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:League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson Catalina Foothills Unified School District Governing Board Candidate Forum September 26, 2024 https://youtu.be/OEpiquL1k0o?si=T-T1qo7s93ILefwGhttps://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:League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson Catalina Foothills Unified School District Governing Board Candidate Forum September 26, 2024 https://youtu.be/OEpiquL1k0o?si=T-T1qo7s93ILefwGhttps://www.azk12.org/media/yjvlpkfo/district-school-board-duties.pdf
Public Policy Priorities
Protecting and growing the tradition of excellence of CFSD16. Expansion and higher utilization of Joint Technical Education District/Career Technical Education programs to the school district. Social and Emotional Learning in all curriculum. Strengthening and leveraging relationships in the district across schools, grade levels, staff, parents, and the community.
Qualifications and Experience
Volunteer in local district schools. Varied work history from Fortune 500 company to small business owner/manager. District parent.
Endorsements
Save Our Schools Arizona, AZ NOW PAC, Pima County Supervisor Rex Scott
Community Service
Volunteer in local district schools.
Occupation
Business Owner/Manager
Education
BA Women's Studies and Sociology; Master of Arts Women's Studies
I wish to continue and grow the excellence of a Catalina Foothills School District education. Our district is consistently among the top districts in Arizona. It serves over 30 zip codes via open enrollment, and enjoys a high degree of parental involvement and community support.
Our local public schools should mirror the communities they serve. This means creating an open, accepting, inclusive, and respectful learning environment. These values are a direct reflection of the District's mission, vision, and core values. When we create a learning environment that is welcoming and accepting of all our students thrive.
A key component of this is staff at all levels reflecting the community as well. It is important to attract and retain a diverse staff that mirrors both the community and student population. When students have adults in their school lives that are reflective of their own lived experiences they recognize that school is a safe, welcoming place for learning and all students.
CFSD 16 just hired a new Superintendent, after its previous Superintendent of close to thirty years retired.
Should the opportunity present itself to hire another Superintendent when I am serving, I would ensure that individual is highly qualified and experienced, both in education and practicum. It is important the Superintendent be vested in their district community, and collaborative with the Board. The Superintendent must also be willing to accept when things go not as planned and work to implement solutions. They must also treat staff at all levels, students, parents, and the community with respect and listen to concerns with an open mind.
As a lifelong Tucsonan I think it is also important the Superintendent is well-versed on the history of public education in the state, and the Legislative actions that have been taken to change the nature of public education. Having that knowledge base ensures the Superintendent is aware of all the various challenges the State levies.
I feel it is important that public school districts not have to carry the load for evaluating students whose parents choose to use ESA funds. Those ESA funds should be used to cover the cost, not school districts.
Since our public school districts are already so poorly funded, it is hard to understand why they should be compelled to provide services to students who do not enroll in their schools. Expending resources on this takes valuable time of administrators and money away from the districts.
Should an ESA student wish to participate in sports at a public school that family should be responsible for the full cost of participation, and have to pay the same fees and expenses that families at that school pay.
Lack of consistent, adequate funding is an issue not just for CFSD16, but for all public school districts. Bonds and overrides are key to meeting the shortfalls imposed by the state. Ensuring funds are efficiently spent and managed is key to managing the budget.
In conjunction with this is teacher attraction and retention. This is a challenge for all public schools. Raising teacher salaries to the extent the budget allows and developing professional development programs are key.
Retaining in-district families who choose to educate their children outside the district is something that must be addressed. Ensuring we have full classrooms that allow the district to provide the quality and caliber of programs it currently does leads to district success and family commitment. In Arizona school choice is now the norm, not an exception, and to the extent that it is possible to do so as a public school district, CFSD must provide the programs families desire.
The school board reviews and approves curriculum. It does not develop curriculum. That work is best left to experts: teachers and professionals who understand curriculum development, are trained in pedagogy and different learning styles, understand the learning and developmental milestones of children, and have spent actual time in the classroom. It is also important for those individuals to be aware of state and district standards. These experts should be utilized when developing curriculum, not lay people.
Parents should and do have the opportunity to review curriculum updates and changes, and make their voices and opinions heard to the school board.
Public Policy Priorities
Education policy, education funding, workforce development, equitable taxation
Qualifications and Experience
1.5 years Manzanita FFO President
Endorsements
Save Our Schools Arizona; National Organization for Women PAC
Community Service
Volunteering at local schools; Operating neighborhood food drive
Occupation
Marketing researcher
Education
BA International Business, BA German Language and Literature (Rhodes College), MBA (Walden University)
Demonstrating that our district values diversity means walking the walk, not just talking the talk. There are three ingredients to an environment that values diversity: accountability, representation, and support. Accountability includes an official non-discrimination policy so that procedures can be developed to ensure compliance and provide channels for reporting concerns. There must be alignment across the district and at all schools as to how the non-discrimination policy should be understood and enforced. Representation means clearly seeing that the perspectives and experiences of ALL students are considered when making decisions, and that input on decisions comes from a variety of diverse perspectives. Support means knowing that diversity is a core value embraced by the district, and that appreciation for diversity is actively taught rather than implied or left to chance.
I think the ideal superintendent has four key traits: appropriate academic qualifications, real world education experience, a growth and improvement mindset, and a collaborative approach to decision-making. Academic qualifications would ideally include a doctor of education (EdD) or a similarly specific and in-depth degree program. Real-world education experience should include a background in either teaching or administration in a public school environment. A growth and improvement mindset is important to ensure an unwavering dedication to defining, measuring, and prioritizing specific areas of educational impact, then seeking out approaches to move the needle in these areas. Finally, a collaborative mindset is essential so that decisions are based on multiple perspectives that reflect the diversity of the larger community. These last two traits are particularly important for a superintendent to embody, so that they become part of the organizational culture within the district.
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The board should prioritize regular curriculum reviews to assess effectiveness (impact on academic performance) and ensure that innovative approaches are incorporated when appropriate. The board should make curriculum decisions in public meetings and encourage the district to provide access to curriculum materials so that parents and the community are able to access and review these items. The board should allow public comment on curriculum decisions. The board should ensure that policies are in place to allow families to opt their students out of any specific lessons they find objectionable. However, the school board should defer to education experts when it comes to specific curriculum decisions and materials, rather than allowing community feedback to dictate curriculum. My expectations of board involvement in curriculum development reflect the current approach of CFSD and my intent is to maintain this approach.
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