Hi, my name is Amy Plum, and I am grateful for this opportunity to be a candidate for the Kettle Moraine School Board. I hope to share with you in this introduction a little background on myself, why Kettle Moraine School District matters to me, and how my election to the board can serve everyone who lives in the Kettle Moraine School District.
Currently, I am a Clinical Therapist for Waukesha County Health and Human Services. I hold a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology and a license as a Professional Counselor. I have been working with children for fifteen years. One of those years, I served as a school therapist at Red Lake Middle School in Red Lake, Minnesota where I was a member of an Individual Education Planning team for students with specialized needs. I continue to attend Individual Education Plan reviews at schools around Waukesha County regarding my clients whose ages range from seven to 17. I am familiar with many of our Waukesha County school programs, which, I believe, offers me a unique perspective on what is working well in our schools, as well as, areas that may need improvement. As a Clinical Therapist working mostly with children, I am able to observe the strong significance their school experience has on their general wellness.
My husband, Steve, and I met in 2004 and were married in 2006. His passion for kids, learning and biology, and the opportunity I had to observe him in the classroom teaching in such an engaged and creatively alive manner was what initially drew me to him. He reminded me of my favorite teachers from childhood, the ones who were truly on fire with a love for the subject matter they taught. Steve and I have three children in the Kettle Moraine School District. My stepdaughter, Veronica, is a sophomore at KMHS. My stepson, Harrison, is an 8th grader at KMMS, and our son, Tor, attends Early Childhood programming at Magee. Having been exposed to numerous school districts in several states throughout my career, I am so grateful that my children have the opportunity to attend Kettle Moraine Schools. They are, in my opinion and experience, deeply committed to our children and their futures.
As a school board member, I will not let “our children’s futures” become a catch phrase for convincing others that I am doing my job. I intend to be fully committed to listening to all the voices in our community. That includes voices that are concerned about the quality of our schools and about the affordability of quality living in our district. I believe very few will argue against the connection between good schools and a healthy community. However, economics is a factor in assuring that our community can remain diverse, with diverse incomes and affordable lifestyles. As a school board member, I believe in a proactive economic approach: investing now in our children’s education will yield positive economic results for our community in the future.
I believe there are creative solutions to current and future concerns in our district. I believe a certain amount of disagreement among community members regarding our schools is inevitable and welcome. Conflict can help energize new ideas and new solutions that serve all our needs. As a school board member, I will continue to communicate with all members of our community by attending a wide variety of forums. I welcome invitations to your group’s events to learn about what matters to you as far as our district’s children are concerned.
It is a terribly important and exciting time to be involved in education. Our kids are facing a quickly changing world, as are all of us. Education is at the forefront of institutions that will be affected by the changing world. I am excited and honored to have the opportunity to take part in making sure we are not followers of this change, but deeply engaged in leading the way.
