promote healthy habits.

  6

• Ensuring the community has access to school building seven days a week by implementing with fidelity the Community Use of Schools policy.

  7

• Create a district-level position specifically to support the implementation of whole child health in the district's wellness policy.

  8

• Promote the development of school vegetable garden programs to teach nutrition education and develop lifelong healthy habits.

  9

• Work with NYS to pilot busing within 1.5 miles as part of a neighborhood schools initiative.

  10

Please provide your rationale for the above prioritization.

Respondent skipped this question

Kids Physical Health

What will you do as School Board Commissioner to ensure oversight and implementation of the mandated 20-minute recess policy and that recess isn't taken away as a form of punishment?

I will ask for every school to produce reports on this matter and will introduce a budget that increases the funding for restorative practices.

Research shows that children often learn best through play. How will you support the implementation of play-based curriculum through NYS Next Generation learning standards?

I will fight to ensure teachers have the proper tools to participate in this curriculum. I will also work to roll out this initiative in the professional development teachers receive.

How will you as a School Board Commissioner make sure that children are receiving comprehensive health education in elementary schools and that it doesn't take a backseat to other core subjects?  How will Professional Development play a role?

I will ensure the district forms better partnerships with community agencies who can help provide these services to students, families, and staff. Professional development plays a huge role in this because we can give teachers the proper tools to participate in this endeavor.

What specific innovations or programs would you push forward to ensure every child has access to healthy and appealing school meals and snacks?

I believe the school district should work with Food Link to ensure every child has access to healthy and appealing school meals and snacks.

Kids Social Emotional Health

What specific programs or funding would you introduce to provide trauma informed practices in the Rochester City School District? How will you ensure that partner agencies are well-versed in these practices?

Trauma-informed practices is a huge part of my platform because kids cannot succeed if there are social factors that prohibit them from being in class or focusing on their school work. Again, we must work closely with community agencies to ensure the school district is versed in these practices.

Do you support long-term funding for restorative practices coaches in our schools?  Why or why not?

Yes, restorative practices are huge to ensure every child has a quality education. Much research shows restorative practices has an impact on student achievement.

As School Board Commissioner, how would you leverage existing community resources to support the social emotional health of all kids in the district? How would you promote collaboration among these resources?

I will present a budget that will decentralize the school district and invest more funding in school buildings. Social-emotional health is huge because this district desperately needs more social workers and other staff tending to the emotional needs of students and families.

Do you support the use of culturally responsive curriculum? If yes, will you work to ensure it is implemented? If no, please explain.

Yes, I support culturally responsive curriculum. I will work hard to ensure the district implements the curriculum. In fact, I presented at the Teach to Lead Conference, sponsored by the US Department of Education, on this topic when I was a longterm substitute at Vanguard High School and Leadership Academy for Young Men.

What have you done to champion children and whole child health within Rochester?

I hold a Bachelors and a Masters degree and am working on my Ph.D. at University of Rochester in Education. With this experience, I am ready to be data savvy as it relates to the information board members read every day. I answered the call to serve as a leader at Metro Justice, pushing the school district to improve school climate with a new code of conduct because far too many kids were suspended for small mistakes. They were crying for teachable moments rather than punitive consequences. I’ve taught kids full of vast potential at Leadership Academy for Young Men and Vanguard High School. I saw first-hand how many kids were falling through the cracks because our system is broken. Our system doesn’t engage them and give them opportunities that their homes and neighborhoods might not be able to. I left the district to go onto higher education to serve low-income Black and Brown students and families through The Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program at Keuka College. We stepped in to mitigate all of the problems they faced at home, prepared them for the college world, and directed them to all of the resources on campus to help them be successful. However, they still weren’t equipped for college because the K-12 education system did not prepare them properly. My job was an uphill battle having to correct a decade of the system failing these students in the days and weeks they were enrolled in college. These experiences will greatly help me to be a servant leader to the families in Rochester.

Parent and Family Engagement

What models and policies for parent and family engagement have you seen in similar districts across the country that you would like to bring to Rochester? Why do you believe they would be effective in RCSD?

Rochester should reach out to families more aggressively. I'd like to see more home visits to ensure schools are providing the services kids actually need.

What will you do as School Board Commissioner to support the Office of Parent Engagement to adopt and implement your ideas?  What do you see as barriers to parent and family engagement?

I will make sure my colleagues agree to my ideas so we can work as a team to implement them in the district. I see many social factors as barriers to parent and family engagement.

With the lack of neighborhood schools, parent and family engagement can often be a challenge.  As the neighborhood school (a majority of students attending a school coming from the surrounding neighborhood) and community school (coordinated community resources to meet the needs of the school community) models gain popularity among RCSD families - where do you stand on the issue?

I agree with neighborhood schools. We must work toward this idea.

Did you attend or have you had children enrolled in RCSD? How has this impacted your approach/views on Parent Engagement?

My students are my family. Being an educator has impacted my approach to parent engagement.

Priorities

Prioritize the following "10" polices, programs, and budget priorities using the numbers 1-10. (1 being the highest, 10 being the lowest)

• Create policies and incentives to ensure diversity in the district workforce (I.e. From building level staff, teachers, and those at Central Office).

  2

• Ensure all Pre-K to 3rd grade classrooms in the districts have access to and implement a play-based curriculum.

  6

• Ensure adequate funding for all paraprofessionals to receive professional development appropriate to their role.

  4

• Increase funding for culturally appropriate and trauma informed professional development for all adults who work with children in the district.

  1

• Develop a school board policy that commits to prioritizing parents for open positions in RCSD.

  7

• Allocate funding to modernize and install water bottle fillers in every school to promote healthy habits.

  10

• Ensuring the community has access to school building seven days a week by implementing with fidelity the Community Use of Schools policy.

  5

• Create a district-level position specifically to support the implementation of whole child health in the district's wellness policy.

  3

• Promote the development of school vegetable garden programs to teach nutrition education and develop lifelong healthy habits.

  9

• Work with NYS to pilot busing within 1.5 miles as part of a neighborhood schools initiative.

  8

Please provide your rationale for the above prioritization.

Respondent skipped this question

Kids Physical Health

What will you do as School Board Commissioner to ensure oversight and implementation of the mandated 20-minute recess policy and that recess isn't taken away as a form of punishment?

I am aware of this policy and have had to address this directly with staff at one school where i was told that this was the form of discipline being used. i not only addressed it with the staff member, i did talk to the chief and superintendent about sending staff a reminder of this policy. however as with any policy there has to be reminders about policies and this is a training issue for anyone still utilizing this method of discipline. i will keep advocating for the superintendent to remind staff of these policies through all channels.

Research shows that children often learn best through play. How will you support the implementation of play-based curriculum through NYS Next Generation learning standards?

100% support play for children. it should be encouraged in all curriculum's throughout the district. I will support by ensuring resolutions around curriculum's before me as a commissioner have a play component to it. i will also continue to educate others on what play itself really means, it does not mean that kids are just playing however they want. it means that they have a structured way to learn and move, and "play" while learning with a specific objective and outcomes for every lesson.

How will you as a School Board Commissioner make sure that children are receiving comprehensive health education in elementary schools and that it doesn't take a backseat to other core subjects?  How will Professional Development play a role?

As a commissioner i will work to ensure that all health related topics are integrated in supplemental curriculum's as well as main curriculum. health can be incorporated in an ELA lesson for example and used in reading comprehension lessons. health related topics can also be incorporated into computer/lab learning time so there is no reason that it should have to take a back seat when topics related to health can be also incorporated in various topics of learning.

What specific innovations or programs would you push forward to ensure every child has access to healthy and appealing school meals and snacks?

I would love to see schools and students be able to create their own menus for the school year. despite that some believe you can't eat healthy on a budget that is not the case, but it does require some creativity. even with the state reimbursement rates being low that does not mean food services as a department can't be creative. schools can create fruit and salad bars, opt for grilled chicken, turkey, shredded cheese, low fat dressings, yogurt for fruit dips. this would require re-training for food service workers, have minimum cost impact as we would essentially be re-arraigning the foods schools already have access to. In addition i would replace beverages of milk selections and increase access to water by having reusable coolers and pitchers that can be brought out for lunch and kept in classrooms.

Kids Social Emotional Health

What specific programs or funding would you introduce to provide trauma informed practices in the Rochester City School District? How will you ensure that partner agencies are well-versed in these practices?

I support restorative practices and believe in it's principals. restorative practices are not intended to re-victimize anyone nor force anyone into a disingenuous process. it is an opportunity for adults to really exam the whole child and find ways within themselves to better support them. for peer to peer it is meant to allow communications during conflict and allow both sides to be heard and if possible made whole through forgiveness and understanding. it is also not something that can forced upon someone to practice. I supported the restoring of all the restorative practice positions this last budget cycle (2019-2020 budget). with that said i have personally witnessed staff from various agencies continue their training and education in restorative practices and it is an ongoing learning experience for the staff who participate. change can't be forced upon people but the data strongly supports that restorative practices reduces out of school suspension and decreases the learning lost from suspensions. i will ensure that our partner agencies continue to get the training necessary to help ensure that they are equipped to do restorative practices as it is intended to be done.

Do you support long-term funding for restorative practices coaches in our schools?  Why or why not?

yes. the data shows a significant amount reduced in out of school suspensions which again allows students to remain in school, and minimizes learning lost. when kids are not in school, they can't learn, and often times catching up is difficult especially when they are coming from traumatic experiences or situations.

As School Board Commissioner, how would you leverage existing community resources to support the social emotional health of all kids in the district? How would you promote collaboration among these resources?

I would love to have all our organizations in Rochester support the same kids they are receiving funding already to support. there should be a systemic approach to this similar to HMIS (homeless management information system). this will require a great deal of conversations, understanding and work. prior to this system existing shelters were not communicating with one another and also had limited resources, funding, often competing for the same resources and they had to figure out a different way to approach the problem and not as competition to one another but as allies in the fight for the same cause and this is what our community partners and agencies must do for the families we are all serving here locally.

Do you support the use of culturally responsive curriculum? If yes, will you work to ensure it is implemented? If no, please explain.

yes but it has to also be able to meet the nys standards for curriculum. as noted in the D.E report we had one that was not. i do however know that there are some incredible staff members in the district working very hard to ensure that culturally responsive curriruclum and learning does happen in schools, but also that it addresses many cultures and is taylored to the needs of the student population they are serving. while we have a large majority of black and Latino students, we also have to acknowledge our refugee and immigrant populations, and they can not be left out.

What have you done to champion children and whole child health within Rochester?

I currently and have for the last four years coordinate children s leadership program that teaches children how to use their voice, be advocates, learn about the power of media, networks and their community. it teaches them about budgets, and government while also allowing them to learn at their pace it is literacy based and focuses on creating a nurturing environment for the child as whole as well. i am also currently part of a new collation that is looking to teach young students ages 14 and up who get their first job, about money management, savings and assisting them with opening their first bank account when they get a job so that they can start building credit as early as possible. I also support students in the arts, and increasing opportunities for them to be paid for their talents as often our students are asked to display their art talents but never showed how to translate that into money for themselves. This year i am co-sponsoring the Winton arts festival commissioned art work for their promotional materials by having connected them with a student from RCSD, but also providing half of the stipend for her time and art. her art will be featured on posters, fliers, t-shirts and billboards throughout Rochester this fall. there are a number of ways that i can continue to support children and be a champion for them through collaborative efforts of healthy partners throughout this community and i plan to continue to do the work.

Parent and Family Engagement

What models and policies for parent and family engagement have you seen in similar districts across the country that you would like to bring to Rochester? Why do you believe they would be effective in RCSD?

I have seen two efforts that i am working on currently to launch in august 2019. one involves authentic conversations with parents in the community and an opportunity to engage families who are not engaged at all. the other involves utilizing social media platforms to create content that is easy to digest, understand and re-engages parents in the process of decisions being made at the board level. as far as policies i am committed to ensuring that our parent advisory council is compromised of parents from every school, with leadership, guidance and support from administration, that they have an inclusive to all parents model that is followed. i also would like the district to explore the use of video conferencing for parent engagement for teachers, staff and the district as a whole the same way we can now telemedicine doctors and therapist, we should be able to revamp what engagement looks like utilizing the technology that already exist. I believe these things would be effective because we have allowed only a select few voices of parents minimize the voices for all parents. i believe that we have to engage parents where they live and allow them to access staff through more convenient ways. i also believe that if we were to sytemically address how the community organizations are aligned in their efforts to support families in this community, then that also allows for stronger parent and family engagement as a whole since we would be able to collaborate on efforts we create and support.

What will you do as School Board Commissioner to support the Office of Parent Engagement to adopt and implement your ideas?  What do you see as barriers to parent and family engagement?

I have been advocating for changes in the office of parent engagement i would love to see more parent support specialist there, less top heavy management, a leader of that department that is from this community, understands the needs of our parents is collaborative, creative and supports our families because they understand them. i also support that our parent groups are supported and given leadership through this office. one of the barriers for families is time and access to transportation. families have competing priorities and coming out for a workshop on a week day for one hour isn't going to bring families out especially if they have to catch several buses to get there. so we have to look at this office as one that provides programming in the community and that is a traveling department. and although it does travel to events as requested, the programming and staff should be hosting events themselves and workshops in various parts of the city year round.

With the lack of neighborhood schools, parent and family engagement can often be a challenge.  As the neighborhood school (a majority of students attending a school coming from the surrounding neighborhood) and community school (coordinated community resources to meet the needs of the school community) models gain popularity among RCSD families - where do you stand on the issue?

i support choices for families, so if a family lives near a school and selects that as their first choice they should have priority to attend their neighborhood school. i support community schools too and support the buffalo model of community schools, which is aligned by sectors/ quadrants of their city, offers Saturday programming, events and school for the whole family and aligns community agencies to serve the families.

Did you attend or have you had children enrolled in RCSD? How has this impacted your approach/views on Parent Engagement?

I have 2 girls who have graduated from RCSD, and a current 2nd grader. and i know from personal experience at various ages and stages in my life what engagement looked like for me when i lived close to my girls school and i could walk there i was able to get to more events, when their school closed and they were moved across town, i had to catch two buses to get there (pre transit center time) and in the winter that was a major issue especially having a child who had chronic asthma. as a working mother now juggling multiple hats engagement is difficult despite now owning a car, i have to miss special events at my daughter school because i may have to work or i have board meeting, however her school offers school briefings and these are well advertised and you know if your child is performing and typically are done early in the morning, so while i may miss an evening performance i know i can catch it during the day. her school also utilizes facebook and has a private page for it's school and i am often able to watch videos or see pictures of their trips and this is something i wish for all schools to be able to do. again utilize social media to ensure parents can still be a part of their child's education experiences even when they can not be there physically

Priorities

Prioritize the following "10" polices, programs, and budget priorities using the numbers 1-10. (1 being the highest, 10 being the lowest)

• Create policies and incentives to ensure diversity in the district workforce (I.e. From building level staff, teachers, and those at Central Office).

  6

• Ensure all Pre-K to 3rd grade classrooms in the districts have access to and implement a play-based curriculum.

  5

• Ensure adequate funding for all paraprofessionals to receive professional development appropriate to their role.

  2

• Increase funding for culturally appropriate and trauma informed professional development for all adults who work with children in the district.

  1

• Develop a school board policy that commits to prioritizing parents for open positions in RCSD.

  7

• Allocate funding to modernize and install water bottle fillers in every school to promote healthy habits.

  3

• Ensuring the community has access to school building seven days a week by implementing with fidelity the Community Use of Schools policy.

  8

• Create a district-level position specifically to support the implementation of whole child health in the district's wellness policy.

  9

• Promote the development of school vegetable garden programs to teach nutrition education and develop lifelong healthy habits.

  4

• Work with NYS to pilot busing within 1.5 miles as part of a neighborhood schools initiative.

  10

Please provide your rationale for the above prioritization.

i believe all of these are priorities but i organized them based on short term goals versus long term goals as the long term ones require advocacy, time, and commitments from other state elected officials as well as implementation time.

Kids Physical Health

What will you do as School Board Commissioner to ensure oversight and implementation of the mandated 20-minute recess policy and that recess isn't taken away as a form of punishment?

Our governance role as a board gives us the power to help mandate curriculum, and ensure that this is carried out. I am committed to ensure that students have a minimum of 20 minutes of recess and physical activity each day.

Research shows that children often learn best through play. How will you support the implementation of play-based curriculum through NYS Next Generation learning standards?

I have always been a huge supporter of play-based learning. Nothing kills a future of life-long learning like teaching to a standardized test, which is one of the many reasons I opt my own children out of these abhorrent exams. Play-based and experiential learning models result in true inquiry, both personally and academically.

How will you as a School Board Commissioner make sure that children are receiving comprehensive health education in elementary schools and that it doesn't take a backseat to other core subjects?  How will Professional Development play a role?

This will be a top priority for me. Healthy kids learn, and have the sustained focus they need for success. As a board member I will continue to mandate through governance with my fellow board members to ensure that this is a prioritized learning area in our district curriculum.

What specific innovations or programs would you push forward to ensure every child has access to healthy and appealing school meals and snacks?

Having lived overseas, I see a true lack of appealing meals for U.S. students in comparison with their European counterparts. We are capable of redesigning breakfast and lunch programs by incorporating a change in culture around meals/food. One of the best things we can do is bring back set lunch hours, allowing students to slow down, and change eating habits. Our culture is currently geared towards overeating (often in a hurried manner). Access to processed junk food or sugary beverages continues to be an issue. We must commit ourselves as a board to helping to change eating habits.

Kids Social Emotional Health

What specific programs or funding would you introduce to provide trauma informed practices in the Rochester City School District? How will you ensure that partner agencies are well-versed in these practices?

I will collaboratively work with my fellow board members and school administration to use research-based practice as we consider providers and services for trauma informed instruction and care.

Do you support long-term funding for restorative practices coaches in our schools?  Why or why not?

Yes! Restorative practices are teaching & learning practices, with proven, evidence-based results. It is crucial we remain steadfast in our commitment to properly implement and provide training for instructors on restorative practices. They work when staff is trained well.

As School Board Commissioner, how would you leverage existing community resources to support the social emotional health of all kids in the district? How would you promote collaboration among these resources?

Many of schools in more affluent neighborhoods might not require the same level of funding as our more marginalized neighborhoods. The community school efforts in these most marginalized parts of our community will need continued support and funding. However, all schools need better student-counselor ratios, as I see mental health support lacking district-wide.

Do you support the use of culturally responsive curriculum? If yes, will you work to ensure it is implemented? If no, please explain.

Culturally responsive curriculum helps us all: students, teachers, families. administrators. My own children have enormously benefited from such programming within their own school. A district-wide initiative is needed in RCSD. If we ever hope to address our nation's tragic past and reconcile, we must be willing to truthfully examine the ways in which our institutions can contribute to implicit bias and institutionalized racism.

What have you done to champion children and whole child health within Rochester?

I have championed restorative justice, speaking truth to power, a culturally responsive curriculum, as well as a physically active learning environment within my own classroom. By actively advocating for students and providing opportunities to challenge the constraining systems under which they operate, I continue to be a proponent of whole-child health, and will continue to do so if elected to the board.

Parent and Family Engagement

What models and policies for parent and family engagement have you seen in similar districts across the country that you would like to bring to Rochester? Why do you believe they would be effective in RCSD?

I see many groups that have already been established within RCSD. It's not just about creating new initiatives, but rather, just as important to ensure that the groups we already have are working properly. Our focus should be a complete audit of the systems we already have before beginning any new initiative.

What will you do as School Board Commissioner to support the Office of Parent Engagement to adopt and implement your ideas?  What do you see as barriers to parent and family engagement?

The biggest barrier to parent engagement is cultural in nature, and affected by generational poverty. However, as a board we must also look at how the structures we have in place can be elitist, and unwelcoming to newer parents (or parents who perhaps only have a limited amount of time to give due to work constraints etc). We owe our families a welcoming atmosphere. I will work to challenge our Office of Parent Engagement to address these issues, with the goal to create a more user-friendly and welcoming environment.

With the lack of neighborhood schools, parent and family engagement can often be a challenge.  As the neighborhood school (a majority of students attending a school coming from the surrounding neighborhood) and community school (coordinated community resources to meet the needs of the school community) models gain popularity among RCSD families - where do you stand on the issue?

Community schools should be one of our, if not THE most important areas of focus for RCSD. Community schools help rebuild neighborhoods, and an overall feeling of community responsibility for educating our kids by putting the schoolhouse at the center of the community.

Did you attend or have you had children enrolled in RCSD? How has this impacted your approach/views on Parent Engagement?

All four of my children attend RCSD, and I wouldn't want them anywhere else. However, I have sometimes felt that because I'm a busy working parent, I don't always have the time to be as involved as I wish I could be. As a parent, I wish there were opportunities on the weekends or outside of school hours to be more involved. I know I am not alone in this desire.

Priorities

Prioritize the following "10" polices, programs, and budget priorities using the numbers 1-10. (1 being the highest, 10 being the lowest)

• Create policies and incentives to ensure diversity in the district workforce (I.e. From building level staff, teachers, and those at Central Office).

  5

• Ensure all Pre-K to 3rd grade classrooms in the districts have access to and implement a play-based curriculum.

  8

• Ensure adequate funding for all paraprofessionals to receive professional development appropriate to their role.

  1

• Increase funding for culturally appropriate and trauma informed professional development for all adults who work with children in the district.

  7

• Develop a school board policy that commits to prioritizing parents for open positions in RCSD.

  2

• Allocate funding to modernize and install water bottle fillers in every school to promote healthy habits.

  6

• Ensuring the community has access to school building seven days a week by implementing with fidelity the Community Use of Schools policy.

  9

• Create a district-level position specifically to support the implementation of whole child health in the district's wellness policy.

  3

• Promote the development of school vegetable garden programs to teach nutrition education and develop lifelong healthy habits.

  4

• Work with NYS to pilot busing within 1.5 miles as part of a neighborhood schools initiative.

  10

Please provide your rationale for the above prioritization.

This was difficult, certainly because every area is of great importance. However, our current busing of students is not economically or environmentally sustainable. Ensuring kids have guaranteed busing within 1/2 mile of their home can have a chain reaction effect on all other issues. We will see less absenteeism, followed by a draw from local neighborhoods for community school models. Creating water bottle cultures district wide will help us eventually save on packaging/lunch costs, and is better for the environment. Students will arrive at school to be met by culturally responsive teaching, and elementary students will enjoy play-based instruction: all of which contribute to a more positive connection with their learning environment, and academics, in general.

Kids Physical Health

What will you do as School Board Commissioner to ensure oversight and implementation of the mandated 20-minute recess policy and that recess isn't taken away as a form of punishment?

Withholding recess goes against our current Wellness Policy. The Board relies on our school community to be our eyes and ears when it comes to enforcing many of its policies, so we need your help.

If ever a school principal says the don’t have the support staff to supervise student during recess, the Board needs to know so we can find the necessary resources (funding).

Research shows that children often learn best through play. How will you support the implementation of play-based curriculum through NYS Next Generation learning standards?

I believe this statement, and especially believe our Pre-K through Grade 2 curriculum must be play-rich. (We cannot give in to the pressure of pushing reading instruction into kindergarten grades, when pre-reading skills need to be taught and honed.

The need for play does not stop at Grade 2, however. Movement based learning needs to be encouraged throughout elementary grades, and extracurricular activities must be available for every child who wishes to participate in the middle and high school years.

How will you as a School Board Commissioner make sure that children are receiving comprehensive health education in elementary schools and that it doesn't take a backseat to other core subjects?  How will Professional Development play a role?

Health Education can be infused into other subjects, especially ELA/reading time as part of “desk work” or independent reading. This is what we mean when we say kids learn to read, then read to learn.

Professional Development of our workforce is essential to the above solution. Teachers must be reminded to present their students with a wide variety of reading material.

But it is also important that teachers be aware of the current state of health science, and have been offered developmentally appropriate ways to present health facts to students in an engaging way.

What specific innovations or programs would you push forward to ensure every child has access to healthy and appealing school meals and snacks?

Getting kids to eat meals that meet Federal lunch guidelines is a real challenge. i couldn’t get my son to eat anything served at school.

The Board frequently gets updates from our Food Service department, detailing how they have attempted to make the food more appealing by making it more culturally relevant. While they can’t make the food as sweet or as salty as kids are used to getting at home, they are more likely to eat it when it looks like something that is offered to them at home!

Kids Social Emotional Health

What specific programs or funding would you introduce to provide trauma informed practices in the Rochester City School District? How will you ensure that partner agencies are well-versed in these practices?

Our Professional Development offerings increasingly include trauma informed practices and implicit bias awareness. Historically, we haven’t been able to insist that teachers include these subjects in their personal professional development plans, however, we are working on union contracts that will give more control over what yearly training each teacher is required to take.

As for partner agencies, we have to insist that they obtain this training for their employees as part of our partnership agreements. It isn’t our job to train agency employees... not at District expense on top of negotiated fees, at any rate. But we can make it a condition of getting or renewing a contract with us.

Do you support long-term funding for restorative practices coaches in our schools?  Why or why not?

I do and I have. Interim Supterintendent Dan Lowengard presented a 2019-20 budget without this positions and I insisted on restoring the coaches along with a majority of my Board colleagues.

As School Board Commissioner, how would you leverage existing community resources to support the social emotional health of all kids in the district? How would you promote collaboration among these resources?

I am very much in support of community resources such as Center for Youth and Hillside Work Scholarship in our schools and for our kids. However, in all honesty, I am concerned that these not-for-profit endeavors are attempting to balance their budgets entirely using the School District’s resources instead of fundraising from philanthropies as community partners in other school districts do.

Do you support the use of culturally responsive curriculum? If yes, will you work to ensure it is implemented? If no, please explain.

Yes, I do believe we need culturally responsive curriculum. I am not sure there is a comprehensive (K-12) curriculum currently available, because text book publishers haven’t felt the need to provide such a thing, nor has the State’s EngageNY (TM) curriculum met any meaningful standard in this regard.

That leaves it to RCSD to create the curriculum. The Board has supported efforts to write such curriculum in the past, with mixed results. All we can do is keep trying.

What have you done to champion children and whole child health within Rochester?

This is not my area of expertise, so my answer may disappoint. However, I have wholeheartedly supported the work and recommendations of the Wellness Committee through the creation of the Wellness Policy and regulations under Commissioner Campos and then Commissioner Adams.

Parent and Family Engagement

What models and policies for parent and family engagement have you seen in similar districts across the country that you would like to bring to Rochester? Why do you believe they would be effective in RCSD?

When I was new to school board service in the 1990s, the Board received the recommendations of the School Choice Task Force, and the Parent Preference/Managed Choice Policy grew from that.

One of the goals of the policy was to empower parents to select the school that was best for their child for Kindergarten (the entry point) with the goal that they would continue to be engaged in their child’s education and be “demand parents,” that is, parents that would hold the school accountable to them for future engagement and student success.

What will you do as School Board Commissioner to support the Office of Parent Engagement to adopt and implement your ideas?  What do you see as barriers to parent and family engagement?

I will continue to advocate for constructive engagement for parents at all levels, whether it be PTO/SBPT at the school level or with a district-wide parent organization. The district-wide parent organization must, however, be democratic and truly open to all interested parents.

Likewise, I will always support parent engagement staffing, whether it be at the Central Office level or in the form of Parent Liaisons and Home School Assistents.

With the lack of neighborhood schools, parent and family engagement can often be a challenge.  As the neighborhood school (a majority of students attending a school coming from the surrounding neighborhood) and community school (coordinated community resources to meet the needs of the school community) models gain popularity among RCSD families - where do you stand on the issue?

Contrary to popular belief, our school choice policy supports neighborhood schools by giving walk zone preference to neighborhood children. To make this more viable, I champion three things: (1) elementary school principals must become cheerleaders and sales persons for their schools within each neighborhood. A neighborhood school is only truly a neighborhood school if/when families are actively choosing to be there, (2) expanding the radius of the walk zone to include more households, (3) do a better job getting families to enroll prior to the lottery deadline.

Did you attend or have you had children enrolled in RCSD? How has this impacted your approach/views on Parent Engagement?

All four of my children attended RCSD schools. My youngest is in High School now.

In fact, my School Board “career” started on what I call the “Parent Track.” I was a PTA member, then PTA President while my oldest attended School #3. I represented School #3 at DPC (District Parent Council - the district-wide parent organization at that time), and became the parent representative to the Personnel Committee of the Board of Ed. I saw many ways the Board of Ed and Central Office could be more parent friendly then, and it should be today as well.

Priorities

Prioritize the following "10" polices, programs, and budget priorities using the numbers 1-10. (1 being the highest, 10 being the lowest)

• Create policies and incentives to ensure diversity in the district workforce (I.e. From building level staff, teachers, and those at Central Office).

  3

• Ensure all Pre-K to 3rd grade classrooms in the districts have access to and implement a play-based curriculum.

  1

• Ensure adequate funding for all paraprofessionals to receive professional development appropriate to their role.

  8

• Increase funding for culturally appropriate and trauma informed professional development for all adults who work with children in the district.

  2

• Develop a school board policy that commits to prioritizing parents for open positions in RCSD.

  9

• Allocate funding to modernize and install water bottle fillers in every school to promote healthy habits.

  4

• Ensuring the community has access to school building seven days a week by implementing with fidelity the Community Use of Schools policy.

  7

• Create a district-level position specifically to support the implementation of whole child health in the district's wellness policy.

  10

• Promote the development of school vegetable garden programs to teach nutrition education and develop lifelong healthy habits.

  5

• Work with NYS to pilot busing within 1.5 miles as part of a neighborhood schools initiative.

  6

Please provide your rationale for the above prioritization.

My first and second choices were focused on getting our children off to a good start.

My next priority grouping was based on what might provide the greatest good to the most student, at potentially the least cost (using state aid formulas to best advantage).

By default, the most potentially expensive options or most difficult to implement fell to the bottom of the list.