Campaign Phone
801-205-9417
Current Employment
Sistema Utah Co-Director
Education
Bachelor of Arts in Education Studies
Campaign Website
Trina4utahschoolboard.com/
I’m a strong proponent of local school board having the flexibility to address local needs and values, but the State School Board has a role to play in providing clear guidance and support for schools in how best to assess proficiency, when digital tools genuinely improve instruction, and when traditional methods are more effective. Research consistently shows that written materials enhance comprehension and retention, both of which are fundamental to effective learning. While digital proficiency is essential in today’s workforce and daily life, the focus has been too heavy on digital only approaches.
The legislature has increased funding substantially in recent years and perpetuating the narrative of funding cuts creates unnecessary divisiveness. There are serious behavioral and mental health issues that need to be addressed to maintain classrooms focused and productive for learning. Educators need better guidelines, effective behavior-intervention models, and consistent support in using those tools. The Board can support efforts to reduce absenteeism by facilitating the sharing of effective programs. Involving parents is critical in addressing behavior and absenteeism. My focus is on helping local districts implement solutions that are workable, sustainable, and responsive to the students and families they serve.
Behavioral issues are a key factor in this problem and must be a top priority. When teachers feel more like referees than teachers they get burned out quickly. I also strongly support creative approaches to improving parent engagement. Strong mentoring is critical to helping them develop as teachers and feel supported. Special education and behavior intervention roles require the ability to adjust quickly and deal with a variety of difficult issues, so compensation, training, and additional staffing must reflect those realities. The State Board can help by promoting evidence based early career mentoring programs and strengthening pathways into high need fields like special education and behavioral intervention.
School consolidation and closures are always painful. Engaging parents early in the process is critical to a smooth transition. Local school boards are best positioned to understand the needs and circumstances of their communities, but the State Board can play a role by providing:
Transition Budgeting Guidelines
Reliable data on which to base decisions, and
Tools to assist in the transition of students, staff, transportation, and equipment.
Through the process districts must prioritize maintaining academic excellence, parental engagement, and wise us of every tax dollar. As with our family budgets, prioritizing and cutting is difficult.
Establishing Utah’s educational core standards and curriculum are key responsibilities of the State School Board, although it is local school boards that use these standards to meet the needs of their communities. While respecting the role of professional educators, parents must be considered partners in their child’s education, not as roadblocks. Parents need real, practical access to the curriculum and instructional content. No legislation or board rule will solve problems between parents and educators, but I am confident we can find ways to foster mutual respect and an outward mindset, even when strong differences of opinion arise - it will significantly improve educational outcomes, student behavior, and educator job satisfaction.
Campaign Phone
801-613-2819
Current Employment
Jordan School District
Education
University of Utah, Bachelor of Music Education ; Teachers College, Columbia University, Master of Music Education
Campaign Website
www.Nicole4StateSchoolBoard.com
Skills like communication, collaboration, and critical thinking have always been part of our classrooms—whether called soft skills or life skills. While students must be ready for a tech-filled world, these abilities come from how they learn and interact, not just what they learn. In fact, these skills are often taught most effectively with very little technology—like in the music room, cooking room, or gym. These traits are critical as students transition into careers and become involved citizens. We must practice the intentional use of technology as a tool for learning and growth, ensuring it is never used as a digital time-filler or a substitute for a teacher.
Utah has a proud heritage of doing something with nothing, but family dynamics are changing. With more single-parent homes, parents working multiple jobs, and skyrocketing housing prices, the strain on families is immense.
The legislature has prioritized cutting income tax, but parents tell me these small savings don't impact them as much as investing that collective money into our schools would. We must fully fund education before cutting taxes.
Starving the education fund directly reduces a school’s capacity to handle rising behavioral incidents, mental health crises, and chronic absenteeism. We must continually evaluate programs for a strong ROI. With shrinking enrollment, right-sizing districts ensures funds go where it is needed most.
Aside from teachers leaving due to family changes, they leave because they feel unsupported with behavior and instruction. We must hold all employees accountable, including administration. In Granite, we require principals to complete annual evaluations and goal-setting just like teachers. When teachers feel supported, they feel valued and stay.
We must also better fund special education (SPED). The federal government promised 40% funding but only delivers 13%. This shortfall leaves the state struggling to attract quality SPED teachers and paraeducators. Burnout is fueled by a mountain of paperwork. We must streamline this administrative burden and work with legislators to boost funding so these students get the services they deserve.
This is something we are very familiar with in Granite School District. In the last 8 years we have closed 10 schools and have more looming on the horizon. There are many things we have learned from these closures after going through this so often: we need to make sure that students and families are included in the process, we need to help them see that this isn’t just about fiscal responsibility but also educational outcomes, and we need to make sure that we are making these decisions based on what is best for the students and not because of political reasons. Because of my experiences, I believe we as a state can support local school districts in coming up with strategies to help families be successful through these closures.
Curriculum is the decision of the local school districts. While we want to make sure that students are not exposed to sensitive materials, this is largely the role for a local school board. USBE can make sure that there is a robust process for choosing curriculum that includes parent review and public approval of all curriculum per state statute. At the same time, when there is a conflict, assuring that districts allow for parents to opt out and receive an alternative assignment is critical.
