Strong Students. Strong Schools. Strong Community.

Workforce Development & Career Readiness

This one is personal. As founder of RiseUP Cooperative, I've spent years watching talented young people graduate without a clear path forward — not because they weren't capable, but because no one had ever shown them what was possible.

Too many students leave our schools without ever stepping inside a real workplace, without knowing what careers exist in their own community, and without the practical life skills that employers actually need. That gap isn't just a student problem — it's an economic problem for Hamilton County.

I'm the only candidate in this race who has built these programs from the ground up. I know what works, what doesn't, and what it takes to connect young people to real opportunity. I'll bring that expertise directly into board policy.

5,000+

Teens and young adults served through RiseUP since 2020

350+

Free workshops delivered in Hamilton County

70+

Partner organizations — schools, nonprofits & businesses

229%

Participant growth in a single year (2023→2024)

These aren't program stats from a government agency. This is what one founder, one team, and one community built together — from scratch, in Hamilton County, over five years. That's what I'm bringing to the school board.

pathways supported: college, trade & career, military service

What I'll do

Champion board policies and budget support that grow work-based learning district-wide
The board approves the partnerships and the funding. I'll advocate for formal policy direction that makes work-based learning a district priority — and vote for the budget allocations that back it up.
Advocate for administration to evaluate and expand life skills programming across grade levels
The board doesn't write curriculum — but it directs the superintendent to prioritize it. I'll push for a formal review of how financial literacy, leadership, and practical life skills are currently taught across the district, and advocate for filling the gaps.
Use my existing employer relationships to help broker community partnerships — and push the board to formalize them
I've spent 20 years building relationships with Hamilton County employers, nonprofits, and community organizations. I'm not starting from zero — I'm bringing a network with me. I'll use those connections to open doors, then advocate for board-approved agreements that make those partnerships lasting and district-wide.

Sandy's signature issue

20+

years Sandy has worked in youth development & life skills programming

Four priorities.
One community. All in

Platform · Hamilton County District 3

A board member sets policy, approves budgets, and holds the administration accountable. These commitments reflect exactly what that role can — and should — do. No overreach. No empty promises. Just clear, credible action.

These aren't talking points - they're issues I've lived — as a mother, a foster parent, a nonprofit founder, a charter school board chair, and a Chattanoogan who has never left.

Priority 01

A child who doesn't feel safe cannot learn. It's that simple — and that serious. Safety isn't just about preventing worst-case scenarios. It's about the daily experience of every student walking through our doors: whether they feel seen, whether they feel protected, whether they feel like they belong.

Bullying and cyberbullying are the top safety concerns of educators nationwide — ranked above weapons and violence three years running. Mental health demand in schools is rising sharply, yet fewer than half of schools feel equipped to meet it. These aren't abstract statistics. They're children in Hamilton County.

I will push the board to move beyond vague safety policies and into specific, measurable commitments — with real accountability and regular public reporting on progress.

Student safety & well-being

Priority 03

58%

of schools saw more students seeking mental health services this year

What I'll do

Champion board adoption of data-driven safety plans with public accountability built in
I'll push the board to require the administration to produce specific, measurable safety goals — and report progress to the community on a regular schedule, not just when something goes wrong.
Direct the superintendent to strengthen anti-bullying policy enforcement district-wide
The board sets policy direction; the superintendent executes it. I'll push for clear, consistently enforced anti-bullying standards — and ask for regular reporting on incident data so we can see whether what we're doing is actually working.
Vote to ensure safety resources extend beyond classrooms to the whole campus
Nearly 60% of school safety incidents happen outside the classroom. I'll advocate for board policies and funding that reflect this reality — not just investments in classroom-based programs.

~50%

of teachers concerned about student safety — up 12 pts since 2022

40%

of high schoolers report persistent sadness or hopelessness (CDC)

Top Priority

Research is unambiguous: teacher quality is the single greatest school-based factor in student achievement. When we lose great teachers — to burnout, to better pay elsewhere, to a profession that doesn't value them the way it should — our children are the ones who pay the price.

Nationally, teachers earn just 73 cents for every dollar made by similarly educated professionals. That gap has been widening for 30 years and hit a record high in 2024. Right now, more than 400,000 teaching positions across the country are either unfilled or filled by someone not fully certified. Hamilton County is not immune to this crisis.

73¢

per dollar earned by similarly educated professionals — a record low

62%

of teachers report frequent job-related stress vs. 33% of similar adults

$25K

cost to replace a single teacher who leaves the district

What I will do

Advocate for competitive compensation in every budget cycle — and vote accordingly
The board approves salaries. I'll make teacher compensation a standing budget priority — not an afterthought — and push back on any budget that doesn't take the pay gap seriously.
Champion board policies that improve working conditions — not just pay
Pay matters, but so does respect. I'll advocate for board-level policies that give teachers adequate planning time, reasonable workloads, and a professional environment that makes Hamilton County a place great educators choose to stay.
Push for targeted retention support at high-need schools where turnover hits hardest
High-poverty and under-resourced schools consistently lose teachers at the highest rates. I'll advocate for board policies that direct additional support and incentives to the schools — and the students — who need stability most.

Priority 02

Teacher Pay & Retention

Critical Issue

$674M

Hamilton County district budget overseen by the school board

77%

of board budget meetings include no mention of student outcomes (Brookings)

~$17K

spent per student annually — every dollar should serve a child

Priority 04

Responsible Fiscal Stewardship

Accountability

A note on honest governance

A school board member sets policy, approves budgets, and holds the superintendent accountable — they don't run programs or manage staff directly. These commitments reflect exactly what that role can do. Sandy believes voters deserve candidates who understand the difference between campaigning and governing — and who tell you the truth about both.

Hamilton County's school district manages a $674 million budget on behalf of every family and taxpayer in this community. That is an enormous public trust — and it deserves a board member who takes it seriously enough to ask hard questions, read the fine print, and refuse to let spending drift on autopilot.

I've founded and run organizations. I've sat on a charter school board and made real budget decisions with real consequences. I know what it looks like when every dollar has a job to do — and when it doesn't.

I will bring the kind of disciplined, mission-focused financial thinking I've practiced for 20 years in the nonprofit world.