MAKING THE CASE

Parents are entitled to seek the education they think is best for the children. In order to achieve that two things should happen simultaneously:

1. Expand school choice options, ESA (Empowerment Scholarship Accounts) and make the process as easy and smooth as possible. Currently the Department of Education is slow-walking applications and makes it harder for families to qualify for the program while providing inadequate customer service. It is one my highest priorities to make the ADE responsive and helpful in empowering families.

2. Improve the public school system so it becomes a preferable choice not a default option; as in the private sector, attracting customers is done based on performance and service. Every school either public, charter or private must aspire to be the best they can to earn their customers. It is important to note a decrease of 38,000 students for the 2021 enrollment in public schools. To me that is a very clear message of how unhappy the customers are. Surprisingly, the department hasn’t gotten the message yet.

Recent developments have brought many parents to doubt the system, and we need to re-establish their trust. Parents should never have to wonder what the child is exposed to while in the care of the school. We must develop better communication between all parties. I will not tolerate a lack of transparency. I will fight for parental rights as explicitly described in the Parents Bill of Rights in the Arizona Statute.

Refer to the Parents Bill of Right Page

Stop radical indoctrination. Teachers shouldn’t be questioning children about their gender or sexuality. Children shouldn’t be learning to divide along racial lines. The left is intent on using our classrooms as indoctrination centers, introducing damaging Critical Race Theory and “comprehensive sex ed” (illicit sexual content) to early grades. It must be stopped.

Students are taught what to think, not how to think, which results in students being functionally illiterate and handicaps their ability to think critically.

I will work to bring awareness of harmful ideology, such as Critical Race Theory and stop the conditioning of vulnerable children. Comprehensive Sex Education and Social Emotional Learning are other example of radical ideology.

Holding teachers and districts accountable, to ensure policy matters are centered around the interest of the students first. Merit based funding is imperative in order to support teacher and student excellence.

Accountability in education funding: While we have continued to fund education, teachers aren’t necessarily getting the promised raises. And funding isn’t landing in classrooms. Teachers are still pitching in to fund basic classroom necessities despite new funding. The students, the teachers, the classroom are all given less than they deserve. Where does the money go? A lot of it ends up trapped in administration and bureaucracy. The problem is, we don’t always know where it goes. It’s time to implement new levels of accountability and transparency for the use of funding. As Superintendent, I will work closely with the legislature to not only strengthen transparency and accountability but focus funding on programs that work while eliminating failing programs. The practice of adding new programs and wasting more money on what isn’t working for decades has not served our children well.

Curriculum must be readily available to parents at all times. The new trend of hiding information from parents, opting students into classes without the consent of the parents, and language construction naming curriculum in different name to conceal what it really is has been troubling to many parents, is against the law, and must come to an end. School board meetings are becoming a contentious topic. This should never happen in a decent society. The parents must remain an integral part of their child’s education experience. This is not a controversial statement. It is a fact.

We need to ensure children are not confused or misguided, they need to be given the tools to excel. Our children are not mediocre; they are exceptional. The standards must uphold academic excellence. The curriculum must be vigorous and thought provoking, not implementation of social justice propaganda. Our kids must be able to compete with their peers from other countries. Vast training in history, science, math and reading. Let’s insist on teaching cursive, limit the time students work on the computers, and encourage reading and writing.

Working closely with the Governor’s office during the next legislative session is a key initial step to a successful legislative budget request and outcome. The goal of my administration will be to funnel funds to programs that work while eliminating failing programs. The practice of adding new programs and wasting more money on what isn’t working for decades has not served our children well.

Some school districts retain staggering amounts of cash, where others cannot afford some basic educational tools for success. More than half of the school districts in Arizona are in remote or rural areas of the state. Those districts and the Indian reservations deserve to get their fair share.

Current formulas used to allocate funding to rural districts are not sufficient and require reform and/or providing a stable, dedicated revenue source less reliant on the general fund or annual legislative appropriation.

The Department of Education needs to highlight rural AZ. Rural schools struggle, mostly due to local property taxes since they are in areas of federally controlled land and less private property. With less rural students than urban, the funding per pupil is substantially lower. Meanwhile, the buildings are much older and in need of full replacement, not repair.

Transportation costs are higher, as rural areas drive three times the miles to get kids to and from school.

The reservation schools being remote cause difficulty in getting good teachers which we can address with residency programs.

It might be a surprise to many, but the Superintendent’s role is largely administrative. However, the Superintendent is able to SET THE TONE at the Department of Education.

Bringing back the spirit of unity, emphasizing patriotism and the importance of the nuclear family, respecting our cultural heritage and appreciating physical fitness and a healthy lifestyle should all be a part of the the departments tone. I will focus on open communication, accessibility, and above all, a profound stance that ALL Arizona children are the highest priority.

My administration will have a tone of hope and faith towards parents and convey that they are a partner of the Department of Education, not an adversary. We will implement forward-thinking, innovative and logical policies that protects kids from harmful ideologies. We will advance thought provoking practices and stop the anti-intellectual movement we see in the education system today.

It is time we have someone leading the department who understands that there is no shortage of money for education. Half of the total Arizona state budget is allocated to education.

Keeping teachers’ pay low has been intentional so it can continue to be used as a campaign issue. The money is there and more of it became available through the 20% by 2020 act the Governor signed into law.

The problem is that money is going to administrative positions instead of increasing teachers pay. This is an easy problem to solve, if someone actually wanted to solve it. I look forward to raising teacher’s pay once I take office.