Throughout my career, I have made meeting the needs of all students within the school community my highest priority. Every student, whether academically gifted, learning disabled, or simply the ‘average student’, has the right to an education that meets individual needs, enhances strengths, improves weaknesses, and bolsters confidence and self-esteem. As well, I have spent my entire career building strong relationships with my faculty and administration. As adversarial relationships help no one. I work until consensus is developed, decisions reached, and plans implemented.
At the same time, I remain cognizant of the fact that schools do not live in a vacuum. Regular, positive, and proactive communication with board members, community leaders, taxpayers, and of course, parents, has enabled me to gain valuable support in helping the schools in my charge. Together, we met our goals because they were built on a slowly and carefully crafted consensus. Through many vehicles, including liaisons with cable television, community newspapers and publications, and work with town clubs and organizations, athletic associations, senior citizen groups, and others, the accomplishments of my school districts were always well publicized throughout the community. And as a resident who also pays high property taxes, I am extremely empathetic to local homeowner concerns. I consistently made sure that residents get value for their tax dollars. This has been accomplished by being a highly visible leader who is readily accessible to, and enjoys interacting with, students, parents, teachers, and members of the community-at-large.
In the end, my philosophy of education and whole approach to leading schools and school districts can be summed up in one very simple phrase:
