In the November election there are six candidates vying for three seats on the Dysart Unified School District governing board.

Current board members Christine A.K. Pritchard and Jay Leonard are seeking reelection, while member Jennifer Tanner chose not to run.

The candidates running are Ms. Pritchard, Mr. Leonard, Rhiannon Miett, Jo Grant, Chrystal Chaffin and Charles Wilson.

The Surprise Indpenenedent will feature each candidate leading up to the election.

Get to know Ms. Pritchard here:

Q: List your 3-5 major priorities for the district and how you plan to address each of them?
A: 1. Increase academic achievement. I believe it’s important to recognize that each student has a unique learning style, and therefore we need to ensure we have access to resources/programs that ensure all students can learn; no exceptions. I’m very data driven and believe that our data should drive next steps to ensure the proper interventions/strategies are being utilized to enable a student to reach their academic goals. This is achieved through continual evaluation, assessment, and effective intervention.
2. Fiscal Responsibility. See same answer below regarding budget and fiscal responsibility.
3. Recruit/Retain highly qualified teachers/staff. Dysart always strives to hire the best of the best, and I would continue to uphold that high standard. Retaining teachers in our state has always been a challenge. I have always advocated for increasing teacher/staff salaries, and will continue to do so. However, staff retention is driven by more than just salary. It’s also about ensuring that our employees are immersed in a positive work culture and supportive environment that perpetuates a feeling of value, belonging and pride in their profession. These same actions will automatically benefit recruitment efforts, as teachers/staff will identify with Dysart as being an extraordinary place to work.
4. Improve quality of services for ESS/Special Education. I have a strong passion for advocating for students, particularly our special education population. This became more ingrained after spending three years in classrooms as a behavior specialist, where I observed firsthand the experiences of not only our special education teachers/staff, but also the experiences of the students and their families. There needs to be firm accountability as it pertains to IEP compliance, as well as ensuring that staff have the resources to meet the needs of our special education population. I have continued to advocate for special education during my tenure on the board, and would continue to do so if re-elected.

5. School Safety. During a time when school threats/violence seem to be the disturbing reality facing school campuses today, we can never do enough to ensure the safety of our students and staff. I have had, and will continue to have, ongoing discussions with our superintendent and administration to ensure that we are constantly looking at ways to improve our safety protocols through regular drills, frequent evaluation of process, and consulting with local law enforcement and other experts in the field to uncover additional ways in which we can improve the safety of students throughout their school day.

Q: What is your occupational background?
A: I am a licensed clinical social worker. I earned my master’s degree in social work from Arizona State University in 1999. I have vast experience in the social services field and have held various positions throughout my career including crisis counselor, child welfare/CPS Specialist, hospice social worker and behavior specialist. I am currently a psychotherapist in private practices, as well as a part-time pediatric social worker at a local hospital. As a social worker, advocacy is my heart, and my passion. Therefore, having the privilege of advocating for public education and the students of our district since 2006 has been an extreme honor that I have thoroughly enjoyed.

Q: How do you plan to address the budgetary issues the district faces?
A: It’s important for the district to operate within the confines of their annual budget. Ensuring transparency through asking pertinent questions and engaging in open dialogue during public meetings to build trust between the district and our community and to ensure financial accountability is paramount. Additionally, I am always mindful of the importance of weighing every financial decision on whether a proposed expense is truly essential to meeting the educational needs of our students to ensure they graduate from our district future ready.

Q: What are your thoughts on the innovation and the district as education takes on an even bigger technological role?
A: This pandemic has turned education upside down. I am dedicated to ensuring that students continue to receive a quality education despite the “new normal” of remote learning. I am thankful that students/families are being provided with a “choice” that accommodates not only a student’s individual learning style, but also accommodates each family’s comfort level as it pertains to reentering their school site while COVID numbers continue to climb. I believe there is room for improvement as it pertains to the technology we have available, as our computers are aging and internet connectivity is a challenge for some families. However, the district has made vast improvements based on the “crisis teaching” experience last Spring and has used that information to drive positive changes as we prepare for remote learning in the Fall. The pandemic has not made this fall semester “ideal,” but we must continue to respect the fine balance between ensuring a quality education, and creating learning environments that are safe and healthy for our students and staff.