I would like to introduce myself and ask you to support my election to the Clay County School Board. I am seeking the position because I believe I can apply my business and personal skills to further the district’s tradition of excellence. 

Our County is blessed with a fabulous public school system that enjoys broad support from involved parents as well as other County residents. The results can be seen in our students’ high attendance, graduation, and college acceptance rates. Moreover, their test scores are well above average for the state. Clearly, we are doing many things right, but with our wealth of resources and strong community commitment, I believe we can do even better. Much better! 

How? It’s not just a question of how much money we spend or how many teachers we hire – although we all know that a strong financial footing and a low teacher-to-student ratio are important.  It’s not just about “spending it right” – wise money management should be a minimum threshold. Ultimately, the performance of our schools arises from our vision of what our school district and students can and should achieve.  I believe they can achieve the very best; indeed, we should settle for nothing less.

I think the first step in preparing students for employment in a 21^st century global economy  is to understand the constantly changing needs of the workforce. According to former Secretary of Education Richard Riley, the top ten jobs that will be in demand in 2010 didn’t exist in 2004. He adds that we are preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist using technologies that haven’t yet been invented in order to solve problems we don’t know are problems yet. In my opinion, this observation reminds us that we must continually assess the content and delivery methods of our school curriculum while balancing our available resources with the requirements of No Child Left Behind.

Unfortunately, we don’t have a crystal ball to predict which jobs, technologies and problems will be critical in 2010 or beyond. However, we can continue to challenge our students to develop skills that apply across industry, job or technology. These skills include the ability to analyze and solve problems, the ability to collaborate and lead teams, as well as the ability to think critically and challenge assumptions.

Toward that end, if elected to the school board, I will approach the job with an open, probing mind, taking nothing for granted. I will keep an attentive ear turned to the students, staff, parents, and other district residents. I will seek to maintain open and honest communication with and between constituent groups at all times. I will draw on my professional skills to bring rigor to the district’s management. And of course I will draw on my personal experience to lend a global perspective to our children’s education. But most of all, I will challenge the administration, faculty and students to plot a bold course towards shattering all current benchmarks of excellence. It’s time to dare to be great.