Why Community Public Schools, Like Edgewood, Matter

Public schools are more than buildings where students attend classes. They are places where a community comes together—where children learn not only math, science, reading, and the arts, but also how to understand and live alongside people whose experiences may be different from their own.

That is one of the many reasons I believe so deeply in community public schools.

Learning From One Another

When students from across a community learn together, they gain something that cannot be measured by a test score alone. They encounter different perspectives, family experiences, abilities, challenges, and opportunities. They learn to collaborate with people who may not think, communicate, or experience the world in exactly the same way they do.

These experiences help students develop empathy, adaptability, and a stronger understanding of their community. They also give children opportunities to recognize differences in access and privilege that they may not otherwise see.

This kind of learning matters. It prepares students not only for college or service, or a career, but also to become thoughtful neighbors, coworkers, leaders, and community members.

A Place for Every Student

Public schools have a special responsibility: they are here to serve every student who walks through their doors.

Students arrive with different strengths and different needs. Some need advanced academic opportunities. Others need special education services, language support, mental health resources, additional structure, or simply a trusted adult who believes in them. All students will need different kinds of support at different moments in their lives.

Serving such a wide range of learners is complex work, but it is also one of public education’s greatest strengths. Success should not be measured only by which students achieve the highest test scores. It should also be measured by how well a school helps every student learn, grow, belong, and move forward.

That is why comparisons between public and private schools rarely tell the whole story. Public schools are accountable to the entire community and are expected to educate students with a broad range of educational, behavioral, and service needs. Their work—and their success—must be understood in that fuller context.

Respecting Families While Supporting Public Education

Families make educational decisions for many personal reasons, and I respect parents for choosing what they believe is best for their children. My concern is not with individual families or their choices. My concern is with policies that redirect limited public resources away from the public schools responsible for serving the entire community.

When a public school is not fully meeting a student’s needs, our response should not be to give up on public education. We should listen, get involved, identify what is missing, and work together to make the school stronger.

It Takes an Entire Community

Strong community schools do not happen because of educators alone. They are built by teachers and staff who dedicate themselves to students, families who volunteer and stay engaged, local businesses that support programs and activities, and neighbors who show up for concerts, athletic events, fundraisers, and school board meetings.

Every contribution matters.

Serving on the Edgewood School Board is one way I would like to serve and contribute. I am running because I want to bring my experience as a K–12 teacher, higher education professional, and Edgewood parent to the work of strengthening our schools. I want every student to feel that they belong here and every family to know that their child matters.

Edgewood Schools belong to all of us. When we invest in them together, we are doing more than supporting classrooms—we are strengthening the community our children will inherit.