ISSUES

 

Empowering Parents:

Parents are the best advocates for their own children. We need a system that prioritizes parent responsibility. Being regularly informed of what’s going on in their child’s classroom is critical to helping moms and dads make good decisions for their students. Academic, social, and behavioral skills are all learned at home and in the classroom.

Improving Literacy:

Literacy skills begin developing in the earliest of years. We must refocus and teach in proven, developmentally appropriate ways so as not to miss the critical building blocks that will impact a child’s future literacy and learning progress. Identifying the best approach is imperative to help children develop the specific skills needed to excel in their reading and comprehension levels. After all, literacy is the foundation of all learning and lifelong success.

Fiscal Responsibility:

In District 7, it is time for a paradigm shift in how we are teaching our students and spending our taxpayer resources. What we are doing now is not working.  I am an advocate of using our dollars differently – not simply raising taxes to fill in gaps. We must find new avenues to provide the most beneficial and effective learning environment for the children of Hillsborough County.

While we may love the bragging rights that come with being the seventh largest school district in the nation, the sheer size makes it difficult to meet the unique needs of all students. As an invested teacher and community member, I will work to offer students the educational experience they deserve.
— Karen Bendorf, Candidate, District 7 School Board