Amy Soucinek

Soucinek believes that the board should not get into the development of the curriculum and that responsibility should be on the committee of experts created by the superintendent. She does want to point out that she will still ensure that the all stakeholders are able to see the curriculum prior to purchasing material [1].

She says that she will prioritize quality staff and quality instructional programs when preparing the district budget [1]. In order to better support public education in the state, Soucinek highlights the need for a greater investment in its students and schools through funding textbooks, supplies and building maintenance in addition to salaries and compensation for educators [2]. She says that preventative maintenance to lengthen the life of facilities and transportation vehicles are a priority for her [3].

Soucinek believes that finding, hiring, and retaining qualified staff is one of the most pressing issues facing the district. She plans on addressing this issue by approaching alternative staffing ideas which says she is currently doing on the board [1]. Soucinek urges that the appreciation and respect of all educational professionals, administrators and school staff be given in compensation [2], as well as involving them in discussions about school and classroom needs [3].

In regards to meeting the needs of all children with a limited district budget, she says she wants to address this through looking at various intervention programs [1].

Soucinek does not believe in expanding school vouchers. She says that the vouchers started off as a way to get students with special needs access to highly specialized schools, but the expansion to include any student allows for funding to go to private schools, which is weakening the ability of public schools to meet the needs of all students. She says that Littleton lost out on about $400,000 in ESA scholarships this year. [3]