A passionate advocate for our children’s education, Heather’s background serving our public schools gives her a unique perspective into what our local students, teachers and schools need. Heather’s three children have all graduated from our public school system. She has served on the Williamsburg/James City County School Board, the Special Education Advisory Committee, the New Horizons board and Chaired the 21st Century Career Readiness Committee. She currently sits on the New Horizon’s Foundation board to raise scholarship money for tools and certifications for students who have chosen the trades, manufacturing or construction as a career.

While on the WJCC School Board, she helped create potential employment opportunities for our students by initiating Manufacturing Day. WJCC school system was the first in North American to be adopted by the Association for Manufacturer’s Excellence and to hold Manufacturing Day; a day for students, teachers and parents to explore careers in manufacturing. As a result of these decisions, organic relationships have developed with our local employers.

Heather’s focus will be to ensure that our students have the tools to compete in tomorrow’s global economy while demanding excellence and accountability from every school. Heather believes that the best investment a school system can make is not in a new program or building but in quality teachers to lead our classrooms. While on the school board she also helped implement the Northstar project, that helps schools save money on process so that more money can be put in the classroom. Heather believes that the teacher is the most important asset and has supported pay raises.

We have a lot of terrific schools in the 93rd district but unfortunately, we also have some schools that are underperforming. Heather believes that we need to find ways to get more resources into the classroom but also provide parents of children in failing schools with options to provide their kids the best education possible. Every child should have access to a quality education, regardless of economic or geographic restraints or status.