As a member of the School Board, my goal is to plan for the future with innovation, accountability and results as the primary drivers.

Innovation
The obvious thing that springs to mind when invoking the term innovation is technology, but in my mind I see it as a way of looking at programs and policies that takes into account the expert teachers, expert administration, expert parents and expert community. Parents are a child’s first teacher and should be part of the dialogue; for example the school system has taken some good first steps into seeking that input like parent university and the town hall phone calls, but I want to take it further and reach out to parents who are not routinely involved.

Accountability
Every teacher I talk to says, “I want to be held accountable”
I have a great respect for the profession of teaching. I ask teachers to teach my children and their peers everyday. I want their teachers to feel supported and respected so that they can do their jobs effectively.
The government has an idea of what it means to be a good teacher- it is a testing based analysis. While testing has a role in evaluating a teacher, fundamentally testing compares apples and oranges. I don’t think our community wants test results to be the #1 reason teachers are fired and hired. The community wants a comprehensive evaluation of whether children are engaged and learning. Tests are not complete indicator of learning on a comprehensive level.
Having accountability is a two way street. To demand excellence from teachers, as we do, we must also demand excellence in the support we give them.

Results
The current school board has been getting results, I want to keep us on that path. Success is narrowing the gap between the economically advantaged and disadvantaged; ensuring that people who have choices want to be and stay in our school system; and high school graduates are prepared to achieve their goals.

Difficult decisions are part of the process, reconfiguration has been a difficult decision and will continue to be an important commitment made by this school board. I will continue to advocate for an open and transparent process that brings in as many voices as possible during this process.

Please email me any questions you may have. Thank you for reading.

The current School Board is a highly functioning board that has much to be proud of over the past two years. I want to continue the level of professionalism, hard work and results of that Board.
Here are my thoughts on some key issues:
A. Consolidation- We have to ensure the investment by City taxpayers is relevant to the learning of our students. It has been a long time since we have asked for investment in the physical space. The design of Buford and Walker, combined with the strategic plan vision, will help our schools function more effectively for our students, teacher and administrators, as well as enhance economic development within our City, if done in a thoughtful manner.
B. Budget- The state has decreased its funding to our school system over the past three years. The City taxpayers have generously provided gap funding. As a member of the School Board, I will do my best to ensure that Charlottesville’s student voices are heard in Richmond. Further, I have a long history of making hard decisions related to priorities. I look forward to closely examining the budget and priorities of the Administration to make sure every dollar is being spent to educate our students according to the Strategic Plan objectives.
C. Attracting and retaining excellent teachers. The professional development and mentoring of our teachers is quite good overall, although collaboration and support vary among the individual schools.  A culture of support goes a long way to developing and retaining excellent teachers, it is key to encourage such a culture within every school.
Fundamentally, the school system is on the right track, however hard work continues to be necessary to ensure ALL of Charlottesville’s schools provide a high quality education for ALL its students.

I hope many of you have been able to enjoy a long three day weekend. I know my children have enjoyed an extra day off.

My friend, Vivian Paige, reminds me that Labor Day is not merely another day off.
From the USDOL:

“Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.”

Thank you to the City staff and teachers who support the education of our children, a vital component to America’s future economic prosperity.

Jennifer McKeever, mother of three and local attorney, announces her decision to seek election to the Charlottesville City School Board. Jennifer enters this race mindful of the hard decisions recently made by the School Board with a commitment to seeing those decisions come to fruition. Jennifer has been involved with the local Community Development Block Grant Task Force and the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board advocating for children and education during her five year tenure on the boards.

Jennifer’s goal is to continue the current Board’s legacy of success. Stephanie Bolton, a City parent, says “Jennifer has an analytical mind, she will ask questions and seek input from all parties to make good decisions for students.”

Jennifer believes that great teachers are the key to creating a community ripe for student learning and achievement. The number of teachers graduating from education schools continues to decline, Jennifer believes the focus should be ensuring the most talented teachers come to Charlottesville. To do so, Jennifer states she “will champion initiatives that provide mentoring to new teachers and ongoing peer support for all teachers, in addition to professional development opportunities that inspire creativity and innovation.”

Jennifer will advocate to ensure equal access to technology and an environment suitable for learning in the 21st Century. Specifically, Jennifer will ask City Council to expand wireless internet access to areas of the city currently underserved by internet access so that all students will be able to take advantage of the School’s technology initiatives at home and at school. Also, she will support school reconfiguration that brings a modern learning environment to Buford Middle School.

The state’s contribution to the City’s school system shrinks every year. The BLAST Initiative is an excellent example of reducing textbook costs with technology — additional cost savings should be explored every year.

Jennifer and her husband, Chris, have three boys. Two of her children, David and Andrew, are currently at Burnley Moran Elementary School entering second and third grade and the youngest is ten months old. The election is November 8, 2011.