Report cards Where Utah School Board candidates

stand on three key issues

Sixteen candidates vying for eight seats on the Utah School Board in the Nov. 8 election were asked their positions
on three key questions. Here is how they responded:
Name/district
/hometown

JENNIFER
GRAVIET
Candidate from
District 4
Hometown
South Ogden

DAVE
THOMAS
Candidate from
District 4

Stance on key issues

Q: What role, if any, should

Q: Should Utah schools be held to

Q: Do you support alter- nate licens-

the federal government play in

public education?

statewide education standards?

ing routes that allow individuals

without education training to work in
classrooms?

It should help to ensure equal access to

education, regardless of ZIP code, race,
ability, gender, in- come, or any variable
that would limit that access. It should
support and encourage local govern- ments
to innovate, creati- ng educational environments where students excel, achieve and
thrive in our global world.

When students move from school to school or

district to district, their success hinges on my ability to
know where they are and where they are headed.
With statewide standards, we student and teacher
can accomplish this more successfully.

We cannot experiment with students. A qualified

teacher is the best predictor of student success; we
must hold teachers to high standards.

To the extent that the federal government

plays any role in public education, it should
be limited to block grants of federal monies
with maximum flexibility afforded to states
to govern their own educational systems.

We cannot have a system which treats some kids

better than others based upon geography. In short,
statewide academic standards form the basis by
which all school-aged children are guaranteed a
quality education.

The value of individuals who bring with them life

experiences, which is what alternative routes allow,
is incalculable. We should not foreclose such routes
because teachers unions dont like them.

Utah parents and taxpayers should

understand that if the feds give Utah
money, the feds should expect accountability for the dollars. I think it is an excellent
trade-off, given Utah public ed funding.

Yes, I think there should be statewide education

standards. Statewide standards also allow parents,
taxpayers, legislators to compare overall student
achievement and lack of it! with student
achievement of students in other states and
countries.

One more ill-conceived alternative route does not

help students, teachers or potential teachers. It
confuses and obfuscates existing routes and their
efficiency and adequacy.

Ever since Brown v. Board of Education

brought rac- ial equality to the nations
schools, the federal gov- ernment has played
an important role in ensuring equal access to
education. They should also provide a central
place for informa- tion about state and local
exp- eriments, best practices, and innovations
in education.

If districts are allowed to develop their own

standards, given their oft-limited resources, there
may be the tendency to make standards that fit the
resources, rather than developing standards that
make sense without reference to available
resources.

I support licensing routes that require demonstration of knowledge of the subject area a teacher is
called upon to teach. It is very important to student
learning to have a teacher that knows the subject
being taught.

Education should be controlled at the local

level. The federal government should only
have the power to ensure that constitutional principles are followed, such as equal
protection for all citizens.

I believe that standards should come from the

market, led by nationally recognized standards
through an entity such as the ACT/SAT that will
reflect the knowledge needed for student to actually
be competitive in the workplace.

I am in favor of carefully using alternate routes to

licensing to bring more committed people with
subject matter expertise into the classroom. There
are several examples of industry executives with
graduate degrees and several years of experience in
their chosen profession not able to get a license to
teach a related basic course in K-12.

Today the federal government exerts too

much control over public education, which
should be the domain of individual states. I
do support Title I, which provides aid to
disadvantaged and poor children.

Utah students must be capable of competing in a

global society. Statewide standards prepare them to
do this.

Rather than allowing individuals without education

training in our classrooms, I believe we should give
our teachers better pay, good benefits and the
respect they deserve.

The federal government has intervened on

behalf of the underserved, creating policies
to prevent discrimination and ensure an
education for all.

Statewide education standards create a cohesive

school experience for all. The population is
increasingly mobile. Students need to be able to
transition between schools easily without gaps or
redundancy.

Our children deserve qualified teachers in order to

succeed. We should analyze the data of Alternate
Route to Licensing teachers. The success rate and
retention should be analyzed for efficacy before
lowering the standards for teachers.

True local control, free from political

agendas of both major political parties, will
greatly enhance Utahs ability to provide a
fair and equal opportunity for Utahs
children to reach their dreams.

A broad, baseline, standards system developed

locally, will help to ensure that policymakers and
educators implement an education system that
promotes fairness, quality, and equal opportunity for
all of Utahs children.

Utah is experiencing a crisis where new and

master-level educators have left the profession in
record numbers. The implementation of alternative
routes is a responsible, temporary solution to this
crisis that districts will implement when necessary.

The federal government has a legitimate

duty to ensure that education provided to
all students is of a certain level of quality
and consistency throughout the country.

Every Utah student deserves a high quality

education. That cannot be ensured without high
statewide standards.

I have the highest respect for teachers who earned

an education degree and licensure through
traditional licensure methods. However, I see some
of those pathways as inflexible, and therefore
obstructionist, even to traditional teachers.

The federal government should not be

playing any role in Utahs education as
outlined in the United States Constitution
and the 10th Amendment.

By law, the state board must set standards;

therefore if the board can set the simplest, most basic
standards, it would allow the districts to expand to
the needs to their community.

The alternate licensing route has pros and cons, but

as new individuals come in to see the truth of how
things are run, I predict youll see these individuals
leave as well.

Because the federal government is currently

unconstitutionally setting education policy,
the state board members must be well-versed
in all pro- grams and initiatives coming out of
D.C. The state board has a respons- ibility to
be on the front line in defending our state
from federal intrusion and protecting local
control.

I would be happy to see local districts have more

autonomy in their ability to create and use standards
that will allow them to achieve their educational
goals. I believe this will drive competition and push
excellence.

There is a place for those with unique expertise to

share their skills. For example, a CPA teaching a
specialized class in accounting. These types of
decisions need to be made at the local district level
and not issued at the state level.

The bottom line to this issue is to provide

input and understanding by the national
government and ensure we work to not
have mixed support of important
educational issues.

Understanding and providing these standards can

be problematic to some students in our state, but will
be very important for our students if they choose to
go to college either in the United States or some
other country as per the needs of the families.

We must as a state provide enough data to verify

both students and educators are as capable as
possible to help us help the students in our
classrooms, schools and state.

As per the 10th Amendment, the federal

government should not be involved in K-12
public education.

Every district in Utah should be held to the same

core standards set by the State Board of Education. I
also favor allowing school districts the leeway to
design more stringent curriculum and standards if
they feel the need to do so.

Principals should be able to hire alternative

licensed teachers as long as there are not qualified
traditionally licensed educators applying for the
same job. There are many in Utah who feel that
teaching Sunday school is the same as teaching
elementary, middle or even high school, and thats
simply not the case.

A one-size-fits-all Washington, D.C.,

mandate isnt the answer to the challenges
facing Utah public education and the
federal government should stay out of it.
Utah education stakeholders are best able
to solve Utah education challenges.

Utah sets standards and then has school districts,

charter schools and teachers choose curriculum and
lesson plans that can help students meet the
standards. I also favor a waiver process to state
standards so a district or charter can innovate with
superior standards, curriculum and testing.

We all agree that the goal is to have a competent

teacher in every classroom. I believe there are
multiple routes to that competency, not just the
traditional route with an education degree.

The federal government should not play

any role in education. They are just another
layer of decision-makers that just complicate
the ability for the teachers and administrators to react to the needs of the students.

Standards developed on the state and federal levels

add unneeded levels of control that complicate the
ability of the teachers to react to the needs of their
students and community.

Instead of alternate licensing routes, lets remove

the state and federal standards that prevent parents
from helping in the classrooms and take advantage
of the education, talents and skills that local parents
and grandparents bring to our schools.

The federal government is too far removed

to understand education in the state of
Utah. States should be in control of the
education within each state.

Statewide education standards are a good thing,

especially with the mobility of our populations. I feel
that local school boards should be represented when
these state standards are decided upon.

We need to address respect, pay, retirement and

training. I also dont see a migration of math majors,
engineers and chemists to public education.

Hometown
South Weber

CAROL
BARLOWLEAR
Candidate from
District 7
Hometown
Sa;lt Lake City

SHELLY
TEUSCHER
Candidate from
District 7
Hometown
Salt Lake City

RICHARD R.
NELSON
Candidate from
District 8
Hometown
Holladay

JANET A.
CANNON
Candidate from
District 8
Hometown
Holladay

KATHLEEN
RIEBE
Candidate from
District 10
Hometown
Cottonwood
Heights

GARY
THOMPSON
Candidate from
District 10
Hometown
Draper

ERIN
PRESTON
Candidate from
District 11
Hometown
Herriman

LISA D.
CUMMINS
Candidate from
District 11
Hometown
Herriman

ALISA
ELLIS
Candidate from
District 12
Hometown
Heber City

DIXIE LEE
ALLEN
Candidate from
District 12
Hometown
Vernal

SCOTT B.
NEILSON
Candidate from
District 13
Hometown
Spanish Fork

STAN
LOCKHART
Candidate from
District 13
Hometown
Provo

MICHELLE
BOULTER
Candidate from
District 15
Hometown
St. George

WESLEY J.
CHRISTIANSEN
Candidate from
District 15
Hometown
Hurricane

Sources: Candidates for Utah School Board

REPORTED BY BENJAMIN WOOD, GRAPHIC BY TODD ADAMS | The Salt Lake Tribune