The race is on for three seats on the TUSD Governing Board and while a local school board election may not seem as sexy as say, the 2016 presidential election, the implications are huge.
The people elected to the volunteer positions will make decisions over the next four years for more than 47,000 Tucson children. On Thursday night the seven candidates shared their thoughts on topics that hit close to home for families across the region.
The candidates are incumbents Kristel Foster, Cam Juarez and Mark Stegeman, as well as Betts Putnam-Hidalgo, Lori Riegel, Brett Rustand and Rachael Sedgwick.
What you need to know
The Tucson Unified School District is the largest public school district in Tucson and the second largest in the state.
It has long struggled with low academic achievement and declining enrollment. In 2015, nearly 75 percent of TUSD students failed to pass the stateβs math and English Language Arts test β a higher failure rate than the state average of 65 percent.
It is also currently operating under a decades-old court order for failing to adequately serve Latino and African-American children.
The school board is made up of five volunteers whose job it is to hire the superintendent, decide how the district spends its money and to establish policies that influence students' educational outcomes.
See the candidates
If you missed out on Thursday's candidate forum sponsored by the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, two more are scheduled in the coming weeks.Β
Temple Emanu-El is hosting a forum on Sept. 14 from 6 to 8 p.m. at 225 N. Country Club Road.
Β YWCA and the League of Women Voters is hosting a forum on Sept. 29 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at 525 N. Bonita Ave.
Hereβs how the candidates stand on the following issues:
Academic Achievement
Kristel Foster (incumbent): To improve achievement, she says itβs important to know how schools are performing and to hold the superintendent accountable for whether the district is performing on par with the state average. She pointed to Arizonaβs shift to a new assessment as being partly to blame for the districtβs dismal performance.
Cam Juarez (incumbent): Describing the state of Arizona education as βdeplorable,β Juarez said it is difficult for students to learn without the resources needed. He also feels the emphasis needs to be on educating the whole child and moving beyond the snapshot provided by high stakes assessments.
Betts Putnam-Hidalgo: Called for increased mentoring opportunities for new teachers, and adequately compensating teachers who meet performance goals. Individualizing instruction to meet individual studentsβ needs and holding the superintendent accountable for student performance are also key in improving performance.
Lori Riegel:Β Filling teacher vacancies, ensuring students have the materials they need and increasing classroom spending would all positively impact student achievement, she says. She also advocated for empowering and supporting school principals and teachers.
Brett Rustand: Significant progress must be made and policies need to be created with student achievement in mind. He called for a more challenging curriculum that would require teachers to teach to a higher standard. He also argued that if administrative spending can be reduced, that would free up funds for the classroom.
Rachael Sedgwick: TUSD test scores have either been stagnant or on the decline in the case of minority students. She urged the district to form a partnership with the University of Arizona to train teachers to be leaders within their schools and to train teachers on how to work collaboratively for the benefit of children.
Mark Stegeman (incumbent): The superintendent and the governing board need to prioritize academic achievement. Increase classroom spending by reducing administrative expenses, specifically calling for the funds to go toward teacher pay and classroom materials.
Discipline
The candidates were not directly asked about TUSDβs discipline philosophy but many wove it into responses on how to improve academic outcomes for students.
Both Foster and Juarez argued that historically, Latino and African American students have been disciplined disproportionately but the district is working to turn that around through programs that seek to address the root causes of behavior.
Riegel, Rustand, Stegeman and Sedgwick called for supporting teachersβ decisions to maintain order in their classrooms.
Working together
Research has found that effective school boards positively impact student achievement, but TUSD governing boards past and present have often been described as dysfunctional and driven by personalities rather than policy.Β
Foster: Public education is under attack in Arizona and the school board needs to come together to build the communityβs trust and confidence.
Juarez: The drama of the TUSD school board has been known to push people away from the district. Itβs imperative for the board to come together and support approved policies even when a board member opposes it.
Putnam-Hidalgo: The TUSD board lacks a sense of civility. The focus needs to be on policy, not personalities or partisanship, to benefit kids.
Riegel: While disagreement is healthy, the TUSD board has failed at respectively listening and dialoguing for the greater good.
Rustand: Like Riegel, he feels disagreement is healthy but says board membersβ loyalty should not be to personal agendas, instead it should be to children and teachers.
Sedgwick: Personality clashes are taking away from the focus on student achievement, negatively impacting the district as a whole.
Stegeman: Personalities rather than issues drive outcomes. Focusing on issues and decisions will allow discussions to be less toxic
