Everett and Densmore will put students first in Dysart

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As Election Day Approaches

To allow candidates the right to respond to criticisms about their candidacy before Election Day, the last day Independent Newsmedia will publish new election-related letters in our weekly print editions is Oct. 21, and the last day they will publish online is Oct. 27. Candidates may submit a 150-word reply addressing criticisms only and should email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org along with their name, address, contact number and the headline of the letter they’re addressing.

OPINION — As voters consider who should serve on the Dysart Unified School District Governing Board, I believe two candidates stand out: Lisa Everett and Dawn Densmore.

Both women have demonstrated leadership in our community and understand that serving on a school board should be about one thing above all else: our students.

Everett and Densmore support school choice and recognize that parents should have options when deciding what educational environment is best for their children. But supporting school choice does not mean abandoning our public schools. Thousands of Dysart families depend on strong neighborhood schools, and those schools deserve board members committed to helping them succeed.

Our classrooms should remain focused on the fundamentals of education: reading, writing, mathematics, science, history and civics. Students need the academic foundation necessary to graduate prepared for college, a career, the military or whatever path they choose. Classrooms should be places of learning, not places where adults advance personal or political agendas.

Fiscal responsibility matters, as well. Dysart taxpayers provide significant resources to educate our children, and every dollar should be treated with respect. Everett and Densmore understand the importance of examining spending carefully, prioritizing classrooms, supporting quality teachers, maintaining safe facilities and ensuring that limited resources are directed where they provide the greatest benefit to students.

School board races do not always receive the attention of races higher on the ballot, but their impact on our families and communities is enormous. These board members make decisions affecting curriculum, budgets, teachers, facilities and thousands of children.

That is why I support Lisa Everett and Dawn Densmore for the Dysart Unified Governing Board.

They understand that parents matter, teachers matter, taxpayers matter — and most importantly, students come first.

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