Experience in education:  Degree in Elementary School Education, Adjunct Professor College of Charleston, Co-chair Independence High School Planning
Team and IHS Site Council Community Representative.

Why are you running for school board?
I am a concerned parent, community member and public school advocate interested in the success of Glendale schools.  I believe I can bring ideas and leadership abilities to the school district that will provide resources to our teachers and allow our children to learn in a safe environment where they can achieve their full potential.

What do you think is the biggest issue in education right now, and what is your stance on it?
Clearly the biggest issue is student achievement.  But this cannot be considered in a bubble.  It goes hand in hand with all issues that affect education.  We need to push ourselves to think about how we are spending our money and time to ensure we are making the strategic choices that will eventually improve performance.  We need to improve communication both internally and with all the stakeholders in our district, and reach out to the families and business communities in our area to involve them in the decision making process.

What, if anything, do you think should be done to improve student achievement in Glendale Elementary?
The most effective way to help our students is to hire and retain the best quality teachers.  Safety should also be a major concern to assure our students the best environment conducive to learning.

What are your thoughts on the proposal to unify Glendale Elementary with Washington Elementary and Glendale Union?
Although in principal I agree with the concept of unification, I believe that the proposal for unification as it stands would create an excessively large district that would undercut the intimate connection of the schools with the community and signify a loss of local control on behalf of the school boards.  I am concerned that a mega-district would create a new layer of middle management to run the district, which not only could mean more spending but could also jeopardize student achievement.

Please e-mail Anna at: annaforschoolboard@gmail.com to support her campaign by volunteering or making a contribution.

Jason Williams speaks with Lela Alston at the July CTA retreat about her campaign. And, congratulations to Lela for far exceeding her goal for signatures!

Getting started

First you must have a written plan that answers the questions:

1. Who are you going to see?  Whose doors are you knocking on?
2. What do you want to do?  ID, persuade, chasing early ballots, or GOTV?
3. When are you going to do this?
4. Where are you going?  What precincts would help you the most?

These questions are an essential part to your campaign plan.  Once you have these, you move onto the actual canvass.

The Canvas

Organizing the canvass is a key part to ensuring a successful day, as well as to keep your volunteers coming back.

Materials

• Walk list - what doors are you knocking on and who are you talking to.
• Literature — something to give to the voter, and possibly to leave at the door if they’re not home (depending on your campaign plan)
• Map — you need to know how you’re getting there.  And it also will help plan an efficient route
• Voter reg cards — if there’s a non-registered voter, register them!
• Sample script — for those who don’t know the candidate or need a cheat sheet..  It also helps stay on message.
• Tracking system — a system for the canvassers to track their contacts.  Was the person a major supporter?  Do they want as sign?  Were they not home?  Is there a big scary dog in the yard?
• Clipboards — this is a matter of personal preference, most people like to use them.
• Pens — one needs to take notes
• Water - we do live in Arizona, water is essential to for healthy volunteers.

After the canvass

After the canvass, first thing is to thank your volunteers.   Again, you want to keep them coming back.  Next, work on inputting the data into the system.  During the 2006 campaign, we had a visual tracking system where we colored in how many positive contacts we made.  At the end of the day you need a certain amount of votes by a certain day and you need to constantly assess and reflect so that way decisions can be made strategically.

Tips for success

• keep conversations short
• don’t go into houses
• carry a cell phone
• know where your volunteers are or communicate where you’re going
• make sure there is an ASK:  ask for a vote, support, a voter reg card.  Ask the person for what you need
• Make it fun.  If it’s not fun, you’re not doing it right

Alicia Cybulski, Political Director
AZ School Works

I am running for the Governing School Board of Creighton Elementary District in Phoenix, AZ. My vision for our community is celebrating sustainable, significant, academic achievement. With you support, we can make this vision a reality.

Today, many people say that Creighton is a decent school district. Eight of nine schools are rated Performing, and two of these schools are rated Performing Plus. According to Arizona’s education accountability ratings, Creighton schools are by and large meeting or slightly exceeding Arizona’s minimal education standards.

Strangely, as a community we currently celebrate schools that just barely meet the already low expectations. Personally, meeting Arizona’s minimal education goals is not nearly good enough. Our current expectations of our children are way too low! With this culture currently intact, our children reach the workforce less educated, unmotivated, and uncompetitive. We must change these expectations immediately.

My priority as a Governing Board Member will always be sustainable, significant, academic achievement, above and beyond the Arizona prescription. With an unwavering commitment, I will emphasize a culture of high expectations and accountability. I realize it takes more than just schools to educate our children. As a Governing Board Member, I will work to actively engage and invest families and the community at large in our students’ success. Our children deserve it.

Please consider a $25 contribution to my campaign. The unpaid, elected position of Governing Board Member is a tremendous responsibility and worthy commitment, but it takes time and money to communicate effectively with the entire community. Please write a check today to:

Zaragoza for School Board
3411 N. 16th St., #2109
Phoenix, AZ 85016

Please include your name, address, profession, and employer for proper election reporting.

Your partnership in my vision of celebrating sustainable, significant, academic achievement is valued and appreciated. Thank you all for your support.

Respectfully,

Carl Zaragoza
(602) 476-2692

I have always been interested in education.  Having grown up in Mesa, I had the amazing opportunity to attend fantastic public schools with amazing teachers.  I graduated from the University of Arizona and during that time, I wondered why my experience could be so different than other students who came from different schools.  This led me to seek out Teach For America, where I became a 2005 corps member.

As a member of Teach For America, I taught 4th grade at Cheatham Elementary School in the Laveen Elementary School District for the past three years.  Working with my students and families gave me so much hope as to what our students are capable of.  I also discovered many of the systemic problems in education and how they make teacher and student achievement so difficult to attain.  We must have high expectations for students, families, teachers, and administration.  We must have excellent leaders on our school boards who will make the right decisions for our students. 

While teaching I worked on district curriculum and textbook adoption committees.  I tutored after school as well as coached running for our Girls on the Run program.

During the 2006 election I was honored to serve as Tiffany Troidl’s campaign manager for her successful school board campaign.  We were out knocking on doors every weekend.  The power of grassroots action was amazing!  I can’t remember how many people said that we were the first people to ever knock on their doors and talk about the issues important to them and their community.  It was a great experience.

Additionally, I was active in our local teacher’s association.  I served as the Vice President and the Political Director for the Laveen  Education Association.  I also worked as the co-chair of our grassroots organizing team, where we worked to increase  political involvement by our teachers.

More recently, I served as the District Policy Representative for the Political Leadership Initiative for Teach For America and worked on helping more alumni become involved in local politics.  I also recently finished a fellowship for  the Center For Progressive Leadership.  I had the great opportunity to reflect on my values of equity and opportunity and how they shape the issues I believe in. 

I am very excited to begin working with everyone at AZ School Works as the new Political Director and helping to ensure that all children can have an excellent education.

As a researcher for Children’s Action Alliance, I understand the importance of involving families and the community in educating our children. In our district, where so many students come from families whose primary language is not English, I will break down barriers and involve families as partners in their children’s education. Being bilingual myself, I understand that children learn English best when the entire family learns together.

I will partner with teachers, school administrators, local afterschool programs, and our community to ensure Creighton schools provide the best education possible, and are a positive force in our community.

Please help my bid by volunteering or donating to:
Matt Jewett for Creighton Governing Board
3301 E. Earll Drive #213
Phoenix, AZ 85018
602-930-8766

Jason Williams speaks at the CTA retreat and discusses the redistricting issue with Ed Bufford, the President of CTA.

Jason Williams had a moment to chat with Will Reimers, a Trevor Browne High School teacher, on the issue of the “Dream Act” during CTA’s annual retreat.

SUSD serves over 18,000 students in a 93 square mile area. Approximately 95 percent of our students identify as minorities (nearly 90 percent Hispanic), and over 80 percent of our students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Our graduation rate is an embarrassing 63 percent.

I grew up in Sunnyside, and I am a product of Sunnyside schools. After graduating from Sunnyside High School in 2001, I saw that very few of my classmates moved on to college and even fewer completed a degree.

A low high school graduation rate and an even lower post-secondary completion rate are indicative of where our community stands on the economic scale. Our neighborhoods are poor, and along with that challenge, come even more challenges: apathy, crime, and drug and alcohol addiction. Ultimately, these challenges lead to a poor economic outlook. Public education is the key to improving our community’s economic vitality, and, therefore, our quality of life.

It is because of these challenges that I am running to represent my neighbors on the SUSD Governing Board. Changing the future of our community is possible. I am committed toward working strategically to create long-term solutions with visible results along the way.

My main goal is to improve high school completion and post-secondary enrollment and completion. To accomplish this goal, I am supporting district-wide strategic and time bound solutions within the following initiatives:

• Curriculum Alignment to Rigorous and Relevant Standards
• Reading Literacy and Math Literacy
• English Language Development
• Parent and Community Engagement
• Safe and Orderly Campuses
• Balanced Budgeting
• Professional Development

Thank you for supporting my district and my campaign.

Malena Barajas

Barajas for Sunnyside
2423 East Calle Joya de Ventura
Tucson, AZ 85706

520-829-7488

Chair: Eva Dong – Treasurer: Robert Soltero

That is why I am running.

It is important for me as a parent and professional in workforce and economic development to be able to improve the quality of education our children are entitled to. I am against school district unification. I believe in local control, and when elected my vote will represent the community as a whole. We are all accountable.

There are three seats up for re-election and I cannot do this alone. When the incumbent files a $500 exemption statement with no intention to raise or expend $500 on a campaign, the message is clear–that seat is assumed. We cannot assume anything with this campaign and with a donation of $25 or more, we can send a message back. We are serious about change and are prepared to fight for our right to quality public education.

Send donations to:
Make checks payable to The Connell Campaign
4517 S. Oak Street, Tempe, AZ 85282