For decades, my family has been proud to call Scottsdale Unified School District our home.
My mother was a part of the first Hohokam eighth grade graduating class in the early 1960s. So, when the time came to enroll my own children in school, it was an easy decision to choose SUSD. My twin daughters attended Kiva Elementary, Mohave Middle School and Saguaro High School. They graduated in May of 2023, and now attend highly regarded universities.
I am grateful to the SUSD and its talented educators for providing my children with a strong academic and well-rounded educational experience that included: full day kindergarten, choir and orchestra in elementary school, and rigorous STEAM programs. Many of these experiences would not have been possible if it were not for the generosity of the Scottsdale taxpayers and their approval of the Maintenance and Operations (M&O) override.
In 2019, the last time the voters of our district passed the M&O override, I was president of the SUSD Governing Board. On election night, I was elated knowing that with this funding, we could continue to provide SUSD students and families with the award-winning programs and support Scottsdale Unified had known for over a century.
The passing of the override that year was especially meaningful to me as I remembered 2013, when the override ballot measure failed. The governing board at the time was forced to make drastic budget cuts. These cuts were deep and, as a result, many working parents, like myself, struggled to find child care every Wednesday because the midweek half-day became a permanent cost-saving measure. I also recall the heartbreaking loss my girls felt when choir, as well as the other specials, were cut from all the SUSD elementary schools.
It is time to support our schools again and vote “yes” to continue this critical funding. Every single student deserves to have small class sizes, exposure to the arts in elementary school, full-day kindergarten and the best technology available.
Even though my daughters have moved on, my heart will forever remain dedicated to the district that gave my family so much. I will be voting “yes” on the M&O override and I ask you to join me.
