Priorities & Vision​

Continuing the U-Turn for New Hanover County Schools

 

In 2022, you elected me to be part of a solution. It was time to stop talking about the problems in our school system and start acting.

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I ran as a political outsider, a mom, business owner, and grandmother, who promised to bring order to the chaos. Over the last term, we have begun a critical U-Turn for our district. We halted the decline, but the work is not finished.

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To lock in these gains, we must re-elect responsible, sound-minded leaders who will protect the progress we have made.

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1. Academic Excellence: Back to Basics

 

The Challenge
When I took office, proficiency rates were unacceptable despite significant state investment in education.

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The Action

I made academic fundamentals my top priority and directed the superintendent to develop a plan to raise third-grade reading proficiency.

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The Results
Reading scores increased from the mid-40s to the low-60s.

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The Path Forward

We must continue stripping away distractions and focus on the core mission: reading, writing, math, civics, and history. We must teach children how to think, not what to think.

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2. Fiscal Responsibility & Respect for Taxpayers

 

The Challenge

For too long, the budget lacked transparency and critical maintenance was deferred.

 

The Action

As Chair of the Finance, Capital, and Bond Committee, I insisted on clear budgeting and long-term planning. We built an understandable, balanced 2025 to 2026 budget and identified the true needs of our aging facilities.​

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The Path Forward

I will continue serving as a watchdog for your tax dollars, ensuring funding goes to safe classrooms and teacher support, not administrative bloat.

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3. Parental Rights & Transparency

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Parents are the primary educators of their children. Schools work best when parents are respected, informed, and heard.

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I will continue reviewing board policies to remove barriers to transparency. Parents deserve to know exactly what is being taught, and they deserve a Board that listens, not one that pushes ideological agendas.

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4. Safe & Civil Schools

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Schools must be safe, disciplined environments where learning comes first.

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My experience as a sworn Guardian ad Litem and my work with Boots on the Ground have shown me the challenges many of our students face.

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We must maintain clear standards of conduct. Students cannot learn in chaos. I support School Resource Officers and policies that ensure bullying and violence are not tolerated.