Why should you vote for Kim?

She is a proven leader:

● PTA Officer
President (2 years)
Vice-President (2 years)
Treasurer (4 years)

● PTA Area Advisor
Liaison to Hamilton Co. PTA

● Program Coordinator
Upwards Soccer

● Committee Chair
Parent Involvement Excellence Certification Committee

● Member
Hamilton Co. Health Advisory Board

● Classroom Experience
Substitute Teacher

● Founder
Seniors Life Assistance Company

She will focus on involving parents as full partners in supporting their children's education.

She will use her accounting / auditing experience to guide the District through a challenging financial period and pursue new funding avenues to ensure our schools are fiscally sound.

She will prioritize teacher retention and morale.

The Issues

Engaging Parents As Partners In Education

Studies repeatedly show that students achieve more when their parents are involved regardless of socio-economic status, ethnic/racial background, or parental education. Children of involved parents generally have higher grades and test scores, better attendance, and higher rates of completed homework. I will seek to have the District provide even stronger parental education to teach the parents specific skills we all need to help our children do their best in school.

Workshops should be available at each school with a variety of days and times to accommodate working parents. Classes on communicating effectively with your child's teacher, developing good study habits, and preventing the summer slide can help parents support their children's learning and improve student performance.

We must have the same high expectations for ourselves as we do for our children.

Fiscal Solutions

The reduction of State funding is wreaking havoc on all schools in Ohio including our District. As we have seen during this past year, it has been necessary to close one of our elementary schools, retiring teachers and administrators have not been replaced, teacher contracts have been re-negotiated, fewer classes will be offered and class sizes will become larger. While these changes have been necessary, we must begin to explore other funding avenues to keep our schools competitive.

It is also necessary to maintain awareness of the changes being made at the state level in advance, so that we can prepare our District in an organized manner. It will become even more important to work with our local and state representatives for school funding reform.

Public Schools vs. Charter Schools

I believe that public schools are invaluable to this country. The public schools are held accountable at national, state and local levels to standards that are equal across the board. This includes not only standardized testing as a base for student learning, but also includes qualifications for educators in the classrooms. The formula used for per pupil reimbursement is also consistent.

This per pupil reimbursement becomes an important factor when discussing financial issues in a district. For example, as of 2008 our District received $4,367 per pupil from the State of Ohio but was forced to spend $7,716 per pupil out of the budget to send them to a charter school. This impacted our already tight budget by $261,728 for one year and the number is continuing to grow. Please refer to the Ohio Department of Education Form SF3 for July 11, 2008 to verify these facts. I believe that our tax dollars should be spent equally among all students.

It is also important to note that based upon some preliminary research, out of the 11 charter school State Report Cards that I viewed from the Cincinnati area, 3 were rated in the “Academic Emergency” category, 3 were rated as “Academic Watch”, 3 were rated as “Continuous Improvement,” and 2 were rated “Effective.” To me, this shows that the students of charter schools are not being educated by qualified teachers, but are receiving more of your tax dollar to educate them.

I realize that this issue is not necessarily one that our school board alone can change, but it is important for a strong voice to be heard at the state level before education reform can even begin to take place.

Valuing and Respecting Our Teachers and Staff

Our teachers and staff are our schools' greatest asset. Besides just opening the book and teaching us what is in it, they teach why it is important to study and read the book we hold in our hands.

Teachers heavily influence the person we become later in life. Sometimes they even help us choose a career as they understand our gifted talents and skills that we try to throw away. They identify each of our capabilities and help us prune our skills, a privilege some students never receive at home.

It is only by respecting the wondrous and God-sent people that guide us and allow us to take in knowledge will the next generation be able to follow in our footsteps. It is my goal is assist our district in instilling this belief in our children.