Farewell

Although our children are our most precious resource, we have not treated them as such.  We have failed them because we have a broken public education system.  For too long, politicians have decided what is best for our schools and educators have failed to stand up to them.  The tides are slowly changing but they are not changing fast enough.  Our children are too often unprepared to enter the workforce, think critically, and lack 21st century skills.

I spent the last year and a half on the Creighton school board trying to do what I could for Creighton children.  It was one of the most incredible times of my life.  Those of us passionate about our children and their education know that changing public education for the better can feel like a daunting task.  It is a daunting task; but, as I learned as a school board member, one person makes a big difference when they dedicate themselves to our children.

My farewell from the board and Arizona School Works is bittersweet because I want the best for our children and the job is not complete.

It is scary to think that my time of earth likely predates great changes in public education.  The good news is I do know that I will see great changes in Creighton because I was of a handful who asked the tough questions, addressed controversial issues, and because I cared enough to put Creighton children first.  I also know that I will see great changes in Arizona because candidates like me will be recruited, identified and supported by Arizona School Works.

I am pleased to pass the torch to my friend, Alicia Cybulski, for the position of Political Director.  Alicia brings enthusiasm and dedication to Arizona School Works.  As my former campaign manager and as a former fourth-grade classroom teacher, Alicia knows what kind of people our children need in the leadership of our public schools.

Most importantly, Alicia cares enough about our children to ensure that the right people run for the school board.  I look forward to many more accomplishments from Arizona School Works.

Tiffany Troidl, former Political Director
AZ School Works

Second AZ School Works Endorsement: Aaron Jahneke

I am running for the Washington School Board because I know the district well. I grew up attending Washington Elementary District #6 from 1982-1989. During that time I witnessed a lot of changes to the district. Demographics and socioeconomic circumstances have changed considerably. Moreover, English Language Learners (ELL) and special education student enrollment numbers have soared since the 1990s. This, coupled with decreased state funding as a result of the district no longer being in a “growth” area have led to unique challenges in the district.

Having said that, I believe every child CAN and SHOULD learn. I want to improve the culture of the Washington Elementary School District by increasing community outreach and promoting the many good things the district does on a daily basis to increase student learning. I will fight to improve the morale for both employees and students at the middle school sites to ensure that students are safer and happier to be at their schools. This can and will be done by empowering the parents, administrators, and educators to collaborate more effectively together in the decision-making process. Read the rest of this entry »

Munoz Jr. and Loredo on Roosevelt School District Receivership

email: vince.yanez@azed.gov for community feedback

Is Unification the Answer?

What most frustrates me about the unification effort are the non-issues that are touted, taking the spotlight away from the real issues in K-12 education.

The commission and unification supporters claim that unification will “streamline the financial resources” of the district yet they have offered no evidence.  The norm among Phoenix elementary school districts is the utilization of intergovernmental agreements like the Mohave contract.  This allows districts to procure the best deal for products and services. Also, in looking at dollars spent in the classroom, unified districts do not spend more in the classroom than elementary or high school districts.  In fact, six of the top ten large districts in the state were elementary or high school districts including Cartwright Elementary and Alhambra, two districts targeted by the unification proposal.  Additionally, Arizona spends less on central administration than the average nationally at 9.5% compared to 11% (ASBA Legal Services).  Arizona administrative salaries are also below the US.  The commission has offered no evidence that unification will be more cost-effective and the aforementioned evidence challenges the assumption there is a “problem”.

Arizona leaders have made huge strides in meeting the commission’s main goal of unification: “a fully-coordinated, continuous instructional plan for students beginning in kindergarten and ending with the senior year in high school ultimately support a more productive education career for the students involved (SDRC FAQ).”  This is already occurring through the implementation of K-12 state standards.  All students are required to have a particular knowledge base at various points in their Arizona public education and the AIMS test is a way to measure that progress.  The commission misses the mark when they state this as their goal.  If they really cared about kids, their goal would be to improve student achievement.  Trying to get there would lead to a forced election, that if approved, would create a bureaucracy that no Phoenix schools under the proposal support.

So if Arizona education is fairing better than unification supports claim, why the push for redistricting?

Those of us in education know that there is no silver bullet in education.  Can we do better?  Of course. Is unification the answer?  No.

Tiffany Troidl
AZ School Works Political Director

AZSW Updates Supporting Public Education

AZ School Works (AZSW) exists to provide diverse, grassroots support for public education.  One of our primary vehicles to accomplish this goal is our School Board Recruitment Initiative.  School board members have a tremendous impact on school administrators, teachers and our children’s classrooms based upon their opinions and decisions.

Through our online community, we hope to provide motivation, cultivation, and advice for strong, public education advocates interested in running for their local school boards and supporting our local public schools.

Recently, Tiffany Troidl (Creighton School Board Member) provided advice for newly elected school board members.  Our first school board candidate, Robin Stamp, posted his profile, and received an official endorsement and contribution from AZSW.  Mark Trinitapoli offered his insight as a former educator on the importance of compensation as a critical component to teacher retention.  And, I offered my thoughts on the current economic difficulties for our school districts.

This month, we will continue to build our online conversation by soliciting input from more community members, educators, parents, and students.  In fact, as we continue to grow, supporters want to know how to get more involved.  There are several ways.  Lend your voice as a guest contributor (application here) on our website, nominate, or inform us of, school board candidates who are strong advocates for public education, host a house party, and/or make a contribution to help build our organization and provide the needed resources to accomplish our goals (donate here.)

As always, many thanks for all your support!

With hope and determination,

Jason Williams
Founder and Chairman, AZ School Works Political Action Committee

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