Hilary Cannizzaro is an Educator.
She wants to bring that educators’ voice to the Prescott School Board.
An experienced elementary school teacher and education activist who now owns a preschool operation for two and three-year old’s, Ms. Cannizzaro wants to advocate for the needs of the children and teachers in the Prescott Unified School District.
Her two children attend Prescott schools.
If elected, she will work to:
- Improve the funding situation in Prescott which is below the state average.
- Make teaching an attractive and well-compensated profession where instructors will want to stay in the community.
- Help make schools safer due to the Coronavirus.
Ms. Cannizzaro graciously took the time to discuss her candidacy for the Prescott School Board.
The questions and her responses are below.
- What are your qualifications to serve on the board?
- “I am a former first grade, kindergarten, and ESL teacher for Deer Valley Unified.”
- “I have been a public education advocate for over five years, working with various organizations including Prescott Education Advocacy Council and Save Our Schools.”
- “I am a parent of two sons in the district. As a district parent, I feel I have a strong connection to and investment in our schools.”
- Please tell us the major reason you are running for the school board?
“I am doing this for the teachers. I want to be a board member that a teacher can come to with an issue or need, and we can work on it together. Obviously, being there for the students and the parents is important to me, but I believe that if I make the teachers my priority, they will be the ones to make sure the students are successful. I have one hundred percent faith in our district’s teachers.”
- How would you rate the current school board you are running to become part of and please explain why?
“We have a great board and a fantastic superintendent. This year we will be losing our two longest-sitting board members, so I know the dynamics will change. But the remaining members are invested and committed to education. I would love to be part of that team.”
- In your opinion, what are the three most important education issues schools and all stakeholders in the district face?
- “Money and lack of funding for schools. This is obviously a problem for every district in Arizona, and rural districts often feel the pinch more than others. We need to fight for better than the state funding average.”
- “Enrollment and the impact of COVID 19. I think we’re all nervous about losing students to homeschooling and online charters, depending on what happens with the virus numbers and reopening plan.”
- “Teacher retention. Retaining quality teachers when teacher pay is so low in Arizona has always been an issue, but now that teachers may be asked to put their own safety and that of their family members at risk to come into work every day, I believe it will be a much bigger one.”
- What are your views on the implementation of the district reopening in the fall?
“It is going to be so tricky. But something has to be done to get these students back to school in one form or another. When you’re a parent like myself who has a child with an autoimmune disease, it’s not as simple as just keeping your child home. I have a full time job, like many parents; it’s just not feasible. But this district has never been one to leave any child out. Like our motto states, Every Child, Every Day. I believe they will come up with a plan that is inclusive of all students.”
- 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?
“A district should do this to the fullest extent that it can, but that all comes back to the thing our districts are lacking – money. It seemed to me when schools closed in the Spring that our district acted quickly and got the students what they needed for online learning, so I don’t believe this will be a big issue for Prescott.”
- 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?
“I’m not certain that would be my place, even if I were on the board today. I think it would be for the individual schools and instructors to assess whether the academic or emotional need is there and how best to plan for it and to work with the children. I would trust their judgment, and do my best to get them whatever resources they felt they needed in order to do that.”
- Is there anything not covered in the first seven questions that you would like the reader to know?
“I don’t know if everyone knows that a school board member is unpaid. I sometimes feel like people run for school boards either because they have a political agenda or truly care about the kids. I do not have a political agenda. Prescott Unified School District is important to me. This is the district that my great grandparents attended. This is the district my grandmother attended. This is the district that my husband grew up in, and this is the district I want my kids to grow up in. I hope my community will give me the chance to serve here because I am more than ready.”
For more information on Ms. Cannizzaro and her candidacy, please click on her Facebook Page here.
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