Heidi Keyes BOE Statement
By Heidi Keyes
Heidi Keyes – Democratic Endorsed Candidate for Norwalk Board of Education
I am very proud to be running for the Norwalk Board of Education. I have grown up in Norwalk and have lived here most of life. Both my husband and I are products of the Norwalk Public School system. We both decided many years ago that this is a City that we wanted to raise our children and where we wanted them to go to school. I have 3 children in Norwalk schools, two at Columbus Magnet School and another at West Rocks Middle School. Each of them is receiving a quality education. One reason is because of our strong involvement in their education and another is because of the quality instruction from teachers and aides in the schools.
I am a strong believer of parental advocacy. Several years ago I graduated from the Parent Leadership Training Institute and Parents Supporting Educational Excellence, both state sponsored programs. I also had the opportunity to become a state certified facilitator for both programs and began teaching others what I learned in these programs. I taught parents about school district policies, school reform and how to become engaged and involved in their children’s education. I also helped parents to be advocates for their children through involvement in the community and school groups while improving communication skills and learning the mechanics of local and state government.
My career background is diverse. I have more than 15 years of business experience in the Corporate Travel industry. As a Travel Manager for a large corporate travel company I managed over 50 travel agents for several Fortune 500 accounts. I learned to effectively deal with deadlines, budget reconciliations while overseeing the needs of clients in a fast paced business environment. During this time, I also taught travel courses at Norwalk Community College where I felt my true passion was teaching.
Following 9/11, the travel industry changed and I moved on to a full-time career in education. I worked as a Paraprofessional/Educational Assistant in the Greenwich School District at the elementary level. I worked with children with special needs in a mainstream classroom setting. I assisted teachers with the design of children’s individualized programs as well as collecting and charting developmental data. I worked in supervising independent/group study and administering testing. I currently run my own in-home preschool for 2, 3 and 4 year olds in Silvermine. I am close to completing an Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education from Norwalk Community College and plan to continue my studies in Elementary Education. I am an active parent volunteer at Columbus Magnet School while often working with the teachers and aides in the classroom as well as Co-Secretary of the PTO.
The Board of Education has one of the most important responsibilities in our community. We must help plan and provide for the very best possible education of our children while assuring fiscal responsibility and accountability from the superintendent. I believe as a Board Member we serve as representatives of the community. At the core of this representation is effective communication. Communication with parents, teachers and with each other. I can assure everyone that I will listen, work well with others and more importantly I will communicate with the community. A central issue of the Cambridge Report was that communication at all levels of the school system among Board Members and between Board Members and the public was in need of improvement. If caucusing helps alleviate a lack of communication then this should be implemented. I can assure you that I will work hard to be a good communicator.
The Board of Education has created specific goals for our school system, which include: Instruction, Community Participation, Communication, Finance and Long Range Planning. These are not goals that should be viewed from a party politician but rather of individual Board Members working effectively and efficiently towards achieving these common goals. I am not a politician but rather an educator, parent and neighbor that will bring my life experiences and common sense to this position.
As a Board Member I would go visit all the schools in Norwalk to attempt to understand the needs and issues of each school. I think this is important to understand the dynamic between the superintendent, central administration and the individual schools themselves. It is imperative to meet with principals, teachers, aides as well as parents and students. I would make a point of sitting in on classes being taught and observe a class in session.
We are at an important juncture for Norwalk. The Board will choose a new superintendent. We should learn from the mistakes of the past and ensure that a new superintendent understands the needs and issues of our community. We have a diverse community and a superintendent must be sensitive to this but more importantly he or she must have the experience, temperament and track record of successful achievement. My preference would be to have a superintendent that lives in Norwalk: someone who has a vested interest in our schools and community. The Board should expect assistance, cooperation and professional leadership from the superintendent. We should never reach the point that a strained relationship between the school board and the superintendent erodes the quality of education for our children.
During the next few months I look forward to meeting parents, teachers and others to discuss some of these issues and listen to how we can best improve our school system.
