Log in

Opinion

Norton: Ignore Republican recommendation for Scottsdale school board

Posted

Six candidates seek one of the three seats open on the SUSD Governing Board.

Four are superb people who want to build our district. They have differing views, differing skill sets, differing experience, but they share a love for our education community. They are builders. Not destroyers. They are from both parties.

The other two openly advocate to destroy SUSD. They are supported by the local GOP.

I am a registered Republican and have been for most of the 49 years I’ve been registered. This week I received the annual voter instructions card from GOP leaders telling me who to vote for in local elections.

I am ignoring the GOP instructions for SUSD Governing Board and ask other Republicans who care about education to do the same.

This is not because I am leaving the party. It is because our local GOP leaders are telling me to vote for the two candidates who openly advocate destroying our schools — not improve them — and they admit it openly.

Scottsdale has always put party politics aside when it comes to our schools and the quality of life in our city. Without bi-partisan support we would not have passed the city bonds or the SUSD override, or the PVUSD bonds by record margins in 2019. We would not have adopted the city’s sales tax for transportation in 2018. We would not have approved SUSD bonds in 2016.

There is a reason we ignore party lines to join arms to support our schools. Democrat, Republican, Independent or Libertarian, almost all of us will rely on SUSD to educate our kids at one time or another. Even those who choose charters for nine formative early years tend to come back to SUSD for high school.

Not only is there nothing wrong with that, that is part of the energy that drives this town. We have the best district in this state. We have the best charter in this state. And regardless of which we choose this year, we want the other system to be there for us if we need it.

Let me go back to why I’m bothered by the GOP’s pick of “2 and only 2” for SUSD board. The GOP’s selection of those two for their “2 and only 2” is even more confusing when you realize that they are not the only Republicans running for SUSD Governing Board this year.

At least one is a proud Republican who openly says so. I suspect another is, but I really don’t care so I don’t ask. Why would the local GOP choose the “Destructionists” over fellow GOP supporters of SUSD seeking the same office?

We’ll have to ask Pam Kirby what is going on at state GOP headquarters for that answer.

When it comes to DiGrazia and Angelos, the only good answer is “Zero and only Zero.”

We’ll have plenty of Republicans on the SUSD board without them. After two years of relative calm and progress, please don’t cast a vote that takes us back to the craziness of 2016-17.

Zero for DiGrazia. Zero for Angelos. Spend your vote on three of the four great people who deserve it.

Editor’s Note: Mike Norton is a longtime Scottsdale resident, and Scottsdale Unified School District parent.