School Board Member School 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 ensure it meets 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.pdf
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Public Policy Priorities
Ensuring equitable access and academic success for every student in every school; keeping our district schools open and fully funded; providing a welcoming and safe environment for every student; strengthening enrollment through family confidence; real board accountability, transparency, and communication; and building pathways for substantive and frequent community engagement.
Qualifications and Experience
Caitlin began her professional life as an elementary school teacher, teaching kindergarten, first, and third grades and ultimately working as an assistant principal. That experience shaped everything that came after, and she has made it her life’s work to support the project of public education. Today, she is an Associate Professor of Law at Arizona State University's Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, where she teaches Education Law, Family Law, Civil Procedure, and Constitutional Law, and where she writes about education, families, and democracy. Her work, which has been published in top law journals across the country, centers on a simple conviction: strong public schools are foundational to a healthy democracy.
Memberships & Affiliations
Board member, Just Schools; Member, AALS Education Law group; Board member, ABA Section of State, Local, and Tribal Government;
Endorsements
Save our Schools Arizona; Arizona List; Run for Something; Vote Mama; Sen. Analise Ortiz; Progress Arizona
Education
J.D., New York University School of Law; M.S.Ed., Hunter College; B.A., New York University
I believe deeply in the importance of an inclusive and supportive learning environment for all students, regardless of their identity and background. In fact, I think this is a central part of education: the research is clear that the safer and more welcome a student feels, the more likely they are to succeed on a host of metrics including academic success. We live in a time where, for many students (and people), their identities are constantly under attack or threatened. Schools cannot be places of hate or exclusion. This requires an affirmative effort from school districts to include learning materials and set learning goals that bring inclusion to life. More, districts and schools must reject attempts to shame or diminish the value of student identities, and as such must consistently fight against efforts like book bans or curricular restrictions.
The district superintendent has tremendous responsibility in effectuating district goals and priorities and serving as a connection between the board and teachers, families, and students. The superintendent must have both deep content knowledge and familiarity with our schools and communities; it is imperative that they act always in the best interest of whom the district serves. The superintendent must be humble and able to accept and implement feedback, with an eye toward accepting responsibility for any failures and constantly working to improve. The superintendent must have high standards for herself and the performance of the district; our students deserve someone who will fight as hard as possible for their success. And the superintendent must be willing to work cooperatively with both the board and with schools, with an attitude of collaboration at all times.
I am deeply concerned about the ways in which ESA spending is encroaching on spending for public schools, and the now $1B+ our state has spent on ESA dollars that often flow to (wealthy) families already in private schools. Under laws like IDEA, the district has legal obligations with respect to locating and evaluating children who may have disabilities, and we should meet those obligations fully and promptly. And as to athletic participation, there are also legal obligations the district has as to when to permit children to participate in district athletic activities, and we should also honor those obligations. But alongside these obligations, I want to surface the costs, such as eligibility checks or staff time, or others, that attend the ESA program on top of public obligations. I want clear public reporting on the work we do for non-enrolled students to illustrate the additional burden that ESAs place on the system.
Our district faces several challenges which are all related to a central problem: our schools are underenrolled and underfunded. The bloated, underregulated, and still expanding ESA program has incentivized families to look or remain outside the public school system. Central Phoenix, where our district is, is becoming more and more expensive to live in, with families being priced out of the district. In my view, before cuts or closures affect a single teacher, student, support staff member, and certainly before a school is closed, the board owes both a democratic and fiduciary duty to interrogate spending everywhere else. We also need to rebuild trust. A board that listens first is a board that fulfills its democratic responsibilities: it is accountable to the people who elected it, not to outside consultants or private interests. Equitable access starts with hearing, and learning, from everyone in our community, not just the families with time to attend board meetings.
The school board has two central responsibilities: to support student success and to act in a democratically accountable way. So, these are the pillars any curricular choices must follow. The board is responsible for adopting district curriculum and approving instructional materials in alignment with state standards, and I take that responsibility seriously. But we on the board are not the experts on the ground. We need to harness the expertise of teachers, instructional leaders, and professionals who have the expertise to design and select materials that best serve all students, including English-language learners and students with disabilities. Moreover, I believe deeply--and have written about this extensively in my work--that public education is a democratic institution. I would support, then, curricular choices that promote an accurate view of history; are inclusive of all identities; and teach children to participate as democratic citizens.
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