Former school board member: Vote ‘yes’ on override

I have teeter-tottered back and forth to get my “yes” vote for the override election that Maricopa Unified School District is having on Nov. 8.

In the past elections I have voted yes without hesitation knowing the severity of the cuts which came from state and federal budget cuts. I remember a few years ago in the spring time when the state of Arizona unexpectedly requested the return of all grant moneys not used. Most of these moneys specifically targeted for classrooms were taken without notice. This bold state decision stirred the founding of the Maricopa Education Foundation where local citizens worked with educators to begin raising money to fill the gap now larger than ever for classrooms teachers.

It was great to see community come together for teachers and their students who suffered most of the loss in those moneys being returned. Yet, they cannot fill all the gaps as those cuts were just the beginning of the cuts that this district has taken for the last three years and it is time for us to reunite again. It is sad but true that we have become accustomed to more of a third-party approach to funding in our public school in the sense that we are often complacent and do not know how all the funding works because it varies from state to state and is complicated.

So without really knowing, we put our faith in those running the school and trust that all is well.

This override requires us to give of ourselves a little closer to home when trust is vague. It requires our faith to give money that we have worked a little harder for because of the recession. It requires us to believe in something and or someone we really don’t know.

I do know much about this district. I know it isn’t perfect yet, but it has made huge gains in the last 11 years. I am a parent of six kids. I have followed the district’s finances closely since 2000 — except for the last two years when I decided that good people were now in place and that the poor business practices that were common in the past had been overcome and sound stewards were in place with procedure and checks and balances to keep it managed correctly.

In 2004, I was elected as a school board member and served there until my husband got cancer and needed round-the-clock care. Since his passing, I have served in the district as a substitute teacher, a PE teacher, the district volunteer coordinator (which position was cut a year or so ago) and a very active parent volunteer in a variety of ways. I know that under the close eye of Finance Director Karen Honeycutt, who was hired to be the nuts and bolts in finance tracking along with those that work beside her, have established a level of financial stewardship using sound procedures and practices to create financial stability. I know from the inside and out that money is being used frugally and carefully!

Yet, I have struggled with the casualness and sometimes unprofessionalism that sometimes is exemplified by a few under the stress of having more to do with less, seeing lack of unity between board and staff, and the focus some have on things not done instead of all the great accomplishments being done and challenges overcome. I have personally labeled these concerns to a few individuals who I think just don’t think through what they say and/or do. These individuals do not realize the damage created by their uninformed comments or casualness demonstrated when referring to our educational system.

Maricopa Unified School District has some of the GREATEST educators we could hope for in this district. That being said, I realized I was wrong in trying to cast my vote based on these personal feelings. In doing so I was tearing down not building. I have come to understand that individual differences and thought processes should not get in the way of our focus on what is important (the students and building our community). Even if we think others have forgotten or not, we are doing more damage to ourselves, our community, and ultimately our children if we do not separate personal opinion about human weaknesses and start focusing on what really matters, the children, strengthening each other, and our community.

I am voting “yes” because the bottom line is that it will be the children who suffer from our lack of support. We are building our community’s children as our future leaders and we need to be building each other in giving our support to those who we have elected and hired to run our schools. Maricopa’s Unified School District leadership is the greatest it has ever been. In the last few years, academic acceleration has come to the forefront. There are fewer grievances and more thank yous. The staff seems to focus more on solutions rather than problems.

I truly could list many things not highlighted enough. I know, because I am on the campuses and in the classrooms.

Again, I know that it is not yet a perfect district but it continues to get better even through difficult times. We can give a little and assist in stabilizing the “if-y-ness” of state funding. Voting “yes” is an opportunity for each to contribute to a huge difference in our community. Let’s send a loud message on Nov. 8 by voting “yes” to a renewal of community commitment to children and making this, our Maricopa, be the great community it is meant to be!

Thank you for commitment to being a part of an important solution.