Parents have the right to raise their children in the manner they desire. This is found within the Declaration of Independence and is supported in multiple areas of the Constitution and supporting amendments.

Parents and the public should be able to see the curriculum being used in each course. Parents should be made aware of any visitors/speakers to the school and could have their child not participate in topics that violate their beliefs and values.

Parents play an irreplaceable role in their children’s lives and schools need to respect this. Schools should accurately display the aforementioned items for each grade and classroom supporting education transparency.

On the national scale, Arizona has very low academic standards and measures below the 40^th percentile. As a children’s first candidate, I believe and will work to drive rigorous academic standards that measure progress against those standards. How our schools rank within the community needs to be a metric available to the public so Parents can select a school that will meet their objectives for their child’s education.

Accountability to the standards set in place needs to be a metric used for merit pay and teacher success. This is supported by studies that evidence Teacher success is improved when there is a clear goal and objective.  

School budgets are massive and often confusing to the average person. The dollars spent per student do not equate to the quality of education either. School districts have a responsibility to publish the budget and key metrics to inform the public of the current fiscal state.  Likewise, if teachers are the most critical resources for school success, then they should be compensated in a manner that supports the critical role they play.  

Boards need to demonstrate fiscal responsibility before going to the public asking for additional bonds. Boards also need to break the pattern of ‘keeping up with the Jones’ and setting their unique path to success and creating positive learning environments and methods for funding them.

We have seen across America school boards that are tone-deaf to the public outcry. Our board members need to be respectful and engage in a positive manner with the public. Offering time for the public to speak on a topic may be the law, but asking respectful questions is an element of board engagement and the potential for partnering with the public.

The public should never feel as though the board does not welcome them and listen to them. Though the board’s actions may not align with some parent’s desires, the way they receive the public and interact should never be with disrespect.

Schools should never be allowed to have any curriculum that is anti-American. The use of CRT is illegal in Arizona, but it does not stop some teachers from utilizing similar curricula in the classroom.  I have been told by a couple of teachers who are employed by QCUSD, that they have access to over 3000 websites where they can select various items to include in their lesson plans. Harmony Social & Emotional Learning is just one of many examples of things that Parents may object to.

I firmly believe that as Americans we should not allow any teacher or material that promotes the questioning of our Country’s values and morals in the classroom. We have a responsibility to teach our children to respect others and allow others to have differing opinions, while not disrespecting them. Teaching our children to hate America because the teachers ‘woke’ political views differ from the base of the country cannot be tolerated. This small fraction of teachers who defiantly use ‘educational material(s)’ that promotes anti-American ideas, racial division and hate; are putting a black eye upon the many well-meaning professional caring teachers we have.

School boards need to be committed to the removal and banning of this material and those who have a personal agenda that violates these policies.

Americans are a compassionate people, and never would I want to not provide an education to children within our community.  However, I think it is important that school boards explore realistic ways to cover the costs of illegal immigration.  Studies from a few years back claim Arizona spent over 1.25 billion dollars for educating the children of those illegally in our Arizonian schools. The cost then was estimated to be $700 per legal household. QCUSD charges students, not from our district like foreign exchange students. Why do we not charge for the children not here legally?

It is not fair or right that taxpayers are forced to foot the bill for illegals. It also is not the public desire to have children not receive a quality education. Therefore, there is but one solution I think boards need to consider for covering these costs.  We should seek remedy from the administration which has allowed the abuse of our borders and required our taxpayers to cover these costs. The administration is responsible for the stealing of our citizen’s resources due to the policy enacted at the border. Boards need to be courageous and protect the assets they are responsible for.