Candidate Questionnaire: Kathleen Richards

Candidate website

Believes in offering curricula that reflect the knowledge and needs of 2024 and beyond, and emphasizes teaching students to be responsible and safe technology users.

Advocates for teaching students to be responsible and safe technology users.

Believes in offering curricula that reflect the knowledge and needs of 2024 and beyond.

Advocates for a clear, and universally enforced policy regarding cell phones on campuses.

Believes students should learn to use AI responsibly and well.

- Advocates for teaching students to be responsible and safe technology users.
- Believes in offering curricula that reflect the knowledge and needs of 2024 and beyond.
- Advocates for a clear, and universally enforced policy regarding cell phones on campuses.
- Believes students should learn to use AI responsibly and well.
- Supports HUSD parental rights policies.

School Curriculum

Supports a budget continuation to provide funding for the district.

- Supports a budget continuation to provide funding for the district.

School Facilities & Resources

Facebook

Advocates for more parent accountability in the schooling of their children.

- Advocates for more parent accountability in the schooling of their children.

Student Wellbeing

Advocates for teacher retention initiatives.

Advocates for easing the burden for teachers who spend their own money on school supplies.

- Advocates for teacher retention initiatives.
- Advocates for easing the burden for teachers who spend their own money on school supplies.

Teachers

Supports data-driven student retention initiatives.

Believes Arizona has not figured out how to make voucher systems work for students and families.

- Supports data-driven student retention initiatives.
- Believes Arizona has not figured out how to make voucher systems work for students and families.

Access to Education

Kathleen Richards

Supports greater accountability from the school board in terms of its resources allocated and decisions made.

Believes that school district must be accountable to the taxpayers.

Supports routine evaluations of school performance using objective measures to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely.

- Supports greater accountability from the school board in terms of its resources allocated and decisions made.
- Believes that school district must be accountable to the taxpayers.
- Supports routine evaluations of school performance using objective measures to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely.

School System Budget

Believes school district should be transparent with parents about  discipline against faculty, staff, and students.

- Supports a school dress code.
- Believes school district should be transparent with parents about  discipline against faculty, staff, and students.

School Safety & Discipline

Opposes teachers discussing their own political beliefs in the classroom.

Believes curriculum should focus on math, science, civics, history, literature, and the arts.

Believes that while schools "play a vital role in fostering healthy societal habits," they should not seek to create social reform.

Advocates for school board to provide students greater support and have increased expectations for better performance on standardized testing.

- Opposes teachers discussing their own political beliefs in the classroom.
- Believes curriculum should focus on math, science, civics, history, literature, and the arts.
- Believes that while schools "play a vital role in fostering healthy societal habits," they should not seek to create social reform.
- Advocates for school board to provide students greater support and have increased expectations for better performance on standardized testing.

As of September 18, 2024, D Taylor Francis’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Supports creating a culture in the district that leads to communication, cooperation, and trust between parents and teachers.

Supports giving teachers the resources and support they need to provide highest level of instruction.

Believes that supporting administrators is the way to support teachers.

- Supports creating a culture in the district that leads to communication, cooperation, and trust between parents and teachers.
- Supports giving teachers the resources and support they need to provide highest level of instruction.
- Believes that supporting administrators is the way to support teachers.

Instagram

Twitter

LinkedIn

D Taylor Francis

Higley Unified School District Governing Board Candidates

Supports budget overrides and bonds if all current resources are being managed efficiently.

- Supports budget overrides and bonds if all current resources are being managed efficiently.

Supports retaining school resource officers on campuses.

Supports a balanced cell phone usage policy that allows for limited use during instructional time while ensuring that phones are used responsibly.

- Supports retaining school resource officers on campuses.
- Supports a balanced cell phone usage policy that allows for limited use during instructional time while ensuring that phones are used responsibly.

Supports a transparent review process for school reading materials, where materials are evaluated for their educational value, appropriateness, and compliance with Arizona statutes such as A.R.S. 13-3506 and A.R.S. 15-120.03, outline specific guidelines for what constitutes objectionable or explicit content in school settings.

- Supports a transparent review process for school reading materials, where materials are evaluated for their educational value, appropriateness, and compliance with Arizona statutes such as A.R.S. 13-3506 and A.R.S. 15-120.03, outline specific guidelines for what constitutes objectionable or explicit content in school settings.

Supports school vouchers, school choice, and the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program.

- Supports school vouchers, school choice, and the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program.

Supports allocating more district funds directly toward classroom supplies to reduce the financial burden on teachers.

- Supports allocating more district funds directly toward classroom supplies to reduce the financial burden on teachers.

Marc Garcia

Ballotpedia, Sara Jarman

Opposes "pornographic material" in classrooms.

Believes in safeguarding students’ innocence and vulnerability through age-appropriate curriculum.

Believes in safeguarding students’ innocence and vulnerability through an age-appropriate curriculum.

Believes in increasing parental involvement in education.

Believes in promoting rigorous curriculum development, enhancing teacher training, and refining student assessment methods to ensure every student is challenged and well-prepared with critical skills for college and careers.

Believes in promoting rigorous curriculum development and refining student assessment methods to prepare students for success. 

- Opposes "pornographic material" in classrooms.
- Believes in safeguarding students’ innocence and vulnerability through an age-appropriate curriculum.
- Believes in increasing parental involvement in education.
- Believes in promoting rigorous curriculum development and refining student assessment methods to prepare students for success. 

Supports reducing unnecessary spending and prioritizing funding for classroom resources, student programs, and support staff.

Plans to make school board operations more accessible through regular reports on spending, performance metrics, and decision-making processes.

- Supports reducing unnecessary spending and prioritizing funding for classroom resources, student programs, and support staff.
- Plans to make school board operations more accessible through regular reports on spending, performance metrics, and decision-making processes.

As of September 18, 2024, Sara Jarman’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Sara Jarman

As of June 25, 2024, Scott Glover did not have a website or any information online.

Ballotpedia, Scott Glover

GILBERT SUN NEWS, Mascot statue riles some Higley board members

Voted in support of the Higley High School mascot, motivated by the booster club's plans to cover associated costs, not "Higley Unified tax money..."

- Voted in support of the Higley High School mascot, motivated by the booster club's plans to cover associated costs, not "Higley Unified tax money..."

Scott Glover

As of September 18, 2024, Tiffany Shultz did not have a website.

Tiffany Shultz

- School board members set district policy, encourage parent involvement, establish budgets, and determine educational goals for your local school district.
- This position is voluntary. School board members are not paid a salary.