Platform

By Ayana Kirkland Young

STUDENTS AND EDUCATION FIRST

When Students are the first priority, class sizes will stay small, after school programs will be funded; before and after school tutoring will be provided, etc. etc... students will then thrive rather than struggle.

For some reason it has been the consensus of the current board that new buildings equal better academics. I totally disagree. For too long now, the focus of this district has been on any and everything other than education. Our students are being held back in first grade, only a third of our 3rd graders are proficient readers, and many of our students are simply not where they should be academically. This district needs intervention programs for these students, we should be opening after school programs and enrichment programs instead of closing them. If our students have problems in reading, we should be paying reading specialist, instead of trying to find money to fund a new building. Again, wrong focus.

When I was in Kindergarten I was in a full day program and I learned how to read. When my family moved to this district when I was in the first grade, I had to wait on the first graders. We can teach students in this district to read in kindergarten, especially since we require it of them. I propose to start, full day Kindergarten. We already have 11 schools in our district which have this full day program. As a school board member, I want to see this expanded through out the district. We need early intervention programs rather than a "let's see what happens," approach which exist in this district now.

Our children also need to be in a safe environment. It's difficult for children to learn if they are too scared to come to school. Simply putting more police officers is not the answer, we have to re-evaluate what will make our students feel safe.

RESPECT TO OUR TEACHERS

Teaching is one of the most important jobs in the world. Teachers spend nearly as much "day time" with our children as we do. The profession should be as respected as a doctor, lawyer or CEO of a company for example. We need to give the teachers the resources they need to be successful in the classroom and we also need to pay them their worth. It's not fair that this honorable position is sometimes paid less than a prison guard. We also have to address the teachers that give great teachers a "bad rep." If they don't want to be here, which is usually evident by their attitude and how the students and parents feel about them, then we need to wish them luck and wish them on their way. It's time we get all teachers on the same positive train, whoever doesn't want to give the positivity needed to turn this district around can get off the train, because as a School Board Member I'm moving this train forward, so that this district can move forward.

ACCOUNTABILITY TO THE PUBLIC

The district has a duty to account to the public in regards to how the district spends their money. I don't believe that this district has done a good job at this thus far. It's as if they have been trying to hide their dealings from "us." This has to stop. As a school board member I plan on making sure to keep the public "in the loop," to hear the public and take their concerns seriously. The school board should not be making decisions from an office, they should hear what the public wants and implement what the majority wants, not just what three deciding school boards members and some construction companies want.

PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT

I decided to run for school board because I am concerned about my own children. It's time that we as parents get even more involved. We also have to work at getting parents who aren't involved motivated about turning this district around. As a school board member, I want to rally parents together. How will I do that you ask? I have many ideas and can't list them all, but I will say this, "food" and "daycare." If you're a parent, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

We can turn this district around. I know we can, but we have to work together, and we have to elect candidates that really have a passion for children, who have the integrity and the intelligence to do the job and who are vested in this community to know what it takes to get the job done. I am that candidate. Again thank you for support and I do truly value your vote.