Winter Schassberger for Roanoke County School Board
Win with Winter!
Winter Schassberger for Roanoke County School Board
Win with Winter!
About Winter
Culture
I believe that our school system can only be a supportive and safe environment for our students and staff if the culture and climate is one of respect and trust. Creating that culture and climate is going to require work from everyone in our community, and I believe that together we can make the change.
Parents and teachers have historically been partners in supporting educational and character growth in students. Recently, there’s been an erosion of this partnership. I hear from parents who feel like they are not welcome in the schools, recently graduated students who tell me they are glad to be out of our schools, and teachers who feel that parents aren’t invested in their child’s schooling. We must trust our teachers as the experts in charge of educating our children and we must find ways to include our parents and caregivers in the process of that education. When parents and teachers support each other, communication becomes easier. Showing mutual respect teaches our children the importance of their education.
To keep our schools safe, we need to create a culture of trust within Roanoke County Public Schools. A school system cannot address issues they don’t know about, and they can’t know about them if they aren’t reported. Caregivers and students must feel comfortable reporting experienced or witnessed behaviors to a teacher or school administrator. Teachers must feel comfortable reporting to their building administrator about behavior problems they are experiencing or witnessing in the building. Caregivers must be quickly notified of behavior problems affecting their students. To build comfort in reporting we must address behavior problems promptly and with fidelity.
We will no longer accept the legacy of “I’m so glad to be out.” As your Hollins School Board member, I will work with our schools and community to help create this culture of trust.
Communication
I believe that honest and transparent communication is key to establishing trust. Our school board should listen to the educators, administrators, parents, and students it serves and take the lived experience of that community into consideration when making policy decisions that will impact the daily operation of our schools. Our school board should constantly be seeking updated, expert guidance on issues that are affecting public schools and be proactive in implementing systems to address those issues. I am no stranger to speaking at school board meetings and have personally experienced the frustration of feeling unheard.
As your Hollins school board member, I will be available to the members of our community. I will visit our schools and listen to the needs of our staff. I will seek input from the parents and students when considering policy updates and implementation. Communication is how we build trust, but comprehension is how we create change.
Collaboration
Student success depends largely on the collaborative partnerships within a school system. Parents, teachers, administrators, and school board members must work together to ensure the best possible outcomes for our students. In recent years, that collaboration has eroded, creating a culture and climate where members are disengaged, isolated, and fearful. In a community as wonderfully diverse as the one in which we live, we will never agree on everything, but we can all agree that we want our students to have the best opportunities.
As your Hollins school board member, I will work to restore the collaborative partnerships within Roanoke County Public Schools that are essential to student success. When we collaborate to promote one specific goal, putting children first, our whole community succeeds.
Capital
We must be able to competitively compensate our educators, maintain an appropriate level of support staff, and address infrastructure needs. These are basic needs in every school system and must be top priorities for our school board.
As your Hollins school board member, I will advocate for full and fair funding for Roanoke County Public Schools with our local and state government leaders and vote no for school choice and voucher programs, opting to keep all of our tax dollars in our public school system where every student is welcome.
Common Sense
Classrooms are no place to wage culture wars. We don’t have to be afraid of what our children are learning in Roanoke County Public Schools. Like all public schools in Virginia, our teachers are obligated to teach Virginia’s Standards of Learning. If there is ever a problem with curriculum or non-curriculum teaching, there are systems in place to address it. I recognize that a policy is only words and is only impactful when it is applied.
As your Hollins school board member, I will help ensure common sense polices and procedures are in place and in practice in Roanoke County Public Schools.