Utah County Republican Party Survey

The Utah County Republican Party sent me a survey and I wanted to post the questions and my responses.
All candidates say they are for local control. What do you mean by “local control”? Please give an example of what local control looks like and how it interacts with the state and federal government?

I think the best example of local control is when those closest to the classrooms and the students work together to find solutions. I think the best example of local control is when parents and teachers work together to find solutions for students.  When my daughter was in kindergarten, she was tested by her teacher and found that she was doing math at a first grade level and I was told that she already knew all the concepts that would be taught in kindergarten.  The teacher and I worked together to find additional opportunities for her to complete math tasks at her level instead of doing the concepts she already knew and understood.  At the local school board level, local control is when a school board member actively participates in the schools she represents and works to open a dialogue with voters.  School board members cannot represent their voters if they are not constantly keeping them in the loop on issues being presented to the board.  When we take funds from the federal level, it comes with strings attached.  Local control means being aware of what those strings are and how those requirements affect our teachers and our students.  I believe that local school boards need to communicate effectively with state school board members as well as legislators to make sure the needs of students are truly heard.  Local school board members need to understand what is happening in the classroom and make sure the needs of students are understood by those at the state level.

       Describe what education means to you.

I believe in the William Butler Yeats statement that “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”  True education is opening our children to the wonder of the world and creating curious, lifelong learners.  Education must be innovative, creative, and engaging. 
Utah allows charter, private, and home schools considerable freedom to choose their curriculum. Do you believe the principals in traditional public schools should have the same flexibility, so they could experiment with things like teaching traditional math in Chinese? Why or why not?

I strongly believe that principals and teachers should have the flexibility to explore and experiment with curriculum.  All of my 4 children learn differently and they have all experienced a range of curriculum choices.  We have participated in ALL (Accelerated Learning Lab), Spanish Immersion, Chinese Immersion, dual enrollment, online charter schools, and STEM early college programs.  With the availability of technology, teachers have the ability to design unique programs to meet the needs of their students.  When we limit the choices of teachers and principals, we handicap our children’s potential to learn.
 The Utah State Board of Education resolution 2014-01 claims Utah has local control over Utah Core Standards, even though Utah does not hold the copyright. It also claims that the teacher determines the curriculum, even though the procedure for teaching the integrated math program is mandated.  Do we or do we not have local control over curriculum?

I do not believe we have control over our standards.  We cannot remove anything from the Utah Core Standards (which are identical to the Common Core Standards with the exception of the addition of cursive handwriting).  Utah may add 15% to those standards, but we are not allowed to remove anything.  That does not feel like local control.  Yes, teachers may teach how they choose and what they choose, but considering that we are tying teacher evaluations to test scores, I am guessing they are going to teach the required standards.
What is your position on issuing bonds for the school district? In what cases, if any, would it be appropriate?

With high student growth in Alpine School District (particularly in the north and west of the lake), I believe that bonding is a necessary evil.  We need to build schools to keep up with the student growth and that takes a sizeable chunk of money.  I do feel we need to be careful stewards with the money we have been entrusted with and be vigilant about eliminating wasteful spending.  My 7^th grader attends class in a trailer even though a junior high was built just last year to help alleviate the overcrowding.  He also has a math class with 45 students.  We cannot expect teachers and students to be successful in overcrowded classrooms and schools.  I feel that the pay-as-you-go system needs to remain in place with bonding happening at lower and lower levels as we meet the needs of our students.

On what basis would you determine or cap the superintendent’s salary?

I would evaluate the superintendent based on job performance.  I think it is important that we pay people a fair wage and reward those who are passionate and successful.  Having said that, I feel the ASD superintendent is overpaid and I would not vote for any budget that included a superintendent salary increase.
Should all ASD employees pay their own association fees like the teachers do?  Why or why not?

Yes, absolutely.  If an ASD employee feels that it is beneficial for them to belong to an association, it is within their right to pay dues, but I do not believe that association fees should be subsidized by taxpayers.  Board members who want to belong to the USBA or NSBA should pay their own dues. 
Should the school board have an independent panel of business owners, CPA’s, and other community members review the budget and make recommendations before it goes to the board for a vote?  Why or why not?

I feel that the more involvement we have from community members, the better.  That does not mean that these individuals would be able to vote on the budget, but getting input from as many people as possible gives us the opportunity to hear new ideas.  We should never fear to be accountable.
Do you believe suspending or reducing the property tax levy for Community Redevelopment projects is the proper role of a school district?  Why or why not?

I am not a fan of CDAs.  I do not believe that the school district should be involved in promoting economic development.  Diverting tax revenue allotted to our children to help developers is not what we elect school board members to do.
Whose interest should the school board represent first: the students, the teachers, the parents, or the district?  Why?

I believe that our number one goal should always be to do what we feel is best for our students.  And that is where it gets tricky.  Parents, teachers, and the district may all have a different idea about what is best for our students.  Since parents represent the interests of their students, I believe that the school board should represent parents (acting on behalf of students), then teachers.  As far as the district, the board should act as a checks and balances for the district.  That means that while often all of those things are in harmony, when a school board member feels that the district is acting in a way that is detrimental to students or not in their best interest, that school board member has an obligation to say “no” to the district.
 Alpine School District is a $500M, 7000 employee enterprise--a big business by every measure.  Should membership on the “Board of Directors” require some minimum business or executive experience?  Why or why not?

Voters can determine whether or not their candidates are qualified to serve on the school board.  I would be much more likely to vote for a parent who participated in the classroom than someone who had spent their time in business meetings.  The further away someone is from the classroom, the less say they should have in education.  Just because someone is successful in a business venture does not mean that they are well-versed in pedagogy or the daily struggles of our students and teachers.
Do you believe parents should have be able to opt their children out of the SAGE tests or should taking SAGE tests be a condition of enrollment?

I believe and support SB 122 in that parents should have the right to opt their child from SAGE testing. 
What are some of the principles that will guide you in making decisions as a school board member?

Accountability:  I believe that as a school board member, I need to be accountable to my constituents.  That means I will attend at least one PTA and/or SCC meeting at each school I represent each year.  I will also be available to speak to constituents at open house type meetings to answer their questions directly.

Communication:  Besides attending school meetings with parents, I will keep communication open by running a Facebook page as well as a blog and notifying parents of board meetings and issues that might affect them or their students.  I will also actively work with parents whether their students participate in public schools, charter schools, homeschooling, dual enrollment, or other educational endeavors.

Fiscal Transparency and Responsibility:  I will pour through budget documents and work to eliminate wasteful spending while making sure that more of our tax dollars end up in the classroom where they benefit our children and teachers the most.

            Integrity:  I will always strive to make my actions consistent with what I have promised my                constituents.  I will be honest and forthright and represent them to the best of my abilities.