Basic biographical information:
- Name: Bart Pemberton
- Office they are seeking: CFSD Governing Board
- Age: 53
- City of residence: Tucson
- Occupation: I have practiced as an eye doctor (optometrist) in Tucson since 1999.
- Education: University of California at Berkeley, School of Optometry
- Previous elected office: President of the AZ Optometric Association
- Other relevant qualifications: I'm an avid supporter & a product of public school education from elementary school through undergraduate & graduate/professional school. My wife & I have been active parents with the schools our children have attended in the district since they started kindergarten. Community involvement: member of the School Site council at Manzanita, actively involved with the Family Faculty Organization (FFO) at Manzanita Elementary School (Chairman of Handy Helpers Committee), past president of the AZ Optometric Association, long-time volunteer at a local church, member of the Knights of Columbus, & the Scoutmaster for a local Boy Scout Troop. See more at https://btb.school
1. What do you see as the most important issue to address and how would you address it?
There are actually three important issues: 1. In the 2021 standardized tests given in AZ, 45% of the CFSD students were not proficient in Math & 37% were not proficient in English Language Arts (ELA) [Source: AZ Dept of Education]. Those numbers improved slightly in 2022, thankfully, but our children deserve better. 2. Surveys given to students throughout the district asking them what "pronouns” they prefer. 3. The HS counseling website includes links for students to other sites which, amongst other things, encourage minors to enter into chatrooms with strangers to talk about sexual topics, sites which encourage life-altering & often permanent drug & surgical therapies, all without the parents' knowledge or consent. These same sites include "quick escape” buttons & strategies to more easily keep the mother & father in the dark. Solution: Stop practices that inhibit & distract from academic excellence. Students & teachers should be devoting their time to reading, writing, math, science, civics, history, & the arts, not topics that are considered by many to be ideological, dangerous, & divisive.
2. Why should voters choose you, rather than other candidates?
I and two other candidates, Bill Morgan and Grace Jasin, will work to change the priorities of the board if elected. We will endeavor to prioritize reading, writing, math, civics, science, history and the arts. We will prioritize the education of the whole child, and we will collaborate with parents to meet the needs of their children in school. Effective collaboration includes having the informed consent of the parents, especially when dealing with controversial topics or information. This also means first and foremost having the humility and honesty to admit that we don’t know everything about everything. This requires letting the parents be the parents and not interfering with their responsibility and right to direct the upbringing of their children in the way they consider most proper. We will focus on results and curriculum transparency. We will focus on proper school security, both physical and online. Based on discussions with parents and teachers, we do not believe that security at the schools has been adequately addressed. For example, if sheriff deputies are a good idea at board meetings, why aren’t school resource officers (SRO’s) a good idea at our schools? See more at https://btb.school
3. Could you please provide a list of the people and organizations that have endorsed you?
We have not actively sought endorsements from anyone, as this can give the impression of partisan politics, and we feel that it is especially important to campaign and govern in a non-partisan manner.
