Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Why are you running for re-election to the School Board?

A. I ran for my first three terms on the Gwinnett County School Board because it was the next natural step in my commitment to education and the community where I live. I have worked to make a positive impact. But the work of supporting public education is not yet complete.

My children are grown and working. I have the time to give as an office holder and a public official.

I believed in the power of public education and the need that all students have to acquire the best possible education to keep their options open for success in their professional and personal lives.

I want to use my professional experience and education as a teacher and my personal experience as a mother and community member to address the needs of the largest school system in Georgia and one of the fourteen largest school systems in the nation.

I am running for re-election in 2008 because we still have much unfinished work to do.

A hallmark of my three terms on the Board has been an absolute insistence on fairness for every student--in spite of challenges and controversy—while improving the quality of public education for all students.

I want to be on the Board for the $16 million renovation of the Buchanan School of Technology to serve because of the significance of this initiative to our students and communities in the Duluth and Norcross clusters.
I want to ease the overcrowding of the 175,000 students expected in Gwinnett County Public Schools by 2012, to ensure that our schools and students are safe and secure, and to confirm that our facilities are of the highest caliber.
I want to continue to ensure that the appeal process that the Gwinnett Board of Education enacted in 2002 for 4th and 7th graders does not become a single assessment measure used to pass, fail, or promote students.
I want to make sure our teachers have the materials they need to teach and the professional development they require so that they can continue to achieve success in closing the student academic achievement gap.
I want to work with business and community leaders, parents, and others to continue to build civic capacity in support of public education through open communication and transparency related to school operations.
I want to continue my commitment of "Building World Class Schools – One Student at a Time."

We are doing tremendous things in Gwinnett County to serve a diverse student body of learners—gifted, International Baccalaureate, special education, newcomers, and international, among others.

Gwinnett residents had a chance to observe me when we redistricted all the schools in the county in 1997 and 1998, in 2003 and 2004, and again in 2006 and 2007. I believe they trust me and know that I will do the right thing when it comes to their children—and to their property.

Q. What schools do you represent?

A. Over 20,000 students are enrolled in the twenty schools in District 3 that I represent. These include students in the following schools:

In the Duluth Cluster, Berkeley Lake, Chattahoochee, Chesney, and B.B. Harris Elementary Schools, as well as Duluth Middle, Duluth High School, Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology, and the Monarch School.
In the Norcross Cluster, Beaver Ridge, Norcross, Peachtree, Simpson, Stripling Elementary Schools, Pinckneyville Middle, Summerour Middle, Norcross High School, the Buchanan School of Technology, and GIVE Center West.
In the Peachtree Ridge Cluster, Mason Elementary and Hull Middle Schools.

Q. My child has been diagnosed with dyslexia and has difficulty reading. However, she excels in logical processing, mathematics and reasoning. What accommodations for the Gateway and the Criterion Reference Competency Test (CRCT) do the Gwinnett County Schools provide?

A. We have planned all accommodations involving state and federal laws for students designated as Special Education or English Speakers of Other Languages for the Gateway and the CRCT. Parents who have questions and concerns about these should contact their local school principal or let me know if I can be of assistance to you.

Q. How accessible have you been to parents, teachers and the community? How do we know you understand and are representing our interests?

A. More than 8,000 constituents have telephoned, FAXed, and contacted me during my twelve years on the School Board.

My telephone number is 770-840-9752 and my FAX number is 770-582-7507. Constituents know they can always reach me and that I will call back within 24 hours.

I have worked very hard to be accessible to parents, teachers, and community members of District 3. I have kept in touch with constituents in a variety of ways, including the following:

Returned an average of twenty telephone calls and FAX messages weekly;
Averaged twenty visits every month to meet with principals, teachers and local school committees;
Attended numerous community events, including the Gwinnett PTA Council, the Quality Growth Council, the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, and the Georgia School Board Association, among others;
Attended five Area Board Meetings every year, dedicated nearly thirty new schools, and held more than forty public hearings on redistricting;
Met every month for twelve years for Work Sessions, Executive Sessions, and Open Meetings (usually lasting over seven hours);
Participated in up to twenty-five panels a year on School Discipline Appeals, Textbook and Media Center Book Appeal, and Testing and Assessment Review during the four-year term;
Met in Work Sessions and in Public Hearings at least four times each year for twelve years to review and vote on the School System's Annual Budget.
Attended mandatory training for School Board members every year for twelve years.

Through such an extensive commitment to meetings and interaction with community members, I have made contact and worked to identify the needs and interests of the District 3 community.

Q. How do you have time to be a School Board Member?

A. It is not an easy commitment to fill. Advance notice of meetings is not always an option. Flexibility in scheduling is a necessity. While personally rewarding, responding to the needs of the community is time-consuming. Now that my children are grown, I have additional time resources to devote. Education and community volunteer service have always been personal priorities for me.

Q. District 3 is well known for its unique diversity while maintaining above average performance within the state and nation. Can you provide us with current statistics about our District 3 population?

A. I have a great commitment to meeting the needs of individual students in District 3, no matter how long or how recently they have been in Gwinnett Public Schools. Some schools in District 3 enroll students from as many as 100 different countries of the world. Although English is a second language for many of our children, they are making strong progress in their goal to speak English and to pass the tests related to our curriculum.

The Gwinnett County Public School Planning Department predicts that the district will continue to attract additional people from around the world, thereby creating increased opportunities for us to educate children with many diverse needs.

During my twelve years on the Board, we have committed $9.5 million to the schools in District 3 to provide individual programs for students who need extra help with reading, math, and other areas of study.

I am committed to providing whatever is necessary so all children can succeed in Gwinnett County Public Schools--including gifted, International Baccalaureate, special education, newcomers, international, and students with talents and needs for other special programs.

As I see it in Gwinnett County, we are "Building World Class Schools - One Student at a Time." But we cannot do this alone. We need your help and engagement. Together, we will continue to succeed to close the student academic achievement gap and meet the economic development needs of Gwinnett County—the largest school system in Georgia and the fourteenth largest system in the nation.