Teacher support

Teachers are critical to the success of our students. Over the past 4 years my work has focused on understanding teacher needs and priorities. Key highlights include:

• Voted in 2016 to increase teacher compensation

• Advocacy for paid family leave. Although approximately 80% of teachers are women, teacher do not receive paid maternity leave. This is a critical community issue when teachers have to return to work before they are physically or emotionally ready due to financial pressures. I have been and will continue to be an advocate for paid family leave for teachers!

• Supported teacher advocacy in Red for Ed Rallies in Raleigh

• Revising policies to improve conditions for teacher and staff

• Consulting with teachers and staff to understand priorities and needs

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Accountability

We need goals and measurements to help us understand progress. To that end I’ve worked with the board and administration to:

• Develop Equity plan to address needs of all students and embed equity into daily operations

• Establish quarterly review of discipline data to reduce disproportionality and consider structural solutions to reduce need for discipline

• Develop and publish a scorecard which will include key success metrics and progress towards goals

• Enable dialogue on ethics and ways of working between board members and key stakeholders

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Board operations

• Formed committees to enable more efficient board work

• Served on finance and capital committee working to support greater detail to increase transparency in planning

• Training and conference attendance to bring back best practices

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Community Collaboration

In addition to the quality of schools, educational outcomes are affected by family health and other supports. It is important to partner with community organizations to support family structure and early childhood education. My work has focused on strengthening partnerships:

• Calendar committee – established to include community voices to align school calendar with community priorities

• Family Success Alliance a collective impact initiative to close the achievement gap

• Meeting and speaking with groups such as PTA Council, Durham Lions Club and Sunrise Rotary Club of Chapel Hill

• NAACP and Campaign for Racial Equity board listening session

• Listening and Dialog with sessions with community members

• UNC Collaboration to eliminate disparities in education

• Chapel Hill-Carrboro Association of Educators and CHC Federation of Teachers - consulting on teacher related issues

• Meeting with Town of Chapel Hill and Carrboro on shared priorities

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Facilities

• Chapel High vision team and responsive to community voice in Chapel Hill High School renovation

• Bond advocacy for funding major renovation at Chapel Hill High School

• Task force with Orange county staff, County Commissioners, and Orange County Schools to address capacity needs