Q&A

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.