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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.
