When I ran for Henrico County School Board in 2015, I believed our children deserved the best teachers, the best facilities, and the best opportunities to prepare them to become life ready.  I still believe this and as the Fairfield District School Board Rep., I have been committed to working on behalf of the students and families in Fairfield to improve academic outcomes, maximize financial resources to the district, prioritize the safety and well-being of our students and staff, and ensure equitable access and opportunities for our students.  I'm excited about the future of Henrico County Public Schools, proud of the strides we've made, and I'm ready to deliver on our progress, as the next Fairfield Supervisor on the Henrico County Board of Supervisors.    

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How I delivered for our community: 

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• Served as the Chairman of the School Board during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Led the Board through challenging, polarizing and unprecedented times.  Successfully implemented various measures such as remote learning and layered mitigation strategies to ensure the safety and education of our students and staff. 

• Advocated for funding to support new school construction, modernization, and CIP improvements. 

  • New construction of The Campus of Virginia Randolph ($60 million) slated to be completed in August 2024. ​

  • Chamberlayne Elementary School Renovation ($15.2 million) 

  • Jacob L. Adams Elementary School Renovation ($19 million) 

  • New Fairfield Area Elementary School ($46 million) scheduled for 2026

  • Completed the construction of the new Highland Springs High School, J.R. Tucker High School, and the expansion of Holladay Elementary in 

  • Opened two new specialty centers in Fall 2022: The Center for Environmental Studies and Sustainability and the Center for Allied Health and Human Services

  • Invested over $2 million to expand classroom display technology upgrades in elementary, middle and high school classrooms

  • Brookland Middle School ($500,000) for an auditorium addition (to be completed)

  • Arthur Ashe Elementary Playground Equipment Replacement ($250k)  

  • Record investments in improvements at all 9 high schools athletic fields.   

  • Security enhancements to all schools

  • Interior & Exterior improvements at all 13 Fairfield Schools

• Championed the PK-12 Life Ready Literacy Plan to improve reading scores, emphasize literacy in all subjects, and ensure all students are reading at or above their grade level.   

• Approved record budget increases and prioritized innovative recruitment, retention, and rewarding efforts of HCPS staff, including successful advocacy for the 8.2% raise and budget amendments to allow for bonuses for HCPS employees. 

• Launched Henrico's first fully virtual K-12 school, the Henrico Virtual Academy in 2022.  

• Fought to reduce financial barriers to our families by reducing and eliminating certain school fees and adopting policies to prevent students from receiving their report cards, diploma, or school schedule due to unpaid fees. 

• Led the charge to launch the "Opportunity Schools" initiative in 2023 to address critical staffing needs at 9 HCPS school.  The new designation supports increased allocation of resources to The Academy at Virginia Randolph/Virginia Randolph Education Center, Glen Lea Elementary, Laburnum Elementary, Fairfield Middle, and 5 other Eastern Henrico schools with complex needs. Increased compensation for licensed instructors, additional support staff, and professional learning opportunities to better focus on student achievement.   

• Partnered with Henrico Education Foundation (HEF) to expand year-round, after-school Community Learning Centers at Glen Lea Elementary, Laburnum Elementary, Ratcliffe Elementary, Fairfield Middle and Wilder Middle schools at no cost to our families. 

• Adopted policies and directed resources to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline. Collaborated with community stakeholders to revise the Code of Conduct; fully implemented the "Handle with Care" program in all schools; promoted restorative justice practices (Pause Program), required annual staff training, and expanded the Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports (PBIS) program aimed at ; and strengthened partnerships with community organizations to implement strategies aimed at addressing root causes.  

• Expanded the Office of Family & Community Engagement and increased the number of Full-Time Family Advocates. 

• Increased the number of fully-accredited schools in the district by 90%.

• Pushed for aggressive actions for resource allocation and targeted interventions to address provisionally-accredited schools.  Efforts included comprehensive root-cause analysis by building leaders; hiring of additional reading specialists, instructional coaches, and other support staff; prioritizing a "link to learning" approach to family and community engagement efforts; and collaborating with parents/guardians and community partners through town-halls and outreach efforts to focus on reducing absenteeism, removing barriers, and providing after-school academic support.    

• Directed COVID-19 relief funds for free real-time, one-on-one tutoring for all Middle and High School Students.  

• Supported fiscally responsible decisions such as divesting $1.1 million from the underutilized MathScience Innovation Center Consortium, and reinvesting the funding to  directly support robust STEAM instruction to all students. Repurposed the building to the new home of Henrico PAL, serving over 500+ Henrico students. 
• Added 22 new Student Support & Wellness positions to increase student access to school-based mental health supports.  Supported the establishment of the first HCPS Trauma Informed Advisory Committee
• Opened the region's first Telehealth Clinic at Glen Lea Elementary School to provide onsite medical, dental and mental support services to students to help reduce absenteeism. 
• Championed the expansion of CTE course offerings and opportunities for real-work experiences. 
• Class of 2022 statistics: 90% on-time graduation rate; 38% of the graduates earned Standard Diplomas and 60% of the graduates earned Advanced Diplomas; 5,514 industry certifications & state licenses; 1,622 CTE completers, with a 99.9% graduation rate among CTE completers.

• Championed efforts to strengthen diversity and ensure an equitable and inclusive school climate for all students, teachers, and staff.  Voted to establish the Office of Equity, Diversity & Opportunity, and hired the Chief Equity & Opportunity Officer; served as the School Board Representative on the Equity & Diversity Advisory Committee since inception

• Adopted “equity driven” policies in alignment with the Destination 2025 HCPS Strategic Plan.

• Created the Eastern Henrico Equity Fund in 2019 to award mini grants aimed at expanding opportunities for innovative learning for students attending Fairfield District schools. 

• Supported the adoption of a more inclusive school calendar, expanding observation of multicultural religious holidays.