Allison Ewers believes “An Educated Society makes Democracy Stronger”

In Allison Ewers vision for the Tempe Elementary District, no child should be denied:

• A quality education
• The supplies needed for success.
• Food to sustain themselves.
• An atmosphere conducive to learning and social and mental development.

Furthermore, teachers, education leaders, and staff should be:

• Properly compensated.
• Well respected.
• Provided the tools needed to succeed with the children in the classroom – both for in-person and on-line.

Ms. Ewers believes that her experience in marketing and building community bridges will be an asset to the Tempe Elementary School Board, as well as teachers and parents.

If elected to the school board, she would endeavor to foster a collaborative link between the board, teachers, parents, and stakeholders to include local businesses and community leaders to accomplish the goal of making our Democracy and future stronger with a high-quality district school system.

Ms. Ewers graciously took the time to discuss her qualifications and candidacy for the Tempe Elementary School Board.

The questions and her responses are below.

• What are your qualifications to serve on the board?

• “I was born to a family of educators, who instilled in me the importance of a quality education and equity for all.”
• “I am a member of the host committee of the Regeneron (formerly Intel) international science and engineering fair.” I have witnessed no matter where a student comes from when mentored and given the attention they deserve, the possibilities are endless.
• “My decade long involvement with the girl scouts has allowed me to mentor young women for future leadership and employment.

• Please tell us three reasons you are running for the school board?

• “Educators are the conveyers of the American Dream.”
• “To support students of the community.”
• “To provide support for all educators and staff that are in front of the children.”
• “Schools work when everyone wants the same thing. We need to all be on the same page and make sure every child gets a quality education. In order to have the skills and knowledge necessary to build a productive life. It is going to have to be a full effort by everyone to have success.” 

• How would you rate the current school board you are running to become part of and please explain why?

• “I would work to create greater transparency, as well as visibility with teachers, parents, and other stakeholders.
• “Create stronger communication among teachers, parents, and school board members.” It is important that we also listen.
• “As a parent, I will be bringing that voice to the board.”

• In your opinion, what are the three most important education issues schools and all stakeholders in the district face?
• “We will need to support staff and teachers to meet the requirements made by the CDC to keep our students, teachers, and staff healthy. This will require more help in the classroom. Which leads me to the concern I have always had with large class sizes.
• “Parents are asking for dual language options. I would like to see more support for such programs.
• “Mental health support will be imperative. Our students have experienced COVID 19, their parents’ job loss, and racial injustice. For many students school is their safe place. I would like to see this available for students, teachers, staff, and families.”
• “Tax cuts are not going to solve the problems in our district. Being smart about how we spend our tax dollars will help improve graduation rates, improve test scores, and lower drop out rates.”
• “We need to make sure every student has the opportunity to achieve to the next level. Kids from any economic level have the ability to do well and succeed.”
• “Make sure all the children have food security.”

 

• What are your views on the implementation of the district reopening in the fall?

“Making schools as safe and fair an environment for everyone, including the students and families. I want to make sure parents know their decisions will be respected. We need to provide resources that our teachers need. We also need to ensure that teachers have support and training for teaching comfortably and creatively on-line, just in case there is another stay-at-home order.”

• To what extent should your school district ensure all students have access to high broadband and a laptop/tablet for virtual learning should the fall opening be delayed?

 “To a high extent. Access to technology should not be a have or have not issue. We have to make sure all students have equal access to the same resources. This is where I believe I come in strong as someone who can reach out to garner support from businesses, and the community in a collaborative effort. All of our students need to have access to technology. it is in the interest of their future.”

• In your opinion, please advise at least one way your school district should make up for any of the lost learning time of this last academic quarter?

 “We are all in the same circumstance across the state and all students across the county and country are experiencing the same issue. All students must have the necessary resources they need so they can jump ahead, catch up, or just get even. We must recognize teachers for their work in making this happen.”

• Is there anything not covered in the first seven questions that you would like the reader to know?

 “My overreaching goal is to work with others to provide high-quality education to every student so they can achieve their full potential in life. I don’t want to resort to thinking of schools as businesses, teachers as factory workers, or students as products. Let us create schools that actually benefit every child. I’ll take responsibility for fixing our schools by spending dollars that most benefit our students and communicating and bringing stakeholders together in a collaborative fashion with agreed-upon strategies. I too am working and raising a child and am taking care of a family. I understand the current circumstances are difficult for all of us but being part of Tempe Elementary School Board is a priority for me and I want to be a part of the conversation about how the future of education is going to change.”

For more information on Allison Ewers and her candidacy for the Tempe Elementary School Board, please click on her website here and her Facebook Page here.

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