About Me
My name is Kathy McCollum
I’m running for a seat on the Mat-Su Borough School Board. I have lived and worked in the valley for 33 years and care about the children and families of our community.
For 31 years, I was a classroom teacher at Palmer Junior High and Cottonwood Creek Elementary. I worked hard to ensure my students’ achievement and will continue to work hard for the families, students, and teachers of the Mat-Su Borough.
I strongly believe that students need a solid foundation in all basic skills to become successful, contributing members of our community. The Alaska Reads Act will be an integral part of creating that success for beginning readers and I want to be a part of that implementation. We need to get back to the focus on increasing academic success in Reading, Writing, Math, History, and Science to give students the skills they need in life.
We can use the taxpayers’ money efficiently in this quest for excellence if we get down to the business of educating students, supporting good teachers, and building policies that best serve the community we live in. A fiscally responsible budget should be developed to serve the district’s functions, not to serve special interests or philosophical beliefs that go against parents’ ideals.
Parents are their child’s first teacher and should retain rights in the process of education. Transparency in curriculum is key, as is school choice. Parents should feel welcome to be an integral part of the entire educational experience.