I supported the district split. In 2021, while serving on the Alpine School Board, we did a six month study of two different district split options: A two-way split and a three-way split. At that time, I felt the data supported a three way split as the best option for the central area, and it showed that both two way and three way splits were feasible options, financially. At the time, we felt there were enough building needs that we should propose a bond before pursuing a split proposal. Then, in 2022, the Orem City Council put a split proposal on the ballot at the same time as the bond proposal. The bond failed. The next ballot saw a three way split that 10 cities had voted to put on the ballot. The failure of the bond, and input of the cities significantly changed conditions in Alpine School District. I felt that with 11 of the 14 cities in ASD indicating their readiness for a split, it was likely that we would see continual split proposals on the ballot for several years, until a split occurred. This would be very difficult for teachers, students and whole communities. Since the proposed three way split was very similar to the option we studied in 2021, and was the supported option by three of the seven ASD board members, I felt it was time to embrace this change.

SEL is Social and Emotional Learning. This can cover a wide range of topics, and in an ideal situation parents are working on these topics with their children at home. Many of our students need additional SEL support at school, however. Teachers and other school employees are in a great position to help students practice SEL skills and improve them. Students with strong SEL skills are better able to manage themselves during the school day and to be successful academically. Some topics that might fall under the SEL umbrella include topics such as patience, self-reflection and kindness, or lessons about working hard, never giving up or being a better listener. Commitment, dedication, compassion, service, and other important concepts are also a part of SEL lessons. I think these topics are applicable and valuable for our students. When my oldest child began high school, our high school had series of student suicides that were devastating to the community. I was grateful that the school began providing additional SEL support to students and to families, and I think that our schools still have an important role to play in assisting families with SEL learning.

I think that PE, Health, and the Fine Arts are crucial for a well-rounded education. Our students need to know many different skills to be well-educated, and not all those things are included in traditional academic subjects. In addition, these types of classes give many students a change of pace during the day, helping them to focus on more rigorous subjects when it is time for those. Younger students, especially, need to have a physical break during the day. There are also a lot of topics covered in PE and Health that students may not learn at home. Health classes can teach children how germs are spread and about appropriate personal hygiene. PE classes teach sportsmanship, taking turns, and the rules to many different activities that students may not have been exposed to before. So, these classes all provide valuable, hands-on knowledge for our students that can help them throughout their lives.

I would really like to see Impact Fees made available to our schools. I believe our public school buildings are a crucial part of our infrastructure. When new homes are built, a need is created for more roads, sewer, water, parks, AND schools. It is strange to me that we have impact fees for roads, sewer, water, and parks, but not for schools. I would like to see this changed. I am committed to increasing teacher compensation and providing them the resources they need to be successful in the classroom. I have advocated for increased funding at the legislative level and will continue to speak about the needs of our schools. Our property tax rate system also needs to be looked at- currently the rate adjusts without any type of allowance for inflation. This is particularly damaging in an economic climate like our current one. I would be in favor of adjustments to the Truth in Taxation system to address this concern.

Critical Race Theory is a graduate level academic theory used for legal analysis. It is not allowed in Utah's K-12 schools due to USBE rule 277-328, passed a couple of years ago. CRT as an academic theory is inappropriate for K-12 students. However, there are many things that are considered tenets of CRT, and some of those might be appropriate in our K-12 schools: like teaching children that people can look differently than each other and still have the same thoughts and feelings and cares.

I am completely opposed to graphic sexual content in school materials. School districts should always follow the law in what materials they provide for instructional use. If a parent has a concern about a particular book, schools/districts should have a process whereby a book can be reviewed to see if it is appropriate. This review committee should have both parents and educators on it. Items that are reviewed should be evaluated for compliance to state law. If removed books are disproportionately about one subject or another, it would be wise for schools to replace those books with titles covering the same subject matter without the graphic content. Parents should always have the ability to ask for an alternative assignment if they feel a particular title is inappropriate for their own child.

I think that school choice is an important issue. Parents have the right to choose which educational option is the best for their child. Every child is different, and their needs are unique. But at the same time, education provided with public tax dollars should have accountability to taxpayers, and I do not think that taxpayers should be asked to fund every possible choice for every student. We need to balance the need for educational choice with the limited tax dollars we have. School Choice bills should not take resources from our already under funded public schools to give additional access to schools with no public accountability. There are several programs and scholarships that already provide funds for students who have unique academic needs- like the Carson Smith Special Needs Scholarship. I would love to see a review of these programs before any more voucher/school choice bills are introduced. It is my understanding that these programs do not receive enough requests for funding to allocate all their available funding each year. If there are unique student concerns that need additional support, I would be in favor of adjustments to existing support mechanisms, but I am not in favor of additional funds being used in this way.

We need to do better in helping our marginalized students see themselves as culturally relevant. It is possible to find materials that can do this for them. Schools should actively seek to represent different viewpoints and cultures in their instructional materials, and to share a wide variety of experiences and ideas to students. I would love to hear ideas from our minority communities about how we can better support their needs.

I LOVE to support schools. I have been heavily involved in public schools for more than 20 years. I was a weekly volunteer in my children's classrooms while they were in elementary school. I have served on the School Community Councils at three different schools for multiple terms at each. I have volunteered on several PTA boards, and on the state PTA board. I have frequently offered to assist when parental help is needed- including being a booster president for multiple groups, chaperoning field trips, taking work home to complete for teachers, providing meals and other items when needed. I also share information with parents, teachers, and community members by posting regularly on my social media platforms. In 2014, I started attending nearly all the Alpine School Board meetings, and I published detailed notes about those meetings on multiple social media pages and on a personal blog so that community members would be aware of what was happening at board meetings. This information sharing continued on my social media accounts after I was elected to the school board. I have been an advocate for parents, teachers, and students at the district and state level. As an Alpine School board member, I frequently visited the schools I represented to talk to teachers and patrons about the needs at their schools.

I think that one of the best ways we can show support and commitment to public education is by sharing positive stories and interactions we have in our schools, and by supporting our teachers, staff, students, and parents. There are so many incredible things happening in our public schools every single day. Sometimes we only hear about the bad things that happened in one class while there are hundreds of other classes that had a wonderful day. We need to share these stories more! We need to invite parents to come and be a part of all the amazing things that are happening. While there is always room for improvement, our dedicated and amazing teachers and staff members are making magic happen in classrooms all over the state every day. I am grateful for them and look forward to continuing to support them as much as I can.

Recruiting and retaining quality teachers and staff should be a top priority for all districts. Exceptional teachers provide the best possible educational outcomes for students. Districts should listen to the concerns of their teachers and staff, increase salaries, and provide support and training that will be helpful for teachers and staff as they try to provide optimal learning opportunities for students. Making sure that our teachers and staff voices are heard as we make policy decisions will help them feel how much they are valued. We should minimize requirements from the federal, state and local levels while also providing relevant support.

I have always been passionate about education. As the mother of seven children, I have spent the last 20 years volunteering regularly in my children's schools and seeing the positive impact that parents can have there. Our schools are most successful when we have amazing, dedicated teachers AND involved, knowledgeable parents. As a board member, I made it a priority to bridge the information gap between the district and community members. I kept active social media accounts where I provided information and ask questions. I visited my schools often and brought back concerns from teachers and parents. I advocated for increased parent and teacher involvement in decision making. I am detail oriented, a hard worker, and a creative problem solver. Since leaving the board, I have continued to advocate for public education on the state level with the Utah PTA.

Yes, I am supportive of additional measures to keep our students and staff safe. There are many things we can do to make our schools safer. For example, studies have shown that being behind a locked door significantly increases the likelihood that an intruder will pass by a classroom. But many of our classroom doors require a key to lock them. Alpine District has been changing out the doorknobs at all schools so that they have a push button lock- then any student, teacher, or volunteer can lock the door quickly. This is a relatively simple and inexpensive change that can make a huge difference. I think it's important that we look at both big and small things to increase safety in our schools.

I would love to see more practical, hands-on learning in civics education. We should teach students how to register to vote, fill out their ballot, and research candidates. When one of my children was able to vote for the first time, he was confused about the language used in ballot propositions and needed help researching how he wanted to cast his vote, especially for things like judicial retention. Many students do not understand what the people they are voting for do and how those elected officials influence their lives. Students could also use more information about the caucus process and what delegates do in our system. It is important to help students understand these aspects of voting and hopefully encourage them to be informed voters and to continue voting for the rest of their lives.

I have several reasons for running for the new Aspen Peaks School Board. I am concerned about the lack of experience that is likely to happen with the new school boards, especially in the Central area, with only one current board member seeking election to the new board. With Superintendent Farnsworth retiring, all three districts will have a minimum of a new superintendent and FIVE new board members. Two of the three will have to have new business administrators. It seems wise to have some experienced people helping set up our new districts.

I am excited about the possibilities for our new school boards. With the ability to focus on smaller geographic areas, the board members will get to know their communities' needs and wants, and will be able to have a better relationship with teachers and administrators at their individual schools. I would love to see creativity and innovation in how we address education in our area- and I would love to be a part of that process.

I have good relationships with city leaders, current ASD board members, many potential board members, legislators and USBE members. I think that these relationships will be valuable to our new board as we navigate many negotiations over the next two years. While legislators have tried to clarify (in Code) some of the decisions that need to be made, many are simply going to be left up to the boards to negotiate with the current board and the other new boards. We will need people who can negotiate and build bridges, and I am someone who can do that.

As a former ASD Board Member, I bring relevant, current experience to the table. I am very familiar with education finance in Utah, legal requirements, Code, legislative issues, and the history and background of many of the issues that will have to be discussed and decided. This will be invaluable for our new board. Since serving as a board member, I have been involved with Utah PTA at the state level, and have expanded my understanding in legislative and USBE matters, and can bring that knowledge to the new boards as well.

I am a graduate of ASD myself, graduating from PGHS along with my five siblings. In addition, my seven children have all attended ASD schools. Six of them have now graduated, including one in the class of 2025, and my youngest will be going to LPHS this fall. Our experience in our local schools has been phenomenal. We have been blessed to have wonderful teachers and administrators, and have been very grateful for the experiences our children have had.

The biggest thing that differentiates me from the other candidates in my race is my extensive experience. I have 20+ years of volunteering in my children's schools, including nearly 30 total years of holding SCC and PTA positions, serving as a board member, and significant experience at the state and legislative level as well. I have served on several USBE committees, have taught classes on Educational Finance and Legislative Advocacy, and am well known for being approachable and for sharing information.

I have been endorsed by the Governing Group, a group that seeks to establish more civility in politics by electing thoughtful and responsible elected officials. Many of the City Councilmembers and Mayors in the Lone Peak area have offered me their endorsement. Currently, I have donations from myself and local individuals supporting my campaign.

I think it is critical that the district and our teacher's union have a cordial working relationship. They need to collaborate and be respectful of each other. This is crucial to our teacher's needs being met. And teachers are the most important factor in a student's success.

We are in a really unique situation with these new boards. The goals and priorities over the next year or two need to be somewhat different than a normal school board. First, we need to very carefully hire a Superintendent. The first Superintendent will be critical to the success of the new districts. Candidates must be very, very carefully considered. Second, we will need to do a significant amount of data gathering. The new boards need an accurate picture of the finances available to them, what the current levels of service like compensation packages, SpEd support, class sizes, bus routes, etc, are and how much they cost. Third, they will need to decide their funding priorities for the new districts. Will they want to keep all levels of support the same as they are now? Will they want to improve some areas? How do those priorities fit with the available resources, and will they need to increase taxes to reach the highest priorities? It's going to be very data and discussion heavy.

Board members are representatives of the communities they serve. They need to prioritize the families in their area, the students who attend their schools, and the individuals that they employ. These three groups sometimes are at odds with each other when decisions are being considered. But we must always seek to support each to the best of our ability. The best way to do this is to be present in our schools, to actively seek feedback from employees and community members, and to seek out information from those who can shine a light onto confusing questions and details.

Board members should avoid becoming involved in the day-to-day decisions of running the school district. Sometimes there are unavoidable issues when a concern is brought to a board member by a teacher or parent, and that concern needs to be addressed. But in general, board members should be focused on a whole-district viewpoint that includes decisions like general policy and legislative advocacy, rather than individual decision making in schools or classrooms.

Differences of opinion between board members or board members and administrators need to be handled carefully. We need to seek to understand BOTH viewpoints, and to understand why both viewpoints may be the best choice in differing situations. Data can help us determine the pathway forward, and is sometimes easier to discuss than personal experiences or opinions.

Flexibility is always needed. Teachers know their students the best. School level administrators know their community better than a district administrator might. I would prefer to see decisions pushed to the most local level whenever possible. Every child is unique and their needs, experiences and situations vary significantly. When we provide teachers and administrators the maximum amount of flexibility, they are better able to meet the needs of their individual students.

We also need to make sure that we are providing proper levels of support. For example, SpEd support is crucial in our schools. But sometimes their folder count can be so high that they are not able to provide enough support. We need to carefully balance support needs- and different schools may need different levels of support. Conversations with teachers and administrators are the best way to determine needs.

I believe the failure of the last bond was the first major strike. But the death blow was the inability of the board members to come to an agreement on public discussion and decision making for the new schools needed in the West. Board members CANNOT get to the point that they are refusing to meet crucial needs in any area. This caused municipalities to lose faith that their students' needs would be met.

I do not think public schools are adequately funded. I believe that we need to help the general public understand HOW schools are funded. Most do not realize that the majority of education funds come from the income tax fund and not from property taxes. This lack of understanding means that the general public does not understand that income tax cuts mean that there is less funding for schools. We need to help them understand this.

I have advocated for impact fees and against income tax cuts for several years. I would love to see impact fees restored, and to help more people understand how schools are funded.

My top budget priorities have to do with retaining and recruiting quality educators for our students. We need phenomenal teachers and administrators to provide the best for our students. This might include things like salary and benefits, but it ALSO might include things like smaller class sizes and increased behavioral and SpEd support. These types of support can decrease a teacher's workload and make their job more manageable. I have had teachers tell me they would rather have more support than more salary. I think that competitive packages for employees will help us recruit AND retain the best for our students. I would like us to very carefully look at what supports are needed, and budget appropriately.