Frequently Asked Questions
How many children do you have in public schools, and in which schools?
My four grown children all attended Shelby County Schools. Two attended Germantown High School; one attended Bartlett High; and one attended Collierville High. I have two grandchildren – one at Lakeland Elementary and one at Bon Lin Middle.
What talents do you bring that makes you a good candidate?
I began my career in the business field as the Fleet & Service Manger of a national rent-a-car company; this gave me valuable experience with a diverse group of people. I have been teaching in Shelby County School for the past 20 plus years. This has provided me with knowledge of school policy and procedures, State Board of Education procedures, the State Department of Education, and the state legislature.
What experiences in your personal and professional background have given you relevant skills for the Germantown Municipal School Board?
Having been in management, I have interacted and dealt with diverse individuals and groups. My responsibilities included developing work schedules, purchasing and selling automobiles, overseeing maintenance and repair of equipment, and controlling various inventories.
As a teacher and president of the Shelby County Education Association, I have served on many committees at the school, district, and state level. I have a working relationship with our state legislature. I go to Nashville every year to lobby for educational issues that affect teachers, education support professionals, administrators, and school districts. I have gone to Washington, DC to talk with our U.S. Senators and Congressmen about national, state, and local educational issues.
What is your vision for the Germantown Municipal School District?
My vision is to establish an innovative and flexible education system that focuses on results, inspires all students, and prepares them to be successful in meeting today's challenges and tomorrow's opportunities.
How should the Germantown School district differ from the Unified District and the old Shelby County School District?
Germantown schools should offer more vocational classes at the high school level, and I’d like to see the IB program expanded to Houston High and the middle schools.
Are there any current policies and procedures that you would keep / change? and why?
Providing teachers with a laptop is something I would keep because having a laptop enables the teacher to enter grades and complete other tasks associated with his/her job.
Allowing children of employees of the GMSD to attend Germantown schools would be good for employee morale.
What will you look for in our superintendent?
The superintendent should be someone who has experience at the district level, who is credible, and who has the ability to pull groups and individuals together in a complex environment. The superintendent must be a very community oriented figure who is dedicated to education, the school environment, and the community as a whole. He/she must be a powerful communicator who can unify the community around student achievement in order to drive student achievement to the highest level. The superintendent should be a team builder, motivator, and innovator who is open minded, engaging, and accessible. The superintendent should and must be visible throughout the community.
Do you favor immediate tenure for tenured teachers presently teaching in Germantown schools? What about for tenured teachers teaching elsewhere in SCS?
Yes, we must make working in our schools as attractive as possible when it comes to all employees. We need to offer benefits equal to or better than those of the Unified School District.
For how long a transition period would you be willing to accept non-resident children without tuition?
As long as we are receiving money from the state’s BEP and Shelby County Government, we should not charge tuition for non-residents who are presently zoned for Germantown schools.
How cooperative should we be when negotiating with SCS to gain control of the school properties which are inside Germantown?
We should do everything within our power to gain ownership of the school properties within the Germantown city limits without having to pay for them. If we cannot legally get them without having to pay for the buildings, we should negotiate for them.
What are your thoughts on the possibility of the Unified District running some schools within Germantown? How can we prevent that from happening?
If there were school buildings sitting empty and not being used, and the Unified District wanted to use the buildings to educate the students in the unincorporated areas, I think GMSD should negotiate the use of the buildings. If Germantown Municipal School District owns the facilities, then GMSD should control who uses the buildings.
Should our school district educate only residents of Germantown, or all county students currently zoned for schools inside Germantown? How or where should displaced students be educated?
Germantown should continue to educate the students that are currently zoned for Germantown. Displaced student outside the Germantown city limits will have to be educated by the Unified School District.
Riverdale Elementary School is at 135% of capacity. Should reducing that to below 100% be a priority?
While keeping Riverdale a K-8 school, reducing the overcrowding at Riverdale Elementary should be a priority. If other Germantown schools are under utilized, rezoning could be an option to reduce overcrowding at Riverdale.
Do you favor an elementary/middle school, elementary/junior high or K-8 format?
I favor the elementary/middle school format.
Should all school services such as transportation, custodial, buildings and grounds maintenance, and nutrition, be outsourced or provided internally?
I personally believe that these services should be provided internally because this gives the district control over the operation of these services. I firmly believe that if you have ownership in something you take more pride in what you do.
Who should provide administrative services such as accounting, payroll, purchasing and maintenance—Germantown School District or City of Germantown?
This should be looked at in two ways: 1) What is the cost of doing everything in-house, 2) What is the cost of the city providing some or all services. It may be possible to do some in-house and have the City of Germantown provide some. Economics would be the driving force.
Will we educate City of Germantown employee children who live outside the district? Will their parents be responsible for tuition equal to the Germantown contribution per student?
City of Germantown employee’s children should be treated the same as children of school employees- if space is available they should be allow to attend the Germantown schools. If the school system receives money for the student from the state and county then no tuition should be charged.
What sort of school enrichment programs would you support?
I would support the Apex program, STEM, the high school IB program as well as an IB program at the middle schools.
Should the IB program at Germantown High School be considered among the highest priorities of our district? If not, what is the highest priority?
The IB program at Germantown High School should be one of the highest priorities for our district. This program is invaluable to the students of Germantown and the surrounding area.
Should our school district strive to provide enhanced educational opportunities in the arts, foreign languages, STEM, or sports, and if so, should they be funded by increasing property taxes? Or by parental user fees?
Germantown schools must do everything possible to enhance educational opportunities in the arts, foreign languages, STEM, and sports. This can be done without parental user fees or raising property taxes.
How should fundraising for extracurricular, sports and other activities take place: funded by the district, by parent fees or by selling merchandise in the community?
Fundraising for extracurricular activities and sports should be left up to the individual schools based on the policies of the School Board. This could include parent fees, car washes, gate fees from the sport or activity, etc. I am not a proponent of students going door-to-door selling merchandise.
Should technology be exploited to the fullest extent possible, i.e., replacing heavy text books with tablet computers? Who will pay for the tablets? What if they are lost or broken?
Technology is important in today’s world and should be used to the fullest extent possible. Providing tablet computers is a possibility and should be paid for by the district, if required. The student should have to pay a nominal fee for insurance coverage that is provided by the district. The district would need to have extra tablets on hand for replacement purposes.
How many children do you have in public schools, and in which schools?
My four grown children all attended Shelby County Schools. Two attended Germantown High School; one attended Bartlett High; and one attended Collierville High. I have two grandchildren – one at Lakeland Elementary and one at Bon Lin Middle.
What talents do you bring that makes you a good candidate?
I began my career in the business field as the Fleet & Service Manger of a national rent-a-car company; this gave me valuable experience with a diverse group of people. I have been teaching in Shelby County School for the past 20 plus years. This has provided me with knowledge of school policy and procedures, State Board of Education procedures, the State Department of Education, and the state legislature.
What experiences in your personal and professional background have given you relevant skills for the Germantown Municipal School Board?
Having been in management, I have interacted and dealt with diverse individuals and groups. My responsibilities included developing work schedules, purchasing and selling automobiles, overseeing maintenance and repair of equipment, and controlling various inventories.
As a teacher and president of the Shelby County Education Association, I have served on many committees at the school, district, and state level. I have a working relationship with our state legislature. I go to Nashville every year to lobby for educational issues that affect teachers, education support professionals, administrators, and school districts. I have gone to Washington, DC to talk with our U.S. Senators and Congressmen about national, state, and local educational issues.
What is your vision for the Germantown Municipal School District?
My vision is to establish an innovative and flexible education system that focuses on results, inspires all students, and prepares them to be successful in meeting today's challenges and tomorrow's opportunities.
How should the Germantown School district differ from the Unified District and the old Shelby County School District?
Germantown schools should offer more vocational classes at the high school level, and I’d like to see the IB program expanded to Houston High and the middle schools.
Are there any current policies and procedures that you would keep / change? and why?
Providing teachers with a laptop is something I would keep because having a laptop enables the teacher to enter grades and complete other tasks associated with his/her job.
Allowing children of employees of the GMSD to attend Germantown schools would be good for employee morale.
What will you look for in our superintendent?
The superintendent should be someone who has experience at the district level, who is credible, and who has the ability to pull groups and individuals together in a complex environment. The superintendent must be a very community oriented figure who is dedicated to education, the school environment, and the community as a whole. He/she must be a powerful communicator who can unify the community around student achievement in order to drive student achievement to the highest level. The superintendent should be a team builder, motivator, and innovator who is open minded, engaging, and accessible. The superintendent should and must be visible throughout the community.
Do you favor immediate tenure for tenured teachers presently teaching in Germantown schools? What about for tenured teachers teaching elsewhere in SCS?
Yes, we must make working in our schools as attractive as possible when it comes to all employees. We need to offer benefits equal to or better than those of the Unified School District.
For how long a transition period would you be willing to accept non-resident children without tuition?
As long as we are receiving money from the state’s BEP and Shelby County Government, we should not charge tuition for non-residents who are presently zoned for Germantown schools.
How cooperative should we be when negotiating with SCS to gain control of the school properties which are inside Germantown?
We should do everything within our power to gain ownership of the school properties within the Germantown city limits without having to pay for them. If we cannot legally get them without having to pay for the buildings, we should negotiate for them.
What are your thoughts on the possibility of the Unified District running some schools within Germantown? How can we prevent that from happening?
If there were school buildings sitting empty and not being used, and the Unified District wanted to use the buildings to educate the students in the unincorporated areas, I think GMSD should negotiate the use of the buildings. If Germantown Municipal School District owns the facilities, then GMSD should control who uses the buildings.
Should our school district educate only residents of Germantown, or all county students currently zoned for schools inside Germantown? How or where should displaced students be educated?
Germantown should continue to educate the students that are currently zoned for Germantown. Displaced student outside the Germantown city limits will have to be educated by the Unified School District.
Riverdale Elementary School is at 135% of capacity. Should reducing that to below 100% be a priority?
While keeping Riverdale a K-8 school, reducing the overcrowding at Riverdale Elementary should be a priority. If other Germantown schools are under utilized, rezoning could be an option to reduce overcrowding at Riverdale.
Do you favor an elementary/middle school, elementary/junior high or K-8 format?
I favor the elementary/middle school format.
Should all school services such as transportation, custodial, buildings and grounds maintenance, and nutrition, be outsourced or provided internally?
I personally believe that these services should be provided internally because this gives the district control over the operation of these services. I firmly believe that if you have ownership in something you take more pride in what you do.
Who should provide administrative services such as accounting, payroll, purchasing and maintenance—Germantown School District or City of Germantown?
This should be looked at in two ways: 1) What is the cost of doing everything in-house, 2) What is the cost of the city providing some or all services. It may be possible to do some in-house and have the City of Germantown provide some. Economics would be the driving force.
Will we educate City of Germantown employee children who live outside the district? Will their parents be responsible for tuition equal to the Germantown contribution per student?
City of Germantown employee’s children should be treated the same as children of school employees- if space is available they should be allow to attend the Germantown schools. If the school system receives money for the student from the state and county then no tuition should be charged.
What sort of school enrichment programs would you support?
I would support the Apex program, STEM, the high school IB program as well as an IB program at the middle schools.
Should the IB program at Germantown High School be considered among the highest priorities of our district? If not, what is the highest priority?
The IB program at Germantown High School should be one of the highest priorities for our district. This program is invaluable to the students of Germantown and the surrounding area.
Should our school district strive to provide enhanced educational opportunities in the arts, foreign languages, STEM, or sports, and if so, should they be funded by increasing property taxes? Or by parental user fees?
Germantown schools must do everything possible to enhance educational opportunities in the arts, foreign languages, STEM, and sports. This can be done without parental user fees or raising property taxes.
How should fundraising for extracurricular, sports and other activities take place: funded by the district, by parent fees or by selling merchandise in the community?
Fundraising for extracurricular activities and sports should be left up to the individual schools based on the policies of the School Board. This could include parent fees, car washes, gate fees from the sport or activity, etc. I am not a proponent of students going door-to-door selling merchandise.
Should technology be exploited to the fullest extent possible, i.e., replacing heavy text books with tablet computers? Who will pay for the tablets? What if they are lost or broken?
Technology is important in today’s world and should be used to the fullest extent possible. Providing tablet computers is a possibility and should be paid for by the district, if required. The student should have to pay a nominal fee for insurance coverage that is provided by the district. The district would need to have extra tablets on hand for replacement purposes.