Kids are in school to learn. Period. Education should be focused on strong academics, real skills,
safe schools, supported teachers, and parents who are heard—without bureaucracy getting in the way.
📚
Academic Standards That Expect Excellence
Standards should aim for each student’s potential—not settle for “making progress.”
Academic standards should be set to help every student reach their full potential, not merely show incremental progress.
“Making progress” is not enough if a student leaves school unprepared for adult life.
Every student must be taught to read and perform math at grade level. There should be no exceptions to this expectation.
Literacy and numeracy are non-negotiable foundations for success.
Standards should be clear, measurable, and focused on mastery—so parents and educators know exactly what success looks like.
As a Board Member, I will:
Push for clear, plain-language statewide academic expectations
Require transparent reporting that separates graduation rates from actual proficiency
Ensure standards emphasize mastery, not paperwork compliance
🧭
Multiple Paths—College, Careers, and Trades
College is one path—not the only path. Skilled trades are essential and respected.
Students do not all have the same goals—and education should respect that. Whether a student plans to attend college,
enter a profession, or learn a skilled trade, schools should offer meaningful pathways that prepare them to succeed.
We must prioritize programs that allow students who want to learn trades to begin that preparation while still in high school.
Let’s not turn students out with no skills, no direction, and no options.
Career and technical education should be treated as a high-value track, with strong partnerships, real credentials,
and clear opportunities after graduation.
As a Board Member, I will:
Advocate for expanded, high-quality career and technical education statewide
Support credentialed trade programs that lead directly to employment
Ensure districts treat trade pathways as equal to college-prep tracks
💵
Life Skills for the Real World
Students should graduate ready to manage money, work, and adulthood.
Education should prepare students for life—not just tests. Every graduate should understand basic, practical skills such as:
Managing a bank account
Reading a pay stub
Understanding loans, interest, and debt
Debt-to-income ratios
Credit scores and credit accounts
Basic investing principles
These are not political topics. They are essential life skills that help young adults avoid financial traps
and build stable, independent lives.
As a Board Member, I will:
Support statewide standards for practical financial literacy
Encourage partnerships that bring real-world instruction into classrooms
Ensure life-skills education is measurable and meaningful
⚖️
Classrooms Free From Politics
Classrooms should remain neutral—focused on education, not ideology.
There is absolutely no room for politics in the classroom. Schools should remain neutral environments focused on education,
not a teacher’s personal beliefs or ambitions.
Students are in school to learn academic and life skills—not to be exposed to ideology or advocacy unrelated to the curriculum.
As a Board Member, I will:
Insist that curriculum decisions remain educational, not political
Support clear guardrails that protect classroom neutrality
Ensure accountability when neutrality is violated
🗣️
Parents as Meaningful Partners
Parents should not need to be lawyers—or hire lawyers—to be heard.
Parents must be meaningful participants in their child’s education. That means being heard, having concerns taken seriously,
and receiving full, clear explanations when questions are asked.
Parents should not need to be lawyers—or pay for lawyers—to have their concerns heard by the Nebraska Department of Education
or by members of the State Board of Education.
The Board should be fair and impartial. Families deserve transparency, consistent processes, and a system that is accessible
to everyday parents—not just those with time, money, and legal experience.
As a Board Member, I will:
Push for plain-language explanations of NDE decisions
Advocate for consistent, transparent complaint and due-process procedures
Ensure parents are treated as partners—not obstacles
🛡️
Safe Schools Focused on Learning
No violence. No drugs. Safe schools are a requirement—not a talking point.
Students cannot learn when they do not feel safe.
Schools must be secure environments free from violence, drugs, and intimidation.
Safety is not optional—it is foundational to education.
My approach to school safety is informed by real-world experience.
I served in the United States Army from 2004 to 2012, including deployments to
Afghanistan and Iraq, and later served as a correctional officer at the
Lancaster County Jail.
That experience taught me that effective security is not about overreaction—it is
about awareness, threat assessment, prevention, and coordination.
The same principles apply in schools.
School Resource Officers should be supported as a meaningful part of a comprehensive
school safety strategy. When properly integrated, SROs help prevent incidents,
identify emerging risks, and work collaboratively with administrators, staff,
students, psychologists, and families to keep schools safe.
As a member of the Nebraska State Board of Education, I will:
Support clear, consistent, and comprehensive school safety standards statewide
Advocate for the thoughtful integration of School Resource Officers into school communities
Ensure safety policies emphasize prevention, early identification of risk, and coordination—not just response after a crisis
Safe schools are not about fear or politics. They are about protecting students,
supporting educators, and creating environments where learning can thrive.
🍎
Support Teachers—and Expect Professionalism
Support great teachers, reward excellence, and protect classrooms from disruption.
Teachers should be supported with the resources they need to do their jobs well.
Educators who go above and beyond for students should be recognized and, when possible, compensated accordingly.
At the same time, teachers who are not performing—or who want to force ideology upon students—should be supported
in moving on. Teaching is a profession with responsibilities, not a political platform.
As a Board Member, I will:
Advocate for policies that support and retain high-performing teachers
Ensure accountability systems protect students and classrooms
Keep instructional focus on education—not activism
✅
Education, Not Bureaucracy
Less red tape. More learning. Measurable outcomes that families can see.
Education should not be driven by bureaucracy, political correctness, or the desire to make everyone comfortable.
Kids are in school to learn—period.
Our focus should be simple: strong instruction, smart students, measurable outcomes, and accountability.
Systems exist to serve students—not the other way around.
As a Board Member, I will:
Ask hard questions about NDE policies and outcomes
Insist on transparency and measurable results
Keep students—not systems—at the center of decisions
⚖️
Fairness in Student Participation
Athletics and activities should be fair, safe, and based on biological sex.
Students should participate in school programs and extracurricular activities
based on their biological sex. This ensures fairness, safety, and equal opportunity
for all students—especially in athletics.
Separate athletic programs for boys and girls exist for a reason.
Preserving these distinctions protects competitive integrity and
ensures students are not placed at a physical or competitive disadvantage.
Schools must be able to apply clear, consistent rules that respect all students
while maintaining fairness and safety in school-sponsored activities.
As a Board Member, I will:
Support policies that base athletic participation on biological sex
Ensure school activities prioritize student safety and competitive fairness
Provide clear guidance to districts to avoid confusion and inconsistent enforcement
🔍
Safeguard Tax Dollars, Increase Transparency, and Protect Parental Rights
Oversight means asking hard questions—clearly, fairly, and in public.
The Nebraska State Board of Education does not write local school district budgets,
but it does oversee how state and federal education dollars are prioritized,
administered, and evaluated statewide.
That responsibility matters. Taxpayers deserve to know how education dollars are being used,
whether programs are working, and whether outcomes justify continued funding.
Transparency is not about blame—it’s about trust.
As a Board member, I will focus on:
Clear, understandable reporting on how state and federal education funds are used
Evaluating whether programs are improving literacy, math proficiency, safety, and access
Asking why programs continue when outcomes do not improve
Reducing box-checking compliance that adds bureaucracy without helping students
Protecting parental rights is part of that responsibility.
Too often, education policy is shaped by people who are far removed from today’s classrooms.
Many decision-makers no longer have school-age children and rely on reports, dashboards,
and briefings instead of firsthand experience.
State Board members should not dictate how local districts operate.
Local control matters. But effective oversight requires engagement.
Board members must understand what is actually happening in schools—not just what appears on paper.
That means visiting schools, talking with educators, listening to parents,
and understanding how policies affect students in real classrooms.
Without that connection, it is impossible to know whether decisions are helping or hurting.
If I am elected, expect to see me in your schools—listening, learning, touring,
and making sure state-level decisions are grounded in reality, not distance.
I will advocate for processes that are fair, accessible, and transparent—so parents,
educators, and students are heard, decisions are made openly, and accountability
flows to the system, not just to families.
Oversight is not opposition. It is the duty of the Board to ensure that public trust,
public funds, and students’ futures are protected.