OPINION

2 Kyrene Board candidates write about the issues

All three candidates vying for two seats on the Kyrene School District Governing Board were invited to write two columns on a topic of their choice during the campaign. One candidate elected not to submit one. This is the first of the columns by the other two hopefuls.

They also will be available, along with the candidates’ responses to our questionnaire, at ahwatukee.com.

The election is Nov. 8 and the last day to register to vote is Oct. 11. The last day to request an early ballot is Oct. 28. For information on registering or requesting an early ballot: recorder.maricopa.gov/Elections/BeBallotReady.

Nelson: Kyrene fosters school choice, meets needs

BY TRINÉ NELSON

Guest Writer

For the past several years, there has been a lot of talk about school choice. This term has become a lightning rod and a main point of contention among public school advocates and individuals who enroll their children in private schools.

As a public-school advocate, and as someone running for Kyrene School Board, I am frequently asked if I support school choice.

The short answer is yes; but, like many things, it’s a little more nuanced than that.

Growing up in Utah, everyone attended the public school zoned for their address. It was rare that boundary exceptions were requested and even rarer that they were granted.

When my husband and I relocated to Arizona, we quickly learned that Arizona had many options for education; our zoned public school, a different school within the same district, schools outside the district, charter schools, and private schools.

We were overwhelmed by the options available and would spend many hours researching schools in order to make the best choice.

When our oldest began pre-school, we chose to send him to the neighborhood school. For kindergarten, we chose to enroll him in the Kyrene District despite living outside of the boundaries. We fell in love with our school community and watched him thrive. This would not have been possible without the educational climate that Arizona fosters.

Five years later, our youngest child was ready to enter school – and it was a much different story.

We were happy with the small Kyrene school in our new neighborhood but we also toured charter and private schools and were surprised when most of them outright discouraged us from applying because of our child’s additional needs. It was then that I did a deeper dive into the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and connected with Raising Special Kids to learn more about navigating the education system when you have a child with an identified disability.

What I learned was that our experience

seeNELSON page 49

Walsh: I promise to address Kyrene’s challenges

BY KEVIN WALSH

Guest Writer

Keep Kyrene Strong” is a motto often repeated in our community. Kyrene is not strong simply because we say it is. Our strength comes from the involvement of our community, the commitment of our teachers and staff, and the leadership of our Board.

I’m running for re-election to the Kyrene Governing Board because it’s so important to keep strong public schools in our Kyrene community. My children are thriving in Kyrene, and I want to help ensure that every child in Kyrene receives a quality education.

Kyrene has delivered excellent education outcomes for generations of students. Truly, Kyrene has earned the right to call itself strong.

But, that right is not guaranteed without effective leadership. As an existing Board member who has served as President for the last two years, I have the experience and proven leadership to ensure that Kyrene continues to deliver excellence.

Kyrene faces daunting challenges. The disruption caused by the pandemic still lingers. We know academic growth stalled for many students last year, and we need targeted resources in the classroom that provide individualized academic support.

Arizona is also seeing a mass exodus of teachers leaving the profession due to inadequate pay and antagonism from our legislature. Kyrene is feeling the impact. Arizona has tried to address the teacher exodus by lowering teaching standards, but that solution isn’t best for students.

It’s essential that we retain the best and brightest teachers in the classroom. Competitive salaries are key.

While serving as President, I was thrilled to join my fellow Board members in increasing staff pay by $10.5 million in recent months. Kyrene spends its money wisely, and the Arizona Auditor General has consistently recognized Kyrene for being among the best at keeping dollars in the classroom.

The education marketplace in Arizona continues to be one of the most competitive in the nation, and school districts

wasn’t unusual. Many families discover that if their child is neurodivergent, the school choice options suddenly shrink. Public schools, however, are mandated to provide education for children in the community and to accommodate their various needs. With the number of students identified for 504 services and IEPs increasing, the need for proper funding becomes critical to fulfilling their mandate.

Ultimately, we chose the same small Kyrene school that his sibling was attending. As parents, we made a choice that our children would attend Kyrene schools and have found both of their differing needs met.

Kyrene School District fosters school choice while serving all children. Kyrene offers several specialty programs from dual language at Norte to The Spark program at Manitas, all while fulfilling their legal mandate to provide services for all students.

I support parents in choosing the best education model for their children but believe that, in the majority of cases, public dollars need to stay with public schools to support them in their legal mandate to support and educate the over 90% of Arizona children who attend public school.

For many of us with neurodivergent kids, it’s the only choice we have.

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throughout Arizona have learned the hard way that families dissatisfied with the education that their children receive in their neighborhood schools will go elsewhere. Kyrene must always prioritize students. If re-elected, I will work with Kyrene leadership to develop data-informed strategies that promote equitable practices for all students. Every student should have the opportunity to succeed.

The stakes are high, and the Kyrene Strong motto continues to be tested. Now more than ever, capable and experienced leadership is needed on the Board.

I have a record of getting work done to meet goals efficiently. As a proven leader, I am balanced and pragmatic. As a current Board member, I know that It’s essential to serve without ego and listen to all voices in the community.

I’m an involved parent and an active community member with strong ties to our schools, and you can count on me to keep serving Kyrene with integrity and respect.

If re-elected to the Board, I promise to always address the challenges facing Kyrene by collaboratively implementing the most effective solutions that best serve students.

Kyrene is entrusted with teaching our next generation, and it’s a duty that I take very seriously. I will be unwavering in supporting our Kyrene schools, and I’ll always put students first with every decision.

Parents can monitor their teens’ social media

BY MICHAEL KLINKNER

Guest Writer

Parents across the country struggle with whether or not they should monitor their child’s social media accounts.

Questions I often hear from parents are things like: “Is it fair to read through my child’s private accounts?” “Should I say something about what they post?” “How often do I need to check my child’s social media?”

As a counselor who specializes in teen mental health issues like anxiety and depression, I encourage parents to keep tabs on their child’s phone and social media accounts.

While I understand there are some privacy issues, for me the positives greatly outweigh the negatives. Our children are easily influenced. I worry about predators, online games trying to get them to upgrade and unintentionally spend money and also pornography websites doing everything they can to bait children into seeing things their brains aren’t ready to process.

Here are four practical things you can do to better monitor your child’s social media:

Friend your kids. One of the biggest things to do when your child creates a new social media account is to “friend” them. You won’t be able to see any private messages, but you will be able to see what they are posting and what their friends are sending to them.

When you friend your child, it gives you a brief look into the lives they live while they are away from you.

Link their accounts to yours. Linking accounts means you will have access to the same information as your child. It also provides an easy way to start having hard conversations, if needed.

There are a lot of free apps that can track things like key-strokes and the minutes your child spends on specific apps, too. They can even shut the phone down if needed. Do a little research and determine what works best for your family.

Keep lines of communication open. Monitoring your child’s social media is not just about what they posted online, but who is contacting them and what they are saying to – and about - your kid.

Your child, their friends and even strangers are going to post questionable things online. In these circumstances, don’t brush it under the rug. Have your child tell you what they thought about the post. Ask what they would do differently. Talk about the worst things they have seen online.

Monitor your child’s history. Take time to look at your child’s web browser and each of their social media accounts. It doesn’t have to be a nightly check, unless your child has done things on the internet that are dangerous, but make a habit of checking where they have been on the world wide web.

Monitoring your child’s social media use is a daunting task at first, but the peace of mind you will gain is worth the effort. Being an involved parent is not an easy task so give yourself grace and trust your gut.

Michael Klinkner is a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy and neurolinguistic programming and is part of Evolve Counseling and Behavioral Health Services in Central Phoenix and Gilbert. Information: evolvecounselingaz.com/ or info@evolvecounselingAZ.com.

Got News? Got News? Contact Paul Maryniak at 480-898-5647 or pmaryniak@timespublications.comContact Paul Maryniak at 480-898-5647 or pmaryniak@timespublications.com