Why Vote for Adam?
I have a lot of goals for my term on the HSE School Board. My main objectives are the following:
Increasing Communication
My first goal as a school board member is to encourage parents, and the community in general, to get more involved in the “big picture” aspects of education – not just what goes on at the school level. I want to make people aware of when school board meetings are scheduled, as well as what is on the agenda. After each meeting I also plan to give a quick summary of what was discussed, and any decisions that have been made. I believe with better communication, parents will not be taken by surprise with big decisions that affect everyone in the school district. The speed bump at the end of the iPad rollout could likely have been avoided with better and increased parent involvement. Part of this will be targeting those families with young children who do not yet have students in the schools, as this group was likely the most impacted at the end of the iPad rollout.
Balancing Technology
Technology is set to become a major part of the school experience in the coming years. I will focus on ensuring that new technology continues to be utilized in the best possible way for our students across the district. While it is not realistic or beneficial to completely remove emerging technology from the curriculum, it is imperative that we recognize when a new technology fails to meet our expectations. As much as we want to focus on the positives and minimize the negatives of a huge initiative, it is very important to take our parents’ and teachers’ concerns seriously and adjust the program as needed to guarantee our students do not suffer for the sake of being “right” on an issue.
Ensuring Academic Success
Our school district has been proven to provide a challenging K-12 curriculum, including numerous opportunities for students to get involved in the community and local government, earn advanced diplomas through the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, and also to ensure that students who need additional support will receive it. We will continue to achieve academic success by reviewing our current practices and adjusting them as is necessary. I will work hard to ensure that we ask the necessary questions and meet the proper benchmarks when we consider making changes – most importantly dynamic changes such as introducing a large technology initiative such as the 1:1 iPad rollout.
Empowering Parents
Parents should continue to feel as though their voices are being heard. The opinions of our district’s parents are vital to the school corporation as a whole. Encouraging direct feedback will give the corporation as a whole and individual schools the opportunity to address issues that may otherwise go unnoticed. I will strive to make sure that the school board continues to be responsive when significant concerns are raised.