You Get What You Pay For

Total estimated cost of Master’s Degree in Education: $18,000.
Current interest Rate on Student Loan: 6%
Raise for Master’s Degree: $1,100 annually

There is no doubt that my master’s degree made me a better teacher. The knowledge that I took away from my coursework was directly beneficial to my students. Often, my experiences as a university student on Tuesday nights allowed me to implement better pedagogy practices in my own classroom on Wednesday mornings as a middle school writing teacher in South Phoenix. Read the rest of this entry »

We Think We Have It Hard

Each day as I travel all over the valley and state for work, I watch the odometer climb and climb. Then at the gas pump when I fill up my vehicle, like many other Arizonans, I watch the dollar figures climb and climb. We’ve all personally experienced the pain at the gas pump, the grocery store, and several other places, as we try to adjust to these difficult economic times. The strain on our household budgets is both real and significant.

Not surprisingly, as an educator, I began reflecting on how challenging these current realities must be for our school districts. Imagine the impact of these high gas prices if you had not just one vehicle to gas up, but an entire flight of buses; the impact of high food costs if you had not just one mouth to feed, but thousands; or the impact of high utility costs if you had not just one home to cool, but several buildings. I know how hard we have it. Imagine how hard it is for our school districts. Read the rest of this entry »

AZ School Works First School Board Candidate

Robin Stamp, Candidate for the Madison School District Governing Board.

I am running for the Madison District Governing board to be an advocate for teachers, to promote safer schools, to lead Madison to a 21st century curriculum, and to be a consistent fiscally responsible voice.

I am dedicated to safer schools for our children. In my position as an Outreach Coordinator for the Attorney General, I have extensive experience working with students, teachers, parents, and administrators on the issue of school safety. I continue this work in a voluntary capacity as a board member of Alertrecal.com, a school safety website founded by a Phoenix Police Department School Resource Officer. Read the rest of this entry »

Advice For New Board Members

Serving as a board member is similar to most commitments in life: it becomes what you make of it. Ask yourself, what kind of board member do you want to be?

My answer to that question was that I wanted to be a great board member who listened and brought a unique perspective to the table. I will share with you my approach as a new board member. Please borrow, adapt or make these ideas your own and become the board member you envision yourself to be.

Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome to AZ School Works online community!

We are excited to offer this website as a vehicle to capture the reflections, ideas and projects of our elected officials, education professionals, parents, and community members.

This website is for you! Join our team and share with all of us your thoughts and responses to current issues impacting the Arizona public education system.

Each week, some of the topics will include: political or government updates, candidate profiles and introductions, and updates from our Founder and Chairman, Jason Williams.

If you, or someone you know, would like to be a part of this dialogue, please download this application and email it back to supporteducation@azschoolworks.org today.

Kevin Spidel
State Director, AZ School Works

Podcast from the launch event

Webcast from the Launch at the Fair Trade Café & Gallery last night in Phoenix, AZ.

Welcome to AZ School Works

Dear friend,

I know it has been some time since you have heard from me. In fact, many people have asked what I’ve been up to since I ran for Superintendent of Public Instruction? I appreciate everyone reaching out to express their interest and support for me after we came so close to victory. Please be assured that my silence has not been due to inaction.

Today I would like to introduce you to AZ School Works.

After processing the realization that we would have to wait another four years to change the leadership and priorities within our state department of education, I knew we needed to continue our movement to ensure all of Arizona’s children are moving forward. Over the past year and a half I have been meeting with educators, community leaders and elected officials to determine our next courses of action Through my previous campaign, and these various conversations, we have identified a significant need to provide Arizona’s educators, parents, students and concerned citizens with an effective vehicle to advocate for financial reasonability and genuine, results-driven reform within our public education system. Read the rest of this entry »