Log in

Guest Commentary

Keck: Response to Carney

Posted

In a recent opinion piece Amy Carney, candidate for the Scottsdale Unified School Board, wrote “We don’t need anyone representing us who suddenly decided they care about our public schools even though they’ve never had a child in them and have never been involved before this election season.” This is a not-so-veiled reference to me.

Let me set the record straight. I didn’t “Suddenly decide to care about public schools” and I most certainly have been involved in public education long before this election season.

The truth is, I have been involved in public education in the Phoenix area for over 25 years. I’ve been more involved in public education — in more substantive ways over more years — than any candidate in this race has been.

Twenty-five years ago, before Ms. Carney even had a child, I was volunteering at the Pappas Schools. I spent eight years there, working with 2,500 homeless children a year. I didn’t just throw birthday parties and chaperon field trips, I did significant things like put together community partnerships to provide academic enrichment programs such as Fantasy Baseball Math and Where’s Waldo Geography. I still mentor a young man I was assigned when he was living in a transient motel in the second grade at Pappas; we just celebrated his 30th birthday. That’s 22 years.

I followed another one of my Pappas students to BoysHopeGirlsHope of Arizona, and spent seven years on their board of directors, working with another hundred or more at-risk children. BHGH takes under-resourced youth and provides them with top-tier educational opportunities. I was responsible for oversight of all programming operations including expansion of the after-school program, stronger parent outreach, enhanced recruiting from local schools, and tightening and standardization of school admissions criteria.

I was a member of the Arizona Business and Education Coalition. A statewide collaboration between business and education leaders with the goal of creating a superior public education system in Arizona.

I started my own educational business. I wrote the curriculum myself, and for 11 years (until COVID), I taught the classes and recruited and trained the personal coaches we provided to over 1,000 seventh–12th grade students to help them “find their passion,” “build their strengths,” and develop and execute a personalized plan to “realize their dreams.”

Does that sound like I’ve never cared about public education, and I just decided to get involved a few months ago?

Our three children and three grandchildren spent 65 of their 72 years of K-12 education in public schools; some of which were some of the finest in the country, so I know what good public schools can be. I just looked up those public high-schools’ proficiency rates: Math 74%-90%, ELA 77%-87% (SUSD pre-Covid: 46%). One might say SUSD could benefit from someone with an outside perspective!

As I said in a recent article, there’s nothing so unique about SUSD schools that one can only understand public education, and the successes and challenges of the Scottsdale Unified School District, if one has had a child in an SUSD school.

That’s like saying the CEO of Delta Airlines couldn’t be the CEO of United Airlines because there’s something so special about United that a skilled executive in the same industry can’t understand it. Anyone with corporate experience knows how ridiculous that claim is.

I’ve spent 25 years working in public schools my child wasn’t attending. A friend of mine recently said “That might even be a more noble endeavor — helping youth in your community in ways that weren’t simultaneously benefiting your own child.” I wasn’t taking my child to hear a symphony performance, bringing in enrichment programs my child would participate in; lobbying to have lunch with my son in the cafeteria, fundraising for athletic needs my child would benefit from. Rather, I helped other people’s children (and some of our most vulnerable ones) have the best opportunities to succeed.

I easily could have spent the last 25 years playing golf or tennis. But I didn’t. I chose to spend my time helping thousands of children get the best education possible. That’s my passion; my purpose; what has motivated me every single day.

And that’s exactly why I’m running for the SUSD Governing Board. Not to help my own children/grandchildren. Rather to help every young person in the Scottsdale Unified School District maximize their potential, and graduate with the academic and life skills needed to be successful in their next chapter. I have plenty of other things I could be doing with my time. But I’m choosing to help our Scottsdale youth.

Just as I have for nearly half of my life.

Editor’s Note: Andrea Keck is a candidate for the Scottsdale Unified School District Governing Board in the Nov. 8 election. The Independent welcomes all points of view. Email your opinions, pro or con, to AzOpinions@iniusa.org.