CSISD Educator: 18 years

Educator: 21 years

Grades: K-4, 6

• Dual Language Teacher
• General Education Teacher
• Gifted and Talented Specialist
• Led Professional Development at campus and district level

Professional Organization membership:

• TAGT
• TCEA
• NAGC
• TABE

CSISD Parent:

• Child attended CSISD grades K-12
• volunteer CSHS Cougar Club

For 21 years, I have dedicated my life as an educator, and just like many of you, I have experienced our schools a parent. This dual role gives me a unique view of our district, allowing me to see exactly how big board decisions impact our students, teachers, and living rooms at home. As a trustee, I will bring an organized, proactive, and deeply thoughtful approach to the table. While I am highly comfortable looking at district data, I firmly believe that numbers only tell half the story; we must always listen to the real human experiences behind those statistics. I am never afraid to ask the hard questions or challenge the status quo by asking "why" we do things, rather than just accepting how they have always been done. When it comes to our budget, I promise to be a careful, responsible steward of your taxpayer dollars. To me, fixing a problem does not automatically mean spending more money. Instead, I naturally look for creative ways to improve our current systems and repurpose the incredible resources we already have. Most importantly, I will approach every single vote by asking three simple questions: How does this help our students? How does this support our teachers? And how does this build a brighter future for our schools?

As a teacher, I have seen firsthand what our students need every single day, and that is why I am running for the school board. The Board of Trustees creates the foundation for our students to thrive by setting our district's long-term direction, balancing the budget, and making sure your hard-earned taxpayer dollars directly benefit our classrooms. But to do this effectively, trustees must stay connected to the heartbeat of our schools. I believe in visiting campuses regularly and listening closely to our educators, families, and students. By understanding what is truly happening in our classrooms, the board can make policy decisions that actually support our community without getting in the way of the incredible day-to-day work our teachers and principals do. Ultimately, my goal on the board is simple: keep students at the center of every single decision, invest deeply in the educators who guide them, and build a warm, supportive district where every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential.

The Board of Trustees contributes to student success by creating a supportive environment where both our students and our educators can truly thrive. In my 21 years as an educator, I have learned firsthand that student success is a team effort. It requires a strong, respectful partnership between the leadership making policy decisions and the hardworking educators who bring those decisions to life every single day.

One of the single best investments our district can make is in our people. We need to hire excellent educators, arm them with the resources they need, and genuinely listen to their professional expertise. Most importantly, we must focus on keeping and retaining our hardworking teachers by making sure they feel valued, supported, and respected right here in our district. True teamwork and real progress do not happen by just forcing compliance from the top down. They happen through collaboration, listening to teacher input, and building shared purpose.

On the board, my role will be to set clear priorities and allocate our resources thoughtfully—always asking if our choices are truly helping teachers meet the needs of their students. While we must look closely at data to see what is working and where we need to improve, we must never forget that the board does not create student success from behind a boardroom table. We create it by lifting up our educators, staying focused on practical priorities, and keeping every single child at the very center of our decisions.

One of CSISD’s greatest strengths is that our academic performance is moving in the right direction, with clear growth among all different types of learners. Every single student deserves the chance to grow, whether they are working toward grade level, performing at grade level, or already achieving beyond it. As a trustee, my goal will be to protect the effective practices making this growth possible and continue to build upon them.

Another major strength is the variety of pathways CSISD provides for our students. We know a successful graduate is not defined by just one destination, such as 4-year university or "bust". Whether a student chooses college, technical education, industry certification, the military, or entering the workforce, our job is to prepare them with the skills they need for the future they choose by providing opportunities early to discover their strengths through academics, fine arts, STEM, leadership, and hands-on learning. I will continue to foster CSISD's strengths by listening directly to the educators and students in our programs, examining data to see what produces meaningful results, and ensuring our resources have the greatest possible impact.

Like many districts, CSISD faces real financial pressures, which directly impact our ability to attract and retain high-quality educators. These two challenges are deeply connected. Since over 84% of our district's general budget goes directly toward staff compensation and benefits, we have to find clever, strategic ways to remain a competitive employer while being fiercely responsible with limited resources. There is no single magic solution, but as a trustee, I promise to protect our classrooms first. Before we ever look at cutting programs or services that directly touch our students, we must carefully audit our spending to ensure every dollar is producing real results. We need to look for creative ways to repurpose what we already have.

While recruiting new talent is vital, keeping the excellent, hardworking people already in CSISD is just as important. Fair pay matters, but so do manageable expectations, professional trust, and making sure our staff feels genuinely heard and valued. I truly believe this is an area of struggle for our district. I want to regularly ask our educators what helps them stay and what makes their jobs unnecessarily difficult, and then actually use that feedback to guide board decisions. Financial responsibility and investing in our teachers are not competing goals. The absolute purpose of a responsible budget is to sustain the excellent people and programs that serve our children every single day.