Support Change: New Leadership for Niagara Falls Schools

I am running for a seat on the Niagara Falls City School District Board. I am up against 2 incumbents who have been helping steer us to failure and 2 people hand picked by the teacher’s union. I am gonna need money to print over 2000 flyers, 1000 postcards, some lawn signs, and serve pizza at my town hall listening sessions.

My platform is simple: Accountability, Transparency, and Impact.

Accountability

Last year, it took just 825 votes to win a seat on the school board. This year, two seats are up for election. Meanwhile, we’re spending $203 million, yet we have the lowest reading scores in the county—and we’ve held that dismal ranking for six straight years. That’s exactly how long my opponents have been in their seats.

When asked why our schools are failing, they blame poverty and the community—but never themselves. They refuse to examine their own leadership or acknowledge that things have gotten worse under their watch, not better.

Right now, nine of our schools are in TSI (Targeted Support and Improvement) status—meaning the state has flagged them for failing specific student subgroups for three consecutive years. After this round of testing, that number will rise to 11 out of 11 schools. These failing subgroups include:

- Black students (failed in all nine schools),

- Low-income students,

- Mixed-race students,

- Special education students.

- English as a Second Language

- And more!!!

Yet, there’s no accountability, no plan, and no effort to consult experts or research solutions. They just keep doing the same thing, expecting different results.

Transparency

If the TSI (Targeted Support and Improvement) stats shocked you, here’s more:

- Only 1 in 5 third graders is reading at grade level.

- Only 1 in 4 students in grades 3–8 is reading at grade level.

- Only 1 in 3 eighth graders is reading at grade level.

If you live in Niagara Falls and you’re thinking, “I’ve never heard these numbers before,” that’s exactly why I’m running. They hide the data and the failure from you. They’d rather you not know how badly they’re failing your kids—while blaming you and your children for the results.

We won’t improve until we acknowledge the problem. We won’t improve until we shine a light on it and hold leadership responsible.

Impact

I’m not here just to complain or “yell at the moon.” I’ve met with some of the top leaders in education reform, including experts like Kareem Weaver (star of two documentaries on Education Reform and executive director of a non-profit company that specializes in implementing change), who I had speak with the Administration, twice!! And Angie Hanlin (who has done work similar to Marva Collins and Dr. Benjamin Carson). She took a school from 13% literacy to 100%, and later transformed an entire district from the teens to 95% proficiency. She proved it’s possible.

We can turn this around—but not with the same or uneducated leadership, using the same excuses, and the same lack of transparency.

It’s time for change.