Local opinion: School board elections without politics
"We are seeing that sadly, in Tucson and nationally, school board races are no longer fundamentally local and insulated from mainstream politics," writes Amy Krauss, CFSD Governing Board member and re-election candidate.
Writing a guest opinion in today's Arizona Daily Star, Krauss goes on to state: "I have confidence, however, that CFSD’s voters won’t be deceived by shiny objects dangled by our opponents purely as distractions.... Voters who believe that public education should be responsive to the local community, and who support continuing CFSD’s tradition of excellence, must vote for me, Amy Bhola, and Gina Mehmert."
The full article is included below.
Local Opinion: Voters should keep politics out of CFSD board election
Voters in the Catalina Foothills School District (CFSD) have for decades shared the belief that society benefits when young adults are well prepared to be productive, contributing members, whether they go on to college or into the workforce. Regardless of political affiliation or whether they have school-age children, CFSD residents understand that quality schools drive people to move into and invest in the community, and they help maintain property values. They know that our schools are community centers used as meeting places and concert halls, and where families enjoy the courts, fields, tracks and playgrounds after school hours.
In order to ensure our school district continues to thrive, our community must continue to support the experienced members of the CFSD Governing Board, and approve Propositions 488, 489 and 490. Three of the five board seats are up for election in November and we are seeing that sadly, in Tucson and nationally, school board races are no longer fundamentally local and insulated from mainstream politics.
My opposing slate is running on a thinly veiled political agenda that aims to change the educational values that have been the foundation of CFSD’s success for years. I have confidence, however, that CFSD’s voters won’t be deceived by shiny objects dangled by our opponents purely as distractions. Their wholly negative campaign, built on the demonstrably false premise that CFSD students are failing, professes to promote “Education, Not Politics.” The hypocrisy of this statement is evident by the company they keep. For instance, Purple for Parents, one of their endorsers, is anti-parent, anti-student, and anti-educator. It opposed the teacher-led Red-for-Ed movement in 2018 and was more recently responsible for disrupting school board meetings across the state, including in Pima County, to oppose mask mandates and the teaching of critical race theory (CRT). Another of our opponents’ endorsers, Arizona Women of Action, is a broad Political Action Committee that proposes one-size-fits-all solutions for school districts, including a book ban. Our opponents have embraced the platforms of both groups. In contrast, my slate, Thrive4CFSD, is singularly focused on identifying and responding to the specific needs of our CFSD students and community.
The dishonesty of my opponents’ platform is that most of it doesn’t apply to CFSD. A mask ban was enacted at the state level last legislative session. We don’t use CRT in our curriculum. Parents must consent to their child’s participation in Human Growth and Development (“sex ed”) lessons. Community input is solicited for 60 days before any curriculum adoption or revision. The entire K-12 curriculum, including all textbooks, is online. Students are not required to read specific books but, rather, they select from a collection after parental consent is obtained for books that might contain objectionable content.
In short, there is no lack of transparency or parental voice in CFSD. What our opponents really want is for only one voice to be heard — their own. CFSD voters should reject this effort to bring a political agenda into our schools. CFSD has a proven track record of student achievement precisely because students are taught how to think, not what to think.
I am a two-term incumbent, running with another two-term incumbent, Amy Bhola, and seasoned district volunteer Gina Mehmert. We’ve been continuously involved in our schools for the past 18, 16, and 13 years respectively. Our motivation is simple: we value the education our children receive(d) and we want to ensure that all CFSD students, current and future, have the same opportunities to thrive, academically and personally. To accomplish this goal, we prioritize providing an innovative, robust curriculum, recruiting and retaining highly qualified educators, encouraging the involvement of parents, teachers, and the broader CFSD community, and fostering a diverse and inclusive environment for all students.
This November the choice is clear. Voters who believe that public education should be responsive to the local community, and who support continuing CFSD’s tradition of excellence, must vote for me, Amy Bhola, and Gina Mehmert.