Jeff Fortney feels Educators should be on the Cave Creek School Board

Jeff Fortney would like to bring an educator’s perspective to the Cave Creek School Board.

A Cave Creek resident for 20 years., Mr. Fortney, an experienced Special Education instructor, and two other school board candidates want to reconnect the school board to the community and foster a collaborative relationship where all education stakeholders have a voice in moving the district schools forward.

If elected, Mr. Fortney would champion:

• “A safe, positive, cooperative learning environment for students.”
• “Working with the community to develop relationships with the school district.”
• “Supporting educators” and improving their financial and work conditions.
• “Establishing fiscal responsibility.” 
• “Establishing lines of communication between the board and educators, families, and the community.”
• “Working with local and state lawmakers to promote legislation beneficial to supporting and funding public education.”

Mr. Fortney graciously took the time to discuss his qualifications and candidacy for the Cave Creek Board. The questions and responses are below.

• What are your qualifications to serve on the board?

• “ I am an experienced Special Ed teacher.”
• “I have been a Cave Creek resident for 20 years; my son went to the district and my grandson is a future Desert Willow Roadrunner. I’m very excited about that.”
• “I know the teachers in the district and school board members.
• ” I have been very active in the fight for public education and increasing funding.”
• Please tell us three reasons you are running for the school board?

 

• “Educators need to be on school boards and bring a perspective of someone who has recently been in the classroom.”
• “There is a disconnect between the community and the school district where bonds and overrides go to die.”
• “There is a disconnect between education stakeholders and the school board like clear communication and we need representation.”

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

 “They’re doing okay right now and the voice of the former teacher has been instrumental in a good way. Going forward, we want a board whose members put the focus on the classroom and the kids.”

• In your opinion, what are the three most important education issues schools and all stakeholders in the district face?

• “How are we going to reopen, be safe, and provide the quality education the kids need?”
• “Teachers need to be treated with respect and as the valuable resources they are and get the supplies they need and recommend, to succeed with the kids”.
• “We need to build a stronger relationship with the community.”

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

 “I think the guidelines with the different scenarios need to be studied and applied (like social distancing) according to local needs on the ground. I know that districts are creating task forces to look all aspects that address the health and safety of all involved.”

• 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 large extent. It makes a great difference for families to have that access rather than paper packets. The quality of your education should not be determined by your zip code.”

• 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 think school districts should not consider not administering standardized tests next year while we are recovering from COVID 19. Take that time used to teach how to take these tests, practice the tests, and explain all the intricacies of the test and reallocate to the start of the year for reteaching standards upfront to students and also those standards they did not learn yet. Using that time to address areas hurt by the school closures will help our students catch up.”

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

 

“School boards need to focus on the important issues, which are the students, the teachers, and the classroom community. There are too many people that are trying to get on the school board for the wrong reasons and the people need to elect people that will put the children, teachers, and schools first.”

“I love the Arizona desert that is so close and abundant in Cave Creek and the surrounding areas. I hike and mountain bike out here as much as I can. In fact, I have a new mountain bike that I’m planning to incorporate into my campaign – using it to get to those hard-to-reach parts of the district not easily accessible by car. Watch for me!”

For more information on Jeff Fortney and his candidacy for the Cave Creek School Board, please click on his interview with Maricopa County School Superintendent Candidate Jeanne Casteen here and his website here.

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