If you live in the Tucson Unified School District, these are the people you will see on your general election ballot. They are seeking one of three volunteer positions.
Kristel Foster
Kristel Foster, 45
Employer and position: Sunnyside Unified School District, language acquisition department program specialist
Education: Master's in Education Leadership (Northern Arizona University); Master's in Latin American Studies (University of Arizona); Bachelor's in Elementary Education — Bilingual & Multicultural Focus (NAU)
Political experience: Incumbent, Tucson Unified Governing Board, 2013 to present
Top priority: Achieve unitary status in our desegregation case; improve student discipline through restorative practices; and complete the five-year strategic plan
HER TAKE ON ...
Why she's running: To fulfill the five-year strategic plan of which we are more than halfway through; I want to keep the focus and the work moving forward. We are also ready to file for unitary status in September 2017 — we are at the finish line and I want to keep consistent leadership.
Single biggest challenge facing TUSD: What we have that other districts do not is our reputation and the board drives that conversation. We can help the district or we can rip it apart.
What TUSD is doing well: We are focused on the strategic plan, making improvements to transform technology, communication, finance reporting, diversity and facilities.
Her contributions to public education: Bringing the educator voice and perspective to the governing board.
Testing: Opposes standardized testing. Supports teacher-designed benchmark testing and alternative ways of measuring achievement.
Improving teacher retention: Continued support for increased compensation; continued advocacy for professional learning communities; work with the Tucson Education Association to ensure teachers' voices are heard.
Improving academic achievement: TUSD has established good teaching practices and a curriculum guide to ensure state standards are followed, now the work must continue to assess what students know to inform instruction and make it relevant.
Getting more dollars into classrooms: Continue to ask how the money being spent directly affects the classroom and ensure the community understands that.
Cam Juarez
Cam Juarez, 44
Employer and position: National Park Service (Saguaro National Park), Community Outreach & Engagement Coordinator/Public Information Officer
Education: Bachelors Degree in Mexican American Studies/Political Science (UA); Masters Degree in Urban Planning (UA)
Political experience: Incumbent, Tucson Unified Governing Board, 2013 to present
Top priority: Focus on students and employees, the unitary status plan and five-year strategic plan; work towards 2017-18 bond/override election
HIS TAKE ON ...
Why he's running: I was part of the K-12 educational system in Arizona that I thought was substandard and that resulted in me spending resources to get remedial education before going to the University of Arizona. I would love for our students to move on without taking on an enormous student loan debt.
Single biggest challenge facing TUSD: Managing the complexities of being under a federal desegregation order and finding ways to support programming when the associated funding is no longer available.
What TUSD is doing well: Reducing teacher vacancies; increased teacher pay; increased opportunities for career training; investing in early education; investing in special education programs; working to close the achievement gap for minority children; long-range planning; reducing administrative positions.
His contributions to public education: Being an activist in the community for 20 years. As a board member, he works to be responsive to parents, staff and community member’s concerns.
Testing: Opposes standardized testing but supports assessing students with locally-designed tools.
Improving teacher retention: Continued support for teacher pay raises; appropriate training and the use of professional learning communities.
Improving academic achievement: Address the needs of all students in a culturally relevant way; continue to increase advanced learning opportunities like dual language, dual enrollment; cater to the whole child; ensure a safe environment.
Getting more dollars into classrooms: Work with the legislature to ensure they follow through on their duty to fund public education; build public confidence and pursue a bond election to improve the learning environment.
Betts Putnam-Hidalgo
Employer and position: retired
Education: Bachelor's in Natural Resource Management; Master's in Latin American Studies with a focus on Political Science
Political experience: None
Top priority: Passionate advocate for fiscal accountability and oversight. Put more money in the classrooms, desegregate the schools and raise student achievement
HER TAKE ON ...
Why she's running: The good work happening at schools is being undermined by the actions of the district. I'm not seeing transparency, I'm not seeing enrollment or achievement increase. I'm not seeing creativity being allowed to come back to the classroom and I'm not seeing schools desegregated.
Single biggest challenge facing TUSD: Failure to use resources better — both human and financial.
What TUSD is doing well: Teachers are doing as much as they can with the resources they have.
Her contributions to public education: Volunteering at her son's schools and on district subcommittees; service on School Community Partnership Council; attends and speaks at board meetings with the intention of improving education; teaching English to mothers; worked as a school-community liaison.
Testing: Remove as many standardized tests as possible and allow teachers to assess kids on a shared rubric that they design.
Improving teacher retention: Improve working conditions while giving raises; give teachers more liberty and time to collaborate with colleagues, to design relevant professional development; train parent volunteers to assist in the classroom with conflict resolution.
Improving academic achievement: Let teachers teach, the more we have to teach to the test, it doesn’t help kids become creative thinkers; diversify reading and instructional materials to make learning relevant.
Getting more dollars into classrooms: Dial back on dollars to administration with a focus on bonuses and incentive packages; use reserve funds on teachers and classroom needs; expand on collaborations with community organizations.
Lori Riegel
Lori Riegel, 44
Employer and position: Arizona’s Children Association, Development Director, Southern Arizona
Education: Bachelors in Education (UA); Masters in Jewish Education with Certificate in Special Education (Hebrew College); PhD Candidate in Educational Leadership (Lesley University)
Political experience: None
Top priority: Reduce cabinet-level administrative salary spending; prioritize increased instructional spending to include reduced class sizes in kindergarten and first grades
HER TAKE ON ...
Why she's running: My skills as chair of the technology oversight committee and my 25-plus year as a teacher and school leader in Jewish education would be helpful to the district. As part of the TOC, we provide oversight for technology purchases and strategy and have helped save the district millions of dollars. My role as a school leader involved budgeting, teacher contracts and salaries — all skills that board members should have.
Single biggest challenge facing TUSD: Dropping enrollment
What TUSD is doing well: The self-contained gifted education program, but it is not publicized well; the arts programs are incomparable but we don't hear enough about them.
Her contributions to public education: I’ve shown what I can do through my passion of volunteer work. I’m a single mom supporting a daughter in college but I find the time to serve the district as a volunteer. Organizer of community event to help families find a pathway to higher education.
Testing: Standardized testing takes too much time away from instructional time, harming students and teachers.
Improving teacher retention: Conduct exit interviews to find out why teachers are leaving; engage community to build support for teachers; give what was promised in Prop. 123 funds would help, too.
Improving academic achievement: Increase classroom spending so TUSD is more on par with other school districts; make sure every student has a teacher instead of a long-term sub; make sure every student has a textbook to take home; address out-of-school factors like hunger, environment, family stability, health, dental.
Getting more dollars into classrooms: Look at where the money is going; move away from giving astronomical salary increases when changes are made in the superintendent's cabinet.
Brett Rustand
Brett Rustand, 42
Employer and position: Crest Insurance, vice president
Education: Bachelor's in international relations and Latin American studies (Brigham Young University)
Political experience: None
Top priority: Provide the vital leadership to bring together the board and community as one, to effectively support our teachers and students
HIS TAKE ON ...
Why he's running: Public education is the foundation upon which the community is built. TUSD as a district has many great people and schools but the dysfunction of the governing board affects everyone and we need a board that is not focused on fighting each other but one that approaches business with the students' best interest.
Single biggest challenge facing TUSD: The governing board itself is the single biggest impediment to bringing about the change needed.
What TUSD is doing well: Moving in the right direction to increase the depth and uniformity of curriculum; making progress on meeting the goals of the unitary status plan; TUSD's greatest strength is its diversity.
His contributions to public education: Serving on a site council at Fruchthendler Elementary, supporting site-based leadership.
Testing: Reduce the amount of testing where possible, excessive testing impacts student's ability to learn and teacher's ability to teach.
Improving teacher retention: Increase pay; provide effective professional development; give teachers the authority to discipline students and maintain control over classrooms; strengthen mentoring program for new teachers.
Improving academic achievement: Make it a board priority so it can emanate through policy; need quantifiable metrics for students, schools and the district as a whole; monitor metrics and adjust accordingly; support teachers to improve recruitment and retention.
Getting more dollars into classrooms: Identify school needs and start budgeting at sites, working way up to central rather than budgeting from the top down; cut administrative costs where possible.
Rachael Sedgwick
Rachael Sedgwick, 37
Employer and position: McNorton Fox PLLC, legal clerk
Education: Master's in in secondary education (University of Pennsylvania); third-year law student, UA James E. Rogers College of Law
Political experience: None
Top priority: Help raise student achievement levels by ensuring that TUSD's superintendent operates strategically, efficiently, and effectively
HER TAKE ON ...
Why she's running: Concerned over lack of support for public schools at the state level while support for arming citizens and investing in the prison system has grown.
Single biggest challenge facing TUSD: The fact that student achievement has not gone up and in some cases it has gone down.
What TUSD is doing well: The schools are amazing, they are highly functioning despite obstacles in their way.
Her contributions to public education: The years I've spent as a teacher in Tucson, Arizona and around the world.
Testing: Does not believe test scores should be the be-all and end-all. She would get involved and give input when it is sought on test development and cut-scores.
Improving teacher retention: Collaborate with the University of Arizona; ensure exit surveys are conducted to understand why teachers are leaving; survey teachers on working conditions; reallocate funding to increase salaries and classroom funds.
Improving academic achievement: Help the superintendent focus on very specific goals and clearly explain what schools need to do to meet their responsibilities.
Getting more dollars into classrooms: Lower fixed costs and administrative costs to allocate more to classrooms.
Mark Stegeman
Mark Stegeman, 60
Employer and position: University of Arizona, economics professor
Education: PhD in economics (MIT)
Political experience: Incumbent, Tucson Unified Governing Board, 2009 to present
Top priority: Governance should focus on raising student achievement, making schools safer, reducing administrative costs, and supporting teachers and schools – not personalities
HIS TAKE ON ...
Why he's running: At the University, I see the consequences of students coming unprepared out of the K-12 system. We must do better and strengthening TUSD will help to bring people and businesses to central Tucson.
Single biggest challenge facing TUSD: Rebuilding enrollment
What TUSD is doing well: Improving the information technology infrastructure; updating and improving the consistency of curriculum.
His contributions to public education: Consistently worked to improve financial accountability and transparency to make a stronger case for increased funding to the legislature.
Testing: I have persuaded the district to reduce standardized testing but I do not believe it should be eliminated. It is one tool for holding school districts accountable and ensuring students are learning.
Improving teacher retention: I would redirect funds from central administration toward teacher compensation; increase flexibility in teacher compensation; and support teachers in protecting staff and student safety and a productive educational environment.
Improving academic achievement: Revise the strategic plan to focus on academic achievement; invest more resources in early grades; continue to update curriculum and professional development.
Getting more dollars into classrooms: Conduct anonymous surveys of principals and other employees and use those results, combined with previous efficiency audits and external review, to overhaul and streamline central administration.
