From The Heart of a Parent
Yes, this is about politcs, and change.
As a parent, I am endorsing Jason Williams for school superintendent.
I have two wonderful children, both are currently attending elementary school here in Arizona. My son, who is doing very, very well is fortunate enough to be enrolled in what is called the PEP program for gifted children at his school. My daughter, who just began is fortunate enough to attend all day kindergarten, but at a monthly cost to us of $165.00.
We are very fortunate to be able to pay for all day kindergarten, along with day care, swim lessons, clothing and other nice things, but my wife and I recognize that many families are much less fortunate. There currently is only one all day kindergarten class at our elementary school and 5 half day classes.
We look at our school's test scores very closely, as well as keep a very close eye on our children's progress. Here is what we have noticed:
1) AIMS test scores in our elementary school are lagging the national average. They are also behind in almost all of the other bench marks. While my children are performing well, others are not, and this is especially disturbing as my children attend a school that is exceeding expectations.
2) My neighborhood is considered a pretty typical middle class neighborhood. Many parents are holding down two jobs to make ends meet and that restricts the time for parental involvement at our schools, but our neighbors and ourselves are constantly rallying up money through school fundraisers and such, but our school is still woefully underfunded. I cannot imagine the hardships that schools in poorer neeighborhoods are facing. These funds get used for the things that as a child, taxpayers purchased, not PTAs.
3) Property values and tax revenues. What?! What does a quality education have to do with this...everything! Our home has appreciated in value much faster because of our local schools. because of that, our property taxes generated are higher relative to areas where schools are not performing. What we pay our teachers, and how our schools are being run have a major fiscal impact on families over the long term. (and the State coffers)
As I go to vote tomorrow, I will be considering all of these things. While I am blessed with two very smart kids, and a good school, even though they rank behind national averages, we can do better.
When you go to vote an incumbent out of office, you have to ask yourself, is there a reason for change. Based on what I just told you, that answer is a resounding, YES. The future of Arizona cannot be held hostage to poor education.
Then you have to consider the other candidate's qualifications. I read some of Jason's qualifications online, and I am impressed. First, this man is a well educated teacher with experience in poorer school districts, so he has a very real first hand understanding of the impact on children who are less fortunate than most.
In addition, he has proven himself to be an effective administrative leader, leading Teach for America in Phoenix, doubling their funding. He has also shown himself to be very effective in cultivating new teachers and bringing more people into this very respected profession.
I have seen nothing in Jason's bio to think that he is not qualified to be our next Superintendent of Public Instruction.
As a parent, I urge you all to vote for Jason Williams!
As a parent, I am endorsing Jason Williams for school superintendent.
I have two wonderful children, both are currently attending elementary school here in Arizona. My son, who is doing very, very well is fortunate enough to be enrolled in what is called the PEP program for gifted children at his school. My daughter, who just began is fortunate enough to attend all day kindergarten, but at a monthly cost to us of $165.00.
We are very fortunate to be able to pay for all day kindergarten, along with day care, swim lessons, clothing and other nice things, but my wife and I recognize that many families are much less fortunate. There currently is only one all day kindergarten class at our elementary school and 5 half day classes.
We look at our school's test scores very closely, as well as keep a very close eye on our children's progress. Here is what we have noticed:
1) AIMS test scores in our elementary school are lagging the national average. They are also behind in almost all of the other bench marks. While my children are performing well, others are not, and this is especially disturbing as my children attend a school that is exceeding expectations.
2) My neighborhood is considered a pretty typical middle class neighborhood. Many parents are holding down two jobs to make ends meet and that restricts the time for parental involvement at our schools, but our neighbors and ourselves are constantly rallying up money through school fundraisers and such, but our school is still woefully underfunded. I cannot imagine the hardships that schools in poorer neeighborhoods are facing. These funds get used for the things that as a child, taxpayers purchased, not PTAs.
3) Property values and tax revenues. What?! What does a quality education have to do with this...everything! Our home has appreciated in value much faster because of our local schools. because of that, our property taxes generated are higher relative to areas where schools are not performing. What we pay our teachers, and how our schools are being run have a major fiscal impact on families over the long term. (and the State coffers)
As I go to vote tomorrow, I will be considering all of these things. While I am blessed with two very smart kids, and a good school, even though they rank behind national averages, we can do better.
When you go to vote an incumbent out of office, you have to ask yourself, is there a reason for change. Based on what I just told you, that answer is a resounding, YES. The future of Arizona cannot be held hostage to poor education.
Then you have to consider the other candidate's qualifications. I read some of Jason's qualifications online, and I am impressed. First, this man is a well educated teacher with experience in poorer school districts, so he has a very real first hand understanding of the impact on children who are less fortunate than most.
In addition, he has proven himself to be an effective administrative leader, leading Teach for America in Phoenix, doubling their funding. He has also shown himself to be very effective in cultivating new teachers and bringing more people into this very respected profession.
I have seen nothing in Jason's bio to think that he is not qualified to be our next Superintendent of Public Instruction.
As a parent, I urge you all to vote for Jason Williams!
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