With the new school year underway, let's consider what we can do to help support and strengthen our local public schools. I am running for a seat on the Scottsdale Unified School Board on Nov. 5, alongside Gretchen Jacobs and Drew Hassler, to serve our community positively.
We are parents, professionals and community leaders who have had students in our Scottsdale schools and believe that strong communities should have strong public schools. Families shouldn't have to look elsewhere for the excellent academic opportunities and well-rounded extracurricular experiences they desire for their children.
Our campaign, "Just Be Honest," will bring a new era of transparency, accountability and integrity to SUSD. Our mission is to ensure that every decision made is in the best interest of our students, families, and teachers.
We need to just be honest and confront the decline in academic achievement scores, remove activism and politics from our schools and make SUSD the gold standard for excellence. It's time to get honest with parents, teachers and taxpayers. We must respect parents' primary role in their child's life and education. We must allocate taxpayer dollars effectively, prioritize classroom funding and teacher pay, and give taxpayers an accurate and honest accounting of SUSD finances.
When it comes to school safety, prevention is always better than reaction. We must be honest about our need for more School Resource Officers (SROs), implement nonintrusive safety measures to protect students and staff, and enhance our vetting and background checks.
Although school board candidates will be at the bottom of your ballot, their positions will directly affect our students and community. Your vote for Jacobs, Beasley and Hassler (remember JBH) is a vote for honesty, transparency, and a commitment to a better future for our schools. Learn more at susdstrong.com.
Jeanne Beasley is running for the SUSD Governing Board. The Scottsdale/Paradise Valley Independent offers candidates the opportunity to submit one letter during the election. Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at AzOpinions@iniusa.org. Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.
