Brooke Shotts: School board next step in journey of volunteerism

Brooke Shotts
Courtesy photo
  • Occupation: freelance graphic designer at Lasergraphics
  • Hometown: Oakdale, Minnesota
  • Years in Summit County: 18
  • Family: husband, Carlin; two sons, Zephyr and Wentzle; dog, PoppySeed
  • Civic involvement: Carriage House board member, Level 3 classroom volunteer, Breckenridge Elementary Building Advisory Committee member, Summit Middle School Building Advisory Committee member, Summit Middle School parent teacher organization and Junior Achievers volunteer.

My kids and passion for education have been the driving
force of my volunteering for the past 11 years. For me, running for Summit
School District school board is the next step in my journey. Being elected to
the school board would combine these two passions and put me in a position to
make a difference. I want to be more active and engaged in making decisions
that support all of our students, our district and, ultimately, our community. With
two kids currently in the district, I see the effects of the decisions the
school board makes every day.

Priority No. 1: Better pay for teachers and support staff

In order to create high-quality education, we need to retain
the teachers we have so we can create strength and continuity in the
relationships between teachers, students, parents and community members. With a
teacher shortage upon us, we also need to recruit the most qualified educators
available. This can be accomplished by offering a livable wage, housing
assistance and enticing them with our small-town charm. We all know that Summit
County is a great place to live and raise kids, which is why we stay. We need
to extend that same opportunity to current local teachers and future teachers
to come. Which would allow them to focus on what they love, which is teaching
kids.

Priority No. 2: Continue support for mental health and social emotional curriculum in classrooms/schools

I believe we need to be more active in identifying students
that are most at risk with providing them with intervention strategies earlier
rather than later. By allowing more time for training of teachers and support
staff, they will be able to effectively utilize social emotional curriculum and
help in identifying those kids at risk. Encouraging community participation
(for example: kids sports teams, clubs, etc.) in this process will reinforce
the same behavior expectations to kids that they will have throughout their
life. Creating mentally healthy kids allows them to focus and succeed.

Priority No. 3: Wise spending

I will be mindful and transparent in my approach to the
budget so we get the best results we can keeping in mind what’s best for kids.
Supporting initiatives like 4A and Proposition CC on the upcoming ballot give
our school district the fiscal room to fulfill some of the pressing needs in
the county. I know the importance of periodically reevaluating spending to make
sure current needs are being met and make adjustments as needed. Utilizing
dollars to provide teachers the resources, tools and training to have the
freedom to adjust curriculum to best suit the needs of all kids will help them
to achieve their fullest potential.

It would be an honor to serve the kids, teachers and my community by becoming a member on the Summit County school board. Learn more at shotts4tots.org.

Find more election coverage at SummitDaily.com/election.

via:: Summit Daily