District 622 Q&A: Becky Neve

• Becky Neve

Becky Neve

Talk about it

Age: 40

City: Maplewood

Education: Bachelor degree in nursing

Occupation: Registered nurse; currently an insurance company nurse reviewer

Family: Husband, Hans; children, Grant and Isabelle

Civic involvement: President of Richardson Elementary Parent Support Council; chair of Richardson Elementary Carnival Committee; co-chair of Communications Committee for the 2011 levy renewal; parent representative to the District Title I Committee; volunteer at St. Mark’s Church.

The Bulletin asked District 622 School Board candidates the following questions:

Q: What do you see as the major issues facing District 622?

A: Like other districts in our state, the availability of resources, specifically funding, is one of the greatest challenges we face. We must find innovative ways to stretch dollars, without compromising the quality of education provided to our students, while retaining a strong workforce.

It is important that we continue to reach out and connect, not only with the families of students in our district, but the larger community as well. I believe in the philosophy of “it takes a village.” This requires trust, respect, collaboration and support of our community. This can be achieved through honest, open communication.

Q: How do you think the district should address learning gaps within its schools?

A: As a district, we need to remain focused – setting goals, implementing strategies, and providing leadership. We need curriculum that challenges our students and provides high standards for learning. Quality teachers, teaching strategies and knowledge of our students and how they learn are critical. We need to provide differentiated instructional methods and extra time and support for our students to learn the fundamentals. We must continue to fund all-day kindergarten, and offer pre-K programs. Expanding our pre-K programs and finding more ways to connect with/support parents could help us reduce the gaps that exist when school begins.

Q:How can the district incorporate technology into the classroom?

A: While incorporating technology requires placing devices in classrooms, equally important is integrating them into our curriculum and teaching strategies. The implementation of interactive white boards has been a great introduction to this. Expanding our use of these devices will provide students with a more diverse, interesting and engaging classroom experience. Utilizing interactive features through hand held devices would allow teachers the opportunity to assess the learning taking place, and identify areas requiring additional instruction. Student created podcasts, blogs, videos, and the use of Skype are other ways technology could be used to create an enhanced learning process.

Becky Neve is a challenger for District 622 School Board.

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