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VOTE411 Voter Guide

Washington Elementary School District {_getChooseLabel(this.selections.length)}

School Board MemberSchool board members are elected for a four-year term by voters within the school district during the general election in even-numbered years. Qualifications include living in the district for at least one year, being a registered voter, and a candidate may not be an employee of the district when assuming office or have a spouse or dependent employed by the district.School board members are nonpartisan and are responsible for broad, forward-thinking, and decisive action in all areas that affect students and staff in their schools. School board members have no individual authority, but their authority rests in casting a vote at required governing board meetings.Responsibilities of the board include hiring and evaluating the superintendent, providing input in budget development to ensure funding is provided to meet goals and monitoring and approving the budget, setting salaries for employees, approving purchases, establishing and approving policies, approving curriculum materials, adopting the school calendar, reviewing regulations for compliance with policy, approving personnel actions based on superintendent recommendations, closing or constructing schools; assessing board effectiveness, monitoring progress toward goals.Why you should care:The school board’s role is to advocate for public education in the community and ensure the school district is well run. The board, as a whole, monitors performance to meet academic, financial, and operational goals. The collaborative decisions made by school board members will affect children and their parents, the livelihood of school district employees, and the economic well-being of an entire community. This position is unpaid and requires time, a willingness to learn about issues affecting the school district, and a passion for a positive culture and public education system committed to providing the best and most appropriate education for all children.For additional information:https://www.azk12.org/media/yjvlpkfo/district-school-board-duties.pdfMiembro de la junta escolarLos miembros de la junta escolar son elegidos por un período de cuatro años por los votantes del distrito escolar durante las elecciones generales en años pares. Los requisitos incluyen haber vivido en el distrito durante al menos un año, estar registrado para votar y un candidato no puede ser un empleado del distrito al asumir el cargo o tener un cónyuge o dependiente empleado por el distrito.Los miembros de la junta escolar no son partidistas. Estos son responsables de acciones amplias, progresistas y decisivas en todas las áreas que afectan a los estudiantes y al personal de sus escuelas. Los miembros de la junta escolar no tienen autoridad individual, mas bien, su autoridad se basa en emitir un voto en las reuniones requeridas de la junta directiva.Las responsabilidades de la junta incluyen contratar y evaluar al superintendente, brindar aportes en el desarrollo del presupuesto para garantizar que se proporcionen fondos para cumplir con las metas y monitorear y aprobar el presupuesto, establecer salarios para los empleados, aprobar compras, establecer y aprobar reglamentos, aprobar materiales curriculares, adoptar el calendario escolar, revisar los reglamentos para el cumplimiento de las políticas existentes, aprobar acciones de personal basadas en las recomendaciones del superintendente, cerrar o construir escuelas; evaluar la efectividad de la junta, monitorear el progreso en función de las metas.Por qué debería importarle:El papel de la junta escolar es interceder por la educación pública en la comunidad y garantizar que el distrito escolar esté bien administrado. La junta, como un todo, supervisa el desempeño para cumplir con las metas académicas, financieras y operativas. Las decisiones colaborativas tomadas por los miembros de la junta escolar afectarán a los niños y sus padres, el sustento de los empleados del distrito escolar y el bienestar económico de toda una comunidad. Este puesto no es remunerado y requiere tiempo, disposición para aprender acerca de los problemas que afectan al distrito escolar y pasión por una cultura positiva y un sistema de educación público comprometido con brindar la mejor educación posible y la más adecuada para todos los niños.Para información adicional:https://www.azk12.org/media/yjvlpkfo/district-school-board-duties.pdf

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  • Candidate picture

    Jenni Abbott-Bayardi
    (NON)

  • Candidate picture

    Bill Adams
    (NON)

  • Candidate picture

    Karen Konetzni
    (NON)

  • Candidate picture

    Lindsey Peterson
    (NON)

Biographical Information

What is your vision for your local school board; in particular how will you create an environment that values a diverse student population?

What qualities, skills, and expertise will you prioritize as you recruit and/or evaluate the district superintendent?

How will you address the costs of special education evaluations and proportionate share services for ESA students, and what policies and pricing would you set regarding ESA students participating in sports at your district’s schools?

What are your local school district's three most pressing issues, and how would you prioritize them when preparing the school budget?

What role should the school board play in curriculum development?

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Campaign Email badams_raa@cox.net
Public Policy Priorities Greater Investment/Funding
Qualifications and Experience I previously served on the Board for 16 years, and served as President and Vice President three times
Organization Memberships and Affiliations I am proud to say that I currently serve on the Board of the Washington Education Foundation, Pappas Kids Schoolhouse Foundation, and the Surprise Sundancer’s, all benefiting students and teachers.
Endorsements Washington District Education Association
Community Service I am a member of WESTMARC (Previous Board Member), and am an Education and Healthcare Committee Member • I am a Past Board of Directors member for the Arizona School Board Association (ASBA, having served 4 years) • Honored to have been the first Chairman of the First Things First Inaugural North Phoenix Council (serving 2 years) • I currently serve on the North Mountain Village Planning Committee • I am currently the Central Area Chair for the Employer Support of Guard and Reserve (ESGR), this is a volunteer position with the DOD, serving our Guard and Reservist here in AZ • Fighter Country Partnership Member, Past Honorary Commander with the 944th Fighter Wing, Luke AFB • And am now a Blue Blazer Squadron (Life Member), supporting the
Occupation Consultant with Ryan Austin & Associates, LLC marketing to Education and Municipalities
I feel educators and administrators should mirror/represent their community. On the other hand, I also believe in hiring and promoting based on merit. Add the difficulty in trying to fill the openings we currently have; in our current situation, it is almost impossible to recruit and have a true reflection of the community. Districts are doing the best they can. We must also respect all cultures within our district/community and make sure their voices are heard!
I had the good fortune to be involved with hiring our current Superintendent. He is doing a fine job, and I hope he plans on staying until his retirement. I was also involved with the new comprehensive evaluation tool being used, and I believe the Board, our Superintendent, and the community are happy with it.   
I believe that ESAs are diverting much-needed funds away from our traditional school districts, and greater oversight is required. I am against private and faith-based schools receiving these funds. Traditional public education is a risk pool; we must take all comers. We must equalize the playing field! We must be funded properly and stop diverting dollars. I and many others have attended and testified at the Arizona Capitol, supporting this and many other causes. We must offer a high-quality education that prepares our students for their future in a safe environment. We must invest in technology and prepare our children for a competitive global market!
Teacher retention/recruitment Student achievement/technology/safety Infrastructure/facilities
Learn as much as they can, stay current on the ever changing environment of curriculum development through professional development, rely on the professionals, and most importantly listen/reach-out and represent the stakeholders when major changes are taking place.
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Public Policy Priorities Teacher Retention and support, Improving student outcomes
Qualifications and Experience I have served for 4 years on the WESD Board, and I am a teacher with over 20 years in the classrooms of our community. I am have attended Board trainings through AZ School Board Association, and I was a finalist for AZ Teacher of the Year in 2022. My five children have attended or are attending WESD schools, and as a family, we have felt that impact.
Endorsements SOSAZ and Washington District Educators Association
Community Service As a teacher and fierce advocate of public education, I spend time volunteering on my campus and in WESD events. Additionally, I serve in my faith community women’s group on various projects.
Occupation Educator
Education BA Arizona State University, MA Grand Canyon University
I believe that our schools should be the heart of our communities and as such, I believe everyone must feel valued and welcome in our schools. Furthermore, students can not learn in places in which they don’t feel safe to be vulnerable, make mistakes and improve. I believe this starts with highly-qualified, well-supported classroom teachers. To that end, as a Board member I work closely with our educator association, WDEA, to hear concerns on our campuses and to bring them to admin. Teacher voice is incredibly important to me.
I believe in innovation, communication and a leadership style that welcomes diverse perspectives, but is able to lead with decisiveness when needed.
I believe the best way to combat the loss of students to ESAs is to create better programs. When my son, who has level 3 autism, was young, WESD had the strongest autism programs in the metro area. We are forever indebted to the staff that worked with him. However, those programs are no longer the best, and we have work to do in WESD to improve that. Additionally, ESAs for special education students are not the burden to the budget that ESAs for all is. That is where the fight needs to be. We can’t lose typical students to private options, and we have to improve our programs and create innovative new options for families. As far as athletics, as an elementary only district, this is not an issue at our schools.
Teacher recruitment and retention Declining enrollment Aging buildings and associated costs

I believe increasing educator salaries has to be our top priority, and in budget conversations I am vocal about this. Additionally, we need to work to ensure that we are keeping every single student in our boundaries in our schools. I believe this may require new programming and opportunities not present in our schools like dual language. As far as our aging schools, WESD does a great job maintaining facilities, prioritizing school needs and using the school facilities board process for major repairs.
The school board should allow professional educators to design curriculum.