One of the most common concerns I hear from families is simple and direct: “Why don’t we know what’s going on?”

Behind that question is a deeper frustration. Families feel decisions are being made behind closed doors, with little opportunity to understand, contribute, or be heard. Information, when it is shared, often comes late, in technical language, or buried in policy jargon. And when families show up to ask questions or express concern, they’re too often met with time limits, vague responses, or bureaucratic deflection.

We deserve better than that. Not just because it feels good to be included—but because transparency is the foundation of public trust. And trust is essential to a thriving school district.

As a parent in the Thompson School District, I know firsthand what it feels like to be on the receiving end of unclear or delayed communication. I’ve waited for updates that never came, tried to decipher dense district memos, and watched other parents grow discouraged after trying to speak up at board meetings only to be met with silence or political defensiveness. These experiences don’t just make families feel powerless—they actively erode the partnership that public education depends on.

Transparency isn’t a courtesy—it’s a responsibility. And in public education, it should be the default.

We need to create systems that respect the public’s right to know what’s happening in our schools. That means no more gatekeeping information, no more hiding behind technicalities, and no more pretending that a 3-minute comment during a public meeting is real engagement.

Here’s what a transparent school system should look like:

• Proactive, plain-language communication about major decisions, upcoming votes, curriculum choices, budget allocations, and policy shifts. Not just posted online for those who know where to look—but shared through multiple channels, in multiple languages, so it actually reaches people.

• Open access to curriculum and classroom materials, so families can see what’s being taught and how it aligns with educational standards, inclusion, and community values.

• Regular, facilitated community listening sessions where parents, students, teachers, and staff can ask questions, raise concerns, and offer ideas—without needing to be experts in policy to be taken seriously.

• Clear explanations of district finances, including how money is spent, what’s prioritized, and how resource allocation supports equity across schools.

• Accountability for follow-through. When the district hears community input, there must be a visible, trackable process showing what happens next—how feedback is weighed, incorporated, or responded to directly.

But transparency also has to mean more than just open documents and meeting minutes. It has to be rooted in a belief that public education belongs to the public—and that includes everyone, not just those with the time, knowledge, or access to navigate the system.

That’s why transparency and equity go hand in hand. It’s not enough to invite feedback from families who already know how to engage—we need to actively reach out to those who’ve historically been excluded or ignored. That means building trust with Black, Brown, Indigenous, immigrant, LGBTQ+, low-income, and disabled families who have often been on the margins of school policy conversations. Their voices, their experiences, and their needs must be centered in our vision of what transparent, responsive governance looks like.

Because let’s be clear: the absence of transparency doesn’t affect all families equally. When power is concentrated, when information is hard to access, and when decisions are made without community input, it reinforces the very inequities that schools should be working to undo.

I’m running for school board because I believe we need to flip that dynamic. We need to treat families—not as passive recipients of district decisions—but as active participants in shaping the future of our schools.

I want to make school governance something that feels open, collaborative, and rooted in public service. That means doing the hard work of explaining how decisions are made, inviting people into those conversations early, and being accountable when we get it wrong. It means welcoming hard questions, not shutting them down. And it means valuing transparency not as a talking point, but as a way of building long-term trust and collective power.

Public education should be a shared project—not something that happens to us, but something we create together.

That starts with transparency. And it ends with a stronger, more equitable, more responsive district that truly serves all of us.