- werner4susd
Four Critical Issues That I will Tackle As Your Next School Board Member
Abysmal academic performance.
Parents' rejection of SUSD in record numbers
Ensure fair teacher pay
Safety and security for our students and staff
1) We must put students and their academic achievement first. I will work relentlessly to ensure our schools develop strong, engaged, academically successful students prepared for the world. I will restore traditional academics, developing students' interests over identities. Politics, ideologically charged rhetoric, and divisive curriculum have no place in our classrooms.
2) The school board must empower parents, not dismiss their input. My superpower is building bridges with people of all backgrounds. We need a board who will listen to and support parents and community members' ideas. My promise to parents is to be accessible, accountable, and transparent in all areas, and make SUSD the number one academic option in the neighborhood.
3) We must recognize and reward our quality teachers by putting money back in the classroom, building a culture of trust and transparency, and making SUSD a place where good teachers want to stay. The Arizona legislature approved the most significant yearly increase in K-12 education the last eight years (with an additional $1 billion in year-over-year spending, total K-12 spending for this year is $8.45 billion). Governor Ducey directly called on school board members to ensure these funds are directed to teachers – adding property tax and federal funding the total budget is $14.88 billion dollars. I commit to using my vote on the school board to put money back into the classroom, not administrative bloat.
4) We must ensure the safety of our schools through support of our valued School Resource Officers (SROs), partnerships with the Scottsdale Police Department and continuous review and improvement of our safety procedures. The Arizona legislature has approved $50 million in ongoing funding for school safety, supporting school resource officer salaries, and $20 million for the school safety interoperability program, which provides funding to county sheriffs for real-time communication solutions between schools and public safety agencies in the event of an emergency. We must elect individuals who will direct this money to support school safety measures and have uniformed police officers on each campus.