Davis for Local Education 2014 Davis County General Election Candidate Survey Check our website for additional information and updates: www.DavisLocalEd.org Survey Questions Question 1 (Q1) Do you believe the Common Core State Standards (also known as the Utah Core) will prepare students to be college and career ready? Question 2 (Q2) Do you believe parents should be able to opt a student out of the Core aligned tests and the State Longitudinal Database System? Question 3 (Q3) Do you believe Utah should provide universal pre-K education for children? Question 4 (Q4) What are the three (3) most critical education issues in our county? Question 5 (Q5) Do you believe Davis County public schools are adequately funded? If not, please briefly specify changes that should be made to provide appropriate financial support. Question 6 (Q6) With regard to the Federal Department of Education, do you support: A) Keeping it as it is, B) Changing it to a small research and advisory organization, C) Completely eliminating it, D) Other (please specify) Question 7 (Q7) If you want to clarify any of your answers, please do so here. Question 8 (Q8) If you want to share a brief position on education issues, please do so here. Survey Answers Blank fields indicate the candidate did not respond to that question or the survey. Candidate answers are presented exactly as received, including grammatical and spelling errors. Office Candidate Party Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 – Issue 1 Q4 – Issue 2 Q4 – Issue 3 Q5-Answer Q5 – Changes Q6 Q7 Q8 US HOUSE 1 Donna McAleer Democrat US HOUSE 1 Rob Bishop Republican I do believe Davis County public schools are not adequately funded. However, as a candidate for U.S. Congress, my position is that the federal government should not be Interference in Edcuation The lack of adequate funding for public education is a global issue, Lack of Adequate Funding for Meeting the Needs of Special involved in the education of Utah's children, but rather Completely eliminating Education is one of the best investments that our state and local System by Federal including inadequate teacher salaries, inadequate funds for equipment US HOUSE 1 Dwayne Vance Independent American No Yes Yes Public Education Needs Children No education is an issue that should be directed by the State of it communities can make in the future. Government and supplies, etc. Utah without any interference from the federal government, meaning the funding issue is also a matter to be dealt with by the State of Utah rather than the federal government. Teachers being essentially Teachers unions that interfere Changing it to a small Craig Bowden forced to teach to a test instead with the process of getting rid of research and advisory US HOUSE 1 Libertarian No Yes No A lack of great teachers of helping prepare children for Yes bad teachers organization the world I have a degree in education and have taught successfully in public, private and home school settings. I believe in supporting and Public lands should be returned to state control to help fund administering public education on the local level but also allowing Parental Choice and Responsive School District - Completely eliminating Shaun McCausland education state wide. Severence taxes on minerals and oil parents to choose other options including private, home and charter US HOUSE 2 Constitution No Yes No Control Funding Not Federal Interference No it taken from the state should also be used. schools. The responsibility for quality education resides first in the student, second with the parents and third with local schools under local control. Other. Get Government The true unfunded liabilities are nearing 200 Trillion, that includes 20 to step aside eventually million government employees. I feel very sure Privatization is the only Common Sense not Teaching the Constitution and and move towards way to save this Country. If teachers and everyone else want to have a job Our children need to be taught values, if schools won't then this Privatizing education as we better get rid of the government and unions destroying free enterprise. country is history. A history lesson no current school will teach, in my US HOUSE 2 Wayne Hill Independent American No Yes Undecided Government Core. Teaching the 3 basic skills. Morals. Undecided I feel Private Schools should be given equal access. well as most For example the the Post office deficit is 5.5 Billion annually. Everything opinion. Government ran done by the private sector makes a profit or someone else takes over that entities. does. US HOUSE 2 Chris Stewart Republican US HOUSE 2 Luz Robles Democrat US HOUSE 2 Bill Barron Unaffiliated State Senate 18 Ann Millner Republican Changing it to a small 1-Inequality in educational Decision making is distant from Communities need to work together to create more Mat Wenzel research and advisory State Senate 18 Democrat No Yes Yes funding and opportunities those with experience Lack of technology No equitable funding organization State Senate 18 Dwight Steffner Libertarian State Senate 21 Jerry Stevenson Republican State Senate 21 Sherri Tatton Democrat State Senate 22 J Stuart Adams Republican State Senate 22 Kip Sayre Democrat The system is fundamentally flawed and spending more money or tinkering with educational objectives won't change much. What is Vested interests maintaining Completely eliminating State Senate 22 Brent Zimmerman Libertarian Yes Yes No Lack of true school choice Government mismanagement Yes needed is educational choice in the form of vouchers or tuition tax the status quo it credits. Giving parents the power to send their children to whichever school they consider best will inspire all schools to be better. As a general rule, I don't think any Utah schools are Other. Because it is a adequately funded. That would then, of course, include federal department, my I have a child in high school, one in junior high, one in upper Davis County public schools. I cannot specify exact changes opinion regarding the elementary, and one in lower elementary. Education in this state is Funding (this is more a that would be the silver bullets to fix everything immediately. US Department of Utah issue than a recruitment and retention of I don't think there is any one specific change that could Education matters very VERY important to me. I have nothing but respect for those who State House 11 Amy Steed Morgan Democrat Undecided Undecided Undecided parental involvement qualified teachers Undecided educate. I think we can do better for our schools, and the best way to countrywide issue.) accomplish appropriate financial support. But, I can specify little. This is where we do better is to come together and work out the best solutions, not to that legislators MUST listen to, and not dismiss or ignore, rely on our pick sides and stand absolutely immovable. the opinions and suggestions of teachers and administrators congressional and state as we work toward sufficiently funding our schools. representatives. State House 11 Brad Dee Republican State House 12 Mike Schultz Republican State House 12 Joseph Marrero Democrat Changing it to a small Dysfunctional leadership from There is a problem with funding although I'm not sure if it's research and advisory State House 13 Paul Ray Republican No Yes No Class room size Availability of materials school district Undecided inadequate funding or bad budgeting. organization I support standardized national testing annually as a means of My understanding is that except for providing a lot of additional funding measuring student achievement to determine trends and compare adequate financial good recruitment and training of getting politicians out of trying Provide more funding through additional revenue at state with some strings attached, Dept of Ed really is just a small research averages both within and between states. You don't know what you State House 13 Bob Buckles Democrat Undecided Yes Yes resources for public K-12 teachers to manage curriculum No and/or local level Keeping it as it is organization. Are you proposing to eliminate those funds without don't measure. Having said that, I am also very skeptical of using test replacement? I believe that would be the result of proposed alternatives. scores to judge teacher or school performance without considering the external demographic factors impacting student performance. State House 14 Cheryl Lynn Phipps Democrat State House 14 Curtis Oda Republican I believe the issue is more complicated than lower funding per capita for students. Utah has the highest student age Regarding common core, I implement software applications for a living. I understand that the success of a product or program is primarily tied to population of any state and Davis county has nearly 40% of My father retired from North Summit School District where he taught the support of those who use it. I believe that common core is grounded its population under the age of 20. I believe that property tax 5th grade and music. As a child of educators, I believe I understand Using technology on principles that will help students in Utah and other states to be is inequitable for funding school. Those who choose to have better than most how important education is. I believe that those who State House 15 Rich Miller Democrat Yes No No effectively as a learning Teacher turnover No Keeping it as it is evaluated on common ground. I think that any significant problems with tool large families should bear the financial burden of educating the program are caused by implementation issues and particularly by choose to have larger families should bear the burden of educating children. One way to recoup this cost is to eliminate the children.