My main goal for seeking a position on the Indian River School District’s School Board is to represent and give voice to the residents who reside in district three. I have 39 years of experience as a teacher and administrator, and I can provide the necessary leadership to make the school district one of the best in the state. I would place a major focus on the following areas:

• Improve school discipline to make the learning environment more conducive to learning.

• Work to improve safety initiatives to keep our students and staff safe.

• Work to remove local and state mandates that are driving teachers from the classroom.

• Work to improve transparency and open communication between the community and district.

I am a 1977 graduate of Indian River High School. I earned a Bachelor of Science degree with a concentration in mathematics from Salisbury State University in 1981. Upon graduation, I was hired by the district to teach mathematics, physics, and computer science at Indian River High School. I was named the assistant principal at Indian River High School at the beginning of the 1992 school year and held this position through January 1999. I moved into the position of principal at Indian River High School in January 1999 and held position through the 2013 school year. In the fall of the 2014 school year, I moved to the Indian River Education Complex to serve as the district’s assistant superintendent. I served as the assistant superintendent until January 2017, after which I was named the district superintendent, a position held until my retirement in June 2020.

As a teacher, I was named the 1988 Indian River High School teacher of the year and in 1990, I was the recipient of the Ray A. Kroc Teacher Award for Excellence. I was inducted into the Indian River High School Hall of Fame in 1995. During my teaching tenure, I served as an assistant coach in football and basketball, as well as serving as the school’s math league coach.

As a school administrator, I led Indian River High School through two successful Middle States evaluations and built a reputation for maintaining a strong academic and safe school. As the district superintendent, I was able to lead the district through two successful referendums in 2017 and again in 2019.

I have been active in my community by being involved with Lower Sussex Little League for over 17 years serving as a baseball and softball coach and as a member of the Lower Sussex Board of Directors. I am currently serving a two-year term as a member of the district’s Community Budget Oversight Committee (CBOC).

I am a lifelong resident of Dagsboro, where my wife Linda and I have raised three children, Justin, Stephanie, and Brittany, all of whom are Indian River High School graduates and we currently have three grandchildren attending John M. Clayton Elementary.