Where I stand
Four priorities.
Plain language. Nothing I cannot back up.
I am not going to promise you I can fix everything from one seat on a seven-member board. I can promise you how I will show up: prepared, curious, and willing to say what I actually think.
Fewer Screens,
More Focus
Where we are
Michigan’s new school cell phone law takes effect this school year. Our board adopted Saline’s policy unanimously on August 6, 2026. Phones are out during instructional time at every grade level. High school students keep access at lunch.
Why it matters
A phone in a pocket is a distraction whether or not it buzzes. Teachers have been saying it for years. Students will tell you the same thing if you ask them honestly. Attention is the raw material of learning, and we have been spending it carelessly.
What I would do
Treat this policy as a starting point, not a finish line. Watch what actually happens in our classrooms this year. Ask teachers and students what is working and what is not. Then be willing to adjust — in either direction — based on what we learn instead of what we assumed.
Less Stress,
Healthier Kids
Where we are
Saline students score roughly double the state average in math and reading. Ninety-six percent of them graduate. We are in the top five percent of Michigan districts.
Why it matters
You do not get results like that by accident. And you do not keep them by burning children out to protect a ranking. Achievement and well-being are not opposites. Done right, each one feeds the other.
What I would do
Protect what is working and pay honest attention to what it costs. Support the mental health resources our students and staff actually use. Ask harder questions about workload and pressure. And make sure the families who need the most support — including our special education families, who have told this board plainly that they feel overlooked — are treated as a priority instead of a problem to manage.
Listening to
Teachers First
Where we are
Our teachers’ contract expires in 2027. The board elected this November is the board that negotiates the next one.
Why it matters
The people closest to the work usually see the problem first. When they find out about a decision after it is made, two things happen: the policy is worse than it had to be, and the best teachers start looking around. Neither is good for our kids.
What I would do
Ask classroom educators before a decision, not after it. Put their experience at the center of choices about teaching and learning. And go into the next contract negotiation with respect for the work and a clear head about what the district can sustain.
Spending That Reaches
the Classroom
Where we are
In June the board adopted a 2026-27 budget projecting a $5.5 million deficit, after a $2.1 million shortfall the year before. The district’s fund balance is projected to fall from $22.4 million to roughly $14.7 million — the lowest since 2021.
Why it matters
Saline voters just renewed two school millages with about 67 percent support. That is trust. Trust deserves a plan in return. This is arithmetic, not ideology. And it is the question nobody in this race is asking out loud.
What I would do
Ask for a written multi-year plan to stop drawing down the fund balance, in language a parent can read without a finance degree. Publish it. And measure every major spending decision against one question: does this reach a classroom?
If you agree with me, I would be grateful for your vote. If you do not, I would still like to hear from you — that is the entire point.
Tuesday, November 3.
Three seats. Vote for up to three.
Message the Campaign