Paradise Valley School Board Candidate Rick Ross: “Students First Always”

“Students First, Always.”

That is the motto of Paradise Valley music educator Rick Ross as he runs for a seat on the Paradise Valley School Board. 

A veteran instructor and school administrator, if elected to the Paradise Valley School District Governing Board, Mr. Ross will emphasize five priorities for all students in the district, including:

• Promoting a culture of lifelong learning.
• Focusing on student success in the classroom.
• Maximizing all resources. 
• Strengthening community collaboration. 
• Prioritizing the positive treatment of teachers and staff.

Mr. Ross graciously interviewed with Blog for Arizona to discuss his candidacy for the Paradise Valley School Board. 

The questions and his responses are below. 

Please tell the readers at least two reasons why you would like to run for the Paradise Valley School Board. 

“I’m a career educator who dedicated decades of service to the Paradise Valley Unified School District, and I have a wide range of experience in numerous capacities. I’m a veteran PV educator with quarter century of classroom experience and nearly a decade of administrative experience. During my career, I greatly enjoyed serving the students of PVUSD as well as serving the PV community in a wide variety of roles and on committees. I’m currently the Professional Development Facilitator and a STEAM Enrichment Instructor for Inspirator Education. I hold three college degrees, have taught choral music for 25 years, and have greatly enjoyed building community while serving students.”

“I’m also a longtime community member who wishes to continue to serve the students, parents, teachers, and staff in PVUSD and strive for every child’s success. I’m a dedicated advocate for education and have been deeply involved in the District as a constant supporter of improving teaching and learning as well as our District-wide overrides and bonds.  I have contributed numerous hours in the past to support the district, its students and families.”

What are two reasons you would be a better fit for the Paradise Valley Governing Board than any of your opponents? Please explain. 

“Through my range and depth of experience, I truly know and understand the district, community, and state of education in Arizona. The education field was a calling for me, and I grew up with a parent who modeled service in many different ways through her strong involvement in PTA and church. I’ve always sought to provide the best possible teachable moments for students, so it was only natural that I became an advocate by learning the systems, processes, committees, and operations of the district and state. By having a greater knowledge of all the workings of education, I can advocate for every child to receive a high-quality education.While teaching in the District,  I served on a wide variety of committees including numerous curricular committees, superintendent and multiple administrative hiring committees, bond and override committees, facilities renovation & management, the strategic planning committee, calendar committee, interest-based negotiations committee and others. While doing such work in the district, I’ve established numerous networks of former students, teachers, parents, staff, and community members. I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with many from across the District. One of the superintendents, Dr. Jim Jurs, always framed our mission like this. He said, ‘The classroom is the front line for the district. Whatever happens there is the chief focus. All other roles exist to support the classroom.’ His words really spoke to me and have stayed with me. This is how I will be making decisions as a board member: students first,  always.”

What are two education-related issues you would promote as a governing board member? 

While there are a wide range of issues to discuss in education nowadays, I will choose to highlight two issues which have come up in recent conversations with constituents in Paradise Valley. As we learn more about AI’s use in the classroom and education, we will need to focus on how we balance these innovations with more traditional educational methods. As technology continues to evolve, we will need to determine how to best serve students given the limited resource of time. Many of my former students now have children in our schools, and as parents or grandparents, they have indicated their concerns over the amount of screen time and the loss of interaction with reading and printed materials. They’ve also mentioned that they would like to see a return of cursive/penmanship to provide the focus, motor skills and brain connection. So, of course, we will still be learning as developments occur, just like the rest of the world.”

“My second focus is on the ‘PV Way’. Each district throughout the Valley has its own way of doing things. If you’ve ever been up to Paradise Valley, we have, as part of our culture, a focus on collaboration and communication that provides access, input, involvement, and transparency to all stakeholders. We call it the ‘PV Way’. Throughout my time there, we followed a committee structure of input and feedback involving all stakeholders through their established constituent organizations. I would like to continue our focus and growth on this aspect of our culture. Paradise Valley Unified School District has always been a strong communicator, supporter, and leader in the model of collaboration with all of the stakeholder groups. This type of involvement has been a cultivated part of our PV culture, and we need to continually build and maintain it. As we experience staff changes and hiring from outside of the District, it is important to welcome everyone by focusing on this part of our culture.  I believe the community benefits most when there is a healthy and productive dialogue.”

You’re aware that many school boards and their members have come under attack from various fringe groups because they don’t like what books are in the libraries. They don’t agree with some aspects of history and science curricula. What would be your take on that? 

“I believe that Paradise Valley has created a standardized reading list and a list of materials that are in each and every classroom. Parents may review the classroom list and ask the teacher any questions.  I support the board’s effort in providing information through a process of transparency. Paradise Valley is a large and diverse district. For example, consider our five high schools, one can say that each one has a distinct personality based on the communities that it serves. And that is what makes the District such a special place. Board members have to consider the multiple backgrounds, views and opinions with each policy decision. For this decision, informing everybody in a transparent manner continues to provide opportunities for access and that nothing is restricted. Parents may parent with the knowledge of what is going on in the classroom”

Please describe at least two ways you and your team will reach out to voters and convince them to support you, especially those voters who have a tendency just to fill the upper part of the ballot.

“Well, being in the district and community a long time is a special blessing, beyond any campaign. Being a music educator and a choir director with large programs for a 25 years, I taught a lot of kids. And today’s world with social media has allowed my alumni and choir parents to stay in touch. So, when I made the decision to run in late April, I was humbled by the positive responses and offers to help from the alumni and community members in many groups. I believe in and enjoy connecting with people. So, we’re going to continue to do a lot of connecting. I kind of jumped into this race late. I am very grateff that we got 800 signatures in eight weeks with over 60 individuals circulating petitions. And, we will keep going!!”

“We’re off to a great campaign start, but I’m also looking forward to interacting with more community members throughout gatherings, canvassing, social media, house parties, et cetera. I’ve spoken at some events already and feel fortunate for those invitations. Of course, campaign signs will be going up. We’re going to be calling and doing a hard push, especially as mail-in ballots drop. We’re letting everybody get started with school here and then getting the word out and messaging through our constituent groups. Since we are a down ballot race, we will be constantly reminding folks to vote all the way down the ballot.” 

Is there anything else that is not covered in the first four questions that you would like the readers to know about your candidacy for the Paradise Valley School Board? 

“I’m running on a slate with Kea Carota. She’s a parent and a community member who has been active with the Paradise Valley United Parent Council, as well as having been a teacher in PV and back east. Our differing and overlapping experiences in the district complement each other, and we believe they make us a good match for the two open seats. She’s a parent and teacher. I am a teacher and administrator. Together, we are P-T-A! So, if elected, our agenda is to put ‘Students first, always’. I am a non-agenda, community-based candidate who looks forward to serving the students in Paradise Valley. Please visit rickross4pvstudents.com. You can follow my campaign on Facebook and Instagram, and please remember to vote all the way down the ballot.”

Please click here to find out more information about Rick Ross and his candidacy for the Paradise Valley School District Governing Board.