May 25, 2023 • 33 mins
This episode is about the craziness that revolved (or devolved) around our school board elections last November. I published it with our local paper, the Arizona Daily Star on the eve of our school board elections as a PSA about the extremism that was creeping into our community.
Through the advocacy of my mom friends, our three pro-public school candidates won by an overwhelming majority. Unfortunately, our school board meetings remain a fierce battleground for our culture wars. That’s why it’s so important to revisit this episode; my mom friends’ activism over the last several years can provide a blueprint on how to engage within your own community, and push back on false narratives and win back the agenda!
You can connect with my mom friends on their private Facebook page, The Real CFSD: Allies for All at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1000255510670456/
Cashing our Trillions is Hosted and Produced by Common Solutions Media and Yvonne So. You can connect with me on Instagram @yso_mom, LinkedIn @yvonnecot, or e-mail me at cashingourtrillions@gmail.com
Sound Engineering by Tiezheng Shen you can reach him at dacapopresents@gmail.com
Cover artwork graphic design by Jessie Li. You can reach her at jessieli.pers@gmail.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Hi, everyone. This episode is about the craziness that revolved
or devolved around our school board elections last November. I
published it with our local paper, the Arizona Daily Star,
on the eve of our school board elections as sort
of a psa about the extremism that was creeping into
(00:28):
our community. This story has a happy ending through the
advocacy of my amazing mom friends. Are three pro public
school candidates won by an overwhelming majority.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
So after the elections, I felt a huge sense of relief.
I felt like I could hang up my hat, my
work was done. It was so emotional because I felt
like a school board when was a small victory in
the larger national culture war issues that we're facing.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
That's the voice of my friend Randy, who you'll hear
from later on in the episode. What did hit us
as a surprise were the results of the state superintendent
election at the superintendent level, where the culture wars were
fiercely at play as well hate one. In March, our
newly elected superintendent, Tom Horn launched an empower hotline so
(01:25):
parents can report lessons they believe fall under the definition
of CRT. Parents can also file complaints about materials that
promote gender ideology, social emotional learning, and inappropriate sexual conduct.
I mean, just imagine the treasure chest of meme quotes
(01:47):
in that voicemail box. This is our political climate right now,
and unfortunately, our school board meetings remain a fierce battleground
for our culture wars. What slightly different post election is
that the grievances have expanded and slightly shifted.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Then I felt like I got pulled back into it.
When I asked how the board was going, she let
me know that the culture wars persist. Trans kids, pronouns, bathrooms,
and locker rooms. It's just the latest boogeyman. It's just
like the latest CRT.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
This is playing out at all levels again. In our
state legislative session, we had three bills aimed at banning
drag shows, a bill to ban books, and a bill
that bans a use of preferred pronouns. Our local middle
school made national news for an email from two years
ago that some seized upon as evidence of administrators trying
(02:44):
to hide information from parents.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
I really hate the narrative that our public schools are
the enemy, that the public schools are somehow harming our students,
And I feel like if normal, sane parents don't say something,
then they win. They will take over the school board.
(03:07):
And by they I mean people with these very partisan
viewpoints that are completely opposite of mine. And I think
our schools will suffer, Our kids will suffer. Books will
be banned, teachers will quit in droves, parents will start
pulling their kids from the public schools.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
I just see this as one.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Small part of a larger movement to discredit public schools.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
And that's why I think it's so important to revisit
this episode one because my mom friends are amazing and
their activism over the last several years can provide a
blueprint on how to engage within your own community and
push back on false narratives and win back the agenda.
And for all you moms up for some good trouble,
(03:54):
here's Tom Horn's Empower hotline number six h two seven
seven to one thirty five hundred. Let's fill his line
with the truth or if you prefer what you had
for breakfast this morning. What really stuck with me after
(04:19):
my call with Mallory was her fierce drive to call
out and fight the hate in extremism that is infiltrating
American politics and her call to action to moms to
mobilize and to pick one issue, to show.
Speaker 4 (04:33):
Up consistently, one issue, and we sign up for that
one group and we show up regularly. We're going to
make a huge impact. And that's going to mean so
much more than trying to do everything that's it and
just trust that other women and moms are out there
picking their issue and we're all going to go forward.
And it's so much Fresh.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Off my call with Mallory, my mom friends started lighting
up our group chat about our upcoming school board elections.
Speaker 5 (04:58):
Here's who's running for our school board. It's terrifying.
Speaker 6 (05:01):
We need better.
Speaker 7 (05:03):
Even if those candidates are making false promises that are
against the law, they're going to appeal to the base
and may win.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
It's about doing what's right for our kids. We need
to assemble our squad. Shall we meet next weekend?
Speaker 7 (05:17):
I can host it also of a Facebook group where
sipisty school board matters exce my invite.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
And voila over two hundred members later, a Twitter account taboot.
They've got a squad and a mission. Welcome back to
cashing our trillions. I'm your host, Yvon So I'm a
full time stay at home mom with three boys, creating
conversations that center the story of moms and provide us
a space where we cash out rather than pay in. Today,
(05:48):
I'm bringing you to my backyard here in Tucson, Arizona.
It's a desert city studded with sorrow cacti and three
hundred and fifty days of sunshine a year. We are
Arizona's second largest city. There's definitely a small town feel
to life here. This is my community. My boys attend
our local public school, and while we did take a
(06:10):
break to homeschool last year, the welcome reception we got
when we attended the meet the teacher's open house just
filled my heart. Kim Tucker starts by talking about how
all these ladies met.
Speaker 5 (06:23):
Like we've all known each other because our kids have
been together in school for years and years. At this point,
they've gotten birthday parties and stuff since they were in preschool.
I texted just a couple people when all of this
started going down, and then those couple people texted their friends,
and all of a sudden, we had a group on
text messaging kind of figure out how to get things
going to help with this school board election.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
Yeah, I think I actually got a text from you
about can you believe who's running for school board? It's terrify,
It's shocking.
Speaker 7 (06:53):
And Helena was the one who really was pushing, like,
let's get involved, we have to do something. But after
reading about the candidate and knowing what they stand for,
there there was just no way.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Where's suburban Arizona moms having a very typical mom zoom, Yes,
someone come in.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
The bathroom behind you, Helena.
Speaker 5 (07:10):
What is it?
Speaker 2 (07:11):
I look bathroom?
Speaker 6 (07:14):
Did someone come in?
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (07:16):
Okay.
Speaker 7 (07:17):
At the of the pandemic, when knowing you.
Speaker 6 (07:19):
Had Oh my god, is link there?
Speaker 2 (07:26):
She's scrunching her eyes like she can't hear she's confused
or something.
Speaker 7 (07:29):
I texted her can you hear us? And she didn't respond.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Did you text the right number? She has like five
burner phones. I was setting up a plate. She's like, oh,
that was the wrong number. Maybe the third number.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
All kidding aside, These moms are seasoned. They effectively advocated
the school board for school masking during the height of
the Delta wave, when most elementary age children were still
ineligible for vaccination, and after our governor passed anti mass
mandates before the twenty one twenty two school year. Here
are Kim and Helena Yip speaking at an August twenty
(08:04):
twenty one school board.
Speaker 8 (08:05):
I'm a mom of two elementary kids in our district
who aren't old enough to be vaccinated. I'm a surgeon.
My husband is also a surgeon. Unlike many of your
speakers that you for tonight, we have frontline knowledge of
what COVID nineteen is done to our community. My husband
and I have been able to keep ourselves and our
family safe because we wear masks. And this isn't political,
this is actually science.
Speaker 6 (08:25):
As I Hi, my name is Helena Yip.
Speaker 9 (08:28):
I'm the mother of three children here in cfst All
at the age of twelve, and I've seen long COVID
and young patients liabilitated by shortness of breath or cognities
of the cline. I know firsthand the danger that COVID
poses to our community. There is on a legislature a
governor dou See band mass Man. They said a time
when cases were lower and before the more virulent delta
(08:49):
variant became dominant. New cases are higher.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
Than they That's also where they encountered some unsubstantiated fringe opinions.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
Speak against CRT.
Speaker 10 (09:00):
What are the terms you use systemic racism, diversity, white.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
Privilege, oppression, equity, it's all the same thing.
Speaker 11 (09:07):
It's a manipulation diversity and inclusion. We're very much a
part of the vernacular that we're used in the special
ed department. But now those special necessary helping phrases are
becoming mainstrained and in the general.
Speaker 10 (09:24):
Follow the money, who follow the money because the social
justice warrior approach, the LGBTQ agenda is based on curriculums
that are backed by the oligarchy of the fast texts
and the CCP China money.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
This language like this, that started at school board meetings
most of the times, not even from concerned district participants, has
only gotten louder in the last year, and now it's
the official rallying cry of a slate of candidates for
our school board elections here in the Catalina Foothills School
District in Tucson, Arizona.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
There's a slate of candidates who wants to fundamentally alter
the way Foothills School District has defined its mission and
values and wants to change those values.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
That's the voice a two term and come and school
board member and part of the Thrive for CSFT campaign
team Amy Krause. She's a practicing attorney and a district
mom who started volunteering in both her son's elementary school
classrooms nearly twenty years ago. Kim and the Ladies explain
the situation further.
Speaker 5 (10:33):
Purple for parents are supporting these candidates and they have
make schools grade again. Is that was that the hat
slogan that we read, Yes, we don't need to make
our school grade again. We are the number one district
in Arizona. There's absolutely nothing that needs to be changed,
and in fact, it's comfortable that we can just send
our kids to school and be confident that they're going
(10:53):
to have an excellent educational experience there. This is their
playbook right now, is to try to take things over
from the bottom up. And it's really disturbing to me.
Speaker 9 (11:02):
Even though they haven't taken over the school boards, I
think it is scaring the teachers.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
All.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
If I was retired, I would not be running for
school board in a state where my kids didn't even
go to school. I'd be going to play golf or
scrap booking with my friends. It's not like they have
a vast experience as a civil servant, you know, devoting
their lives to the higher calling of public education.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Amy Krause is running with two other candidates on the
Thrive for CSFD ticket, Amy Bola and Gina Maymer. Amy Bola,
a district mom who just graduated her youngest child from
csft's high school. Nuctua was considering retirement this year. Explains
what's at state.
Speaker 12 (11:45):
I feel like the stakes are incredibly high in this election.
We did not necessarily plan to run for this election.
After eight years of service. I decided that it would
be a good segue into retirement and allowing other interested
parts parties to run. That all changed when the candidates
who are opposing us displayed what their intentions were for
(12:08):
the governing board.
Speaker 13 (12:09):
This is the.
Speaker 1 (12:09):
First time in twelve years we have a contested school
board election in our district. District school board elections were
called off from twenty twelve to twenty twenty because the
number of candidates that filed to run were equal to
the number of open seats, and Arizona State law allows
us to save the money from conducting election that is
merely a formality. This year, however, we have six candidates
(12:32):
looking to fill three open seats on the five members
school board. Here's Amy Bola again.
Speaker 12 (12:38):
I don't feel there is a harm in having opposition
to a school board candidacy. I feel like it allows
us self reflection and the ability to look at areas
where we can grow and improve. However, I refuse to
give my seat up to someone who is looking to
abandon diversity, equity and inclusion to the people who do
(13:01):
not believe in public education. They are backed by a
group who has openly stated that they do not support
public school teachers. And I've been encouraged by the number
of parents, especially moms and teachers who have stepped up
to support us because they are also concerned about how
this election could change the excellence that is in Catalina
(13:23):
Foothills School District.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
The opposition group is called Back to Basics and as
the Moms and the school board candidate. Amy Bola has stated,
these guys are endorsed by the group Purple for Parents.
If this group sounds familiar to you, and part of
the reason everyone is so incensed about these candidates is
because they're spinoff of Patriot Movement ASY, a group the
Southern Poverty Law Center has designated as a hate group.
(13:47):
This really reminded me of my conversation with Mallory where
she really encourages moms to stay vigilant about our political surroundings.
Speaker 4 (13:55):
So it is because there is this really dark streak
in our politics that is about hate, lies, you targeting
people who are different.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
And I fund the US Department of Justice warrens that
hate crimes more than any other crime, can trigger community conflict,
civil disturbances, and even riots. And as Mallori stated in
our previous conversation, their goal is to divide us and
their views are fundamentally anti democratic and need to be
(14:23):
exposed encountered with the power of truth. These kim elaborate people.
Speaker 5 (14:28):
Were strategically chosen in order to oppose people who actually
have excellent experience. They've been doing this for eight years
at this point, and they're being asked to step down
because they don't feel like they're doing a good enough
job with a political agenda, not the actual job of
the school board, which is to help guide our school
(14:49):
curriculum and keep our schools running.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
To give you contexts, this is not too out of
line with our larger state trend. After the twenty twenty election,
many national pundits were fast to tell Arizona as one
of America's newest blue states. On the ground, though the
picture is definitely more mixed. Don't California. My Arizona has
its own Facebook fan page. And July, right before the
(15:12):
primary elections, our Republican governor Doug Doucy signed a massive
expansion to our state's private school voucher system. So this
essentially allowed parents in Arizona to take public money now
sent to the K twelve public school system and use
it to pay for their children's private school tuition or
any other education costs. And in our August twenty twenty
(15:33):
two Republican primary elections, every Trump endorsed Republican candidate won
their respective race. You're listening to caching our trillions. So
these back to basic guys have a laundry list of grievances,
and the dog whistle language is probably all too familiar.
Speaker 5 (15:52):
Now.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
I pulled these directly from the website, so I'm quoting here.
Bring parents into the classroom to supervise teachers and curriculum content.
Have armed guards in each of our district schools, review
and update policies for sex education for all grades.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
Contrary to some of the hysterical messages that are being
put out there for human growth and development. Foothill School District,
of course, follows state law which requires that all parents
opt into the curriculum, which means they are advised beforehand
what topics the curriculum is going to address, what materials
(16:28):
are going to be used to discuss those topics.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
And then human growth and development. That's what Back to
Basics is referring to as a sex education that needs
to be reviewed and updated. So my son Jasper just
started fifth grade, so I've yet to experience all this.
But Marla Harris has a seventh grade daughter, and she
explains our opt in district policy.
Speaker 7 (16:48):
Now sex education and lack of transparency, and it is
very transparent.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
So fifth grade, you talk about body and.
Speaker 7 (16:57):
Fyodorant very important. No one wants to smell. You'll lose
a lot of friends if you don't smell good, or
if you smell bad for some reason, any reason at all.
That I didn't like what they were teaching. I didn't
have to let my daughter do it. I could say no,
she doesn't have to participate in this.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
Back to Basics also has grievances about mental health resources
listed on the district web page, specifically those offered to
LGBTQ students, and no diversity equity inclusion in K twelve
public classroom instead, and I quote judge others by the
content of their character and not the color of their skin.
(17:33):
That's the one that really gets under my skin. You know,
as an Asian American female, I only dream I'm given
advantages in life because of the color of my skin.
I don't support DI because I feel like I deserve
certain advantages because of my race. It's a fact we're
all shaped by our race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, social
(17:59):
economic status, and disks and or ability. Now for each
of us, how much each of these factors weigh into
the final product that is me differs and DII simply
gives us a space to not only share our unique
perspectives based on this intersectionality of all these factors, but
also helps develop empathy and understanding for those who are
(18:20):
different from us. You know, we need more empathy and
kindness in this world. And if that is something that
can be cultivated and reinforced in the K twelve education system,
I'm all for the candidates from Thrive for CSFD are
equally as concerned about the opponent's determination to abandon DEI
and it was actually a reason Gina Mahmer, the third
(18:43):
candidate from Thrive for CSFD, chose to run in this election.
Here are Gina and Amy Bolop.
Speaker 6 (18:49):
I'm a strong at LGBTQ plus ally and something like
this truly frightens me. It's providing this safe place, these
eight fantastic schools that we have in our districts, where
every student and every educator I'm a app feels that
they can be their true, authentic self. That's what I
want for my kids. I have to believe that's what
every parent wants for their children.
Speaker 12 (19:10):
I agree with everything Gina said. We are talking about
equity between boys and girls in science and math instruction,
where typically females have lagged. We are talking about equity
for our special needs students. We can't control outcomes. Every
student has their own level of achievement. But if you're
looking at an apple tree and our goal is for
(19:30):
every student to reach an apple, then you provide the
size ladder that you need for that student to get
to that apple. And that's what equity is about. So
by abandon in that are we saying that we aren't
going to give students the tools they need to reach achievement.
And I think essentially that is what it's saying, and
that is incredibly frightening to me.
Speaker 6 (19:50):
So one of the things that really sets us apart
from our opponents is that all three of us are
district moms. The three of us have been involved since
day one. Amy Krass, you have the oldest children, right,
twenty five year old.
Speaker 13 (20:03):
Is it right?
Speaker 3 (20:04):
Twenty two?
Speaker 1 (20:05):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (20:05):
I have the youngest at fifteen. Amy Bolas are in
the middle. The three of us have been involved since
our oldest child stepped into kindergarten right in every capacity imaginable.
We've volunteered on campus, in the classrooms, grat nights at
high school. We've been involved in so many ways. And
that's what our school deserves is to have a school
(20:26):
board populated by members who are committed to public education,
who are invested in our school district, who have that legacy,
that track record of stepping up and showing up for
our children, and like I said, for the five thousand
other kids. The kids are calling me on the home phone.
Oh hey, I'm in the master closet. Can you take
(20:49):
your roomself.
Speaker 7 (20:50):
You know you're a mom when.
Speaker 6 (20:54):
Hey, this is a mommy group.
Speaker 10 (20:56):
What do you want?
Speaker 7 (20:57):
No, this is part of the part of them.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
That's Helena having a very relatable mom moment. You know,
even when we're hiding in our closets eating chocolate, scrolling Instagram,
or conducting school board election mobilization meetings, our kids have
a magical way to find us and find a reason
to need us. It's also these same children, you know,
(21:25):
our mama bear instinctual drive to protect these kids and
the local public schools they attend that fire us up
about this down ballot election and why CSFD school Board
Matters is mobilizing a grassroot movement to support the incumbent
team of fellow district moms Amy Bola, Amy Krause, and
Gina Mahmer, who you just heard from before. The moms
(21:46):
of CSFD school Board Matters are massing members on Facebook.
They're educating voters about the candidates. They're writing op eds
and letters to the editors. They're videotaping testimonials, hosting coffee talks,
and planning door to door canvassing in the neighborhood where
the majority of the voters are actually retired residents without
children in the school system. Here's Marline Kim again.
Speaker 7 (22:09):
So, yeah, one interesting thing about our district is we're
very heavy with retired within the retired community, and a
lot of retirees also think that it's not really their
place since they don't have children within the district to vote.
If they know what's going on, I think they absolutely
will vote.
Speaker 5 (22:25):
So we're just hoped to be in the community so
that people can see us and see that we're parents
and we care about this election very much.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
The ladies further discuss the reservations about the opposition group
Back to Basics.
Speaker 7 (22:39):
They don't even have kids in the district. They don't
know what they're talking about. They haven't done their research.
They make claims on their website, so for example, making
the curriculum transparent, letting parents know what's being taught in
the schools, that's already happening. You can look that up
right now if you wanted to. The only reason I
could think of that they'd write something like that is
because they didn't do their homework.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
You know, perhaps back to Basics didn't do their homework,
but their website, the language they use in their messaging
is very much straight from the alt right playbook, which
is honestly having a moment at all levels of our district.
What we thought were fringe opinions at school board meetings
last year are popping up more often, and now they're
(23:19):
showing up at our individual schools. Here's Randy talking about
an encounter she had with the gentleman she met at
the CSFD High School Family Faculty Organization meeting.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
And did I tell you guys about the parent who
approached me at an FFO meeting and he referred me
to his website tusdporn dot com. It was pictures of
kids and on top of their images, it's a stop
child sexual exploitation. Tusd's library is exploiting your children. Will
(23:52):
you allow it? These are pornography that the school library allows.
And it was a list of fuel Surprise winning novels
that is beloved pornography one hundred years of Solitude.
Speaker 13 (24:07):
No, of course not.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
They can't even get basic facts right and.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
If they all this talk ties back into the opposition
campaign of back to basics, as Randy elaborates, and what
sort of.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
Person runs on a campaign claiming that our schools are
doing in quote unquote indoctrination. I look at my kids'
homework when it comes home. I review their tests. I've
been in the classroom volunteering for about nine years now,
and I've never seen anything like that in doctrination. What
(24:39):
does that mean? What are they even talking about? That
is absolutely made up.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
You haven't heard from ling Yo much during the call
because she was having some technical difficulties.
Speaker 10 (24:49):
You know.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
But it's important to note that ling has a very
unique perspective as both a district parent and as an
Inclusion Education assistant at our children's elementary school. An inclusion
EA link as a special needs learners in their respective classrooms,
helping them with any of their learning or personal needs.
This also means she has a front row seat to
(25:12):
the day to day operations of our classrooms.
Speaker 13 (25:15):
I work at a district elementary school, and I can
tell you firsthand that our teachers are amazing and they
are not indoctrinating or grooming our children. I used to
be an inclusion in one of the fifth grade class,
and I attended the class every single day, two hours
(25:36):
a day. Even my English has improved, so I've learned
a lot of our English language art from that teacher,
and I miss him every single day because I've been
assigned to another grade the next year, so I've been
missing him every single day. I don't want this to change.
I want him to do He.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
Literally sits in the classroom every day. Not only does
she personally learn something while doing her inclusion EA work,
you can hear and just feel how much she admired
her fifth grade English Language Arts teacher last year. Now,
which brings up another core concern of all the moms
that all this unnecessary oversight over curriculum content, teaching, and
(26:19):
teachers in general proposed by the opposition group will scare
off teachers and drive them to ultimately quit their jobs.
Speaker 7 (26:28):
So another thing that's in stake is if these opponents win,
is that teachers are going to quit. And one of
the things that they want is for parents to sit
in the classroom and have so much oversight over the
curriculum it would drive the teachers literally crazy. The teachers
would not be able to teach the kids with so
much oversight and so much micromanagement from parents for every
(26:48):
single child.
Speaker 5 (26:49):
I just feel like this is a disruption that's not
necessary in our education system. I trust our teachers to
do their jobs and they are wonderful teachers.
Speaker 13 (26:58):
We know this.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
Prass lays out the Thrive for CSFD staunch support for
teachers and how she and Amy Bula have champion policies
that reflect the support through promoting teacher pay.
Speaker 3 (27:09):
They need to be treated like professionals. They need to
be given opportunities to grow professionally and to reflect our
value of them, which we do in their pay and
their benefits and taking their expertise to help develop and
revise curriculum. And that is why it is so important,
especially in an age of a huge exodus from the
(27:34):
teaching profession, that we focus on attracting and retaining our
high quality teachers. It's the most important thing we can
do to reach our mission and our vision for this district.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
By now, you can obviously hear and feel the passion
of the moms for CSFD school Board matters and the
candidates of Thrive. The moms supporting Thrives fundamentally believe the
candidates have their children and all strict children for that matter,
best interest in mind.
Speaker 10 (28:02):
Now.
Speaker 1 (28:03):
Part of that stems from the candidate's over twenty year
track record of working collaboratively with the community in and
out of the classroom, and the two amys commitment to
preserving public education and ensuring teacher retention during their last
eight years of service on the governing board. And that's
the part that I would like to stress here. The
two Amys have been in their position for eight years.
Speaker 12 (28:27):
I mean, I think a lot of people don't realize
that this board work is unpaid. It is a strictly
volunteer position.
Speaker 1 (28:35):
School board governing members are volunteer positions. Here's the two
amys putting the entire situation in perspective for us.
Speaker 12 (28:43):
About parent involvement. And if we were political, we would
have been political a long time ago for Amy and I.
And the other thing is if we were single issue,
we would not still be running because.
Speaker 3 (28:54):
You know, the issue would have come and gone.
Speaker 6 (28:56):
Yes, we've had it.
Speaker 12 (28:57):
We have a history of board members actually who have
run on a single issue and they don't even finish
out their term. Means you know, they're incredibly wonky. But
that's not what parents care about. That's why parents don't
often attend our school ward meetings because you know, you
kind of want to pull your teeth out after listening
to some of the policies we do over sunscreen or
whatever the latest state law is, but we do important
(29:18):
work in strategic planning and so setting the goals in
the future of the district.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
All the moms I spoke with today are volunteer moms.
They're another example of the trillion dollars of unpaid work
done by women and mostly moms, that sustain our economy
and better the communities we live in. Amy Krass is
one of the most relatable mom quotes of the episode.
Speaker 3 (29:41):
And I will say, I don't think I really knew
the time commitment that that would require when I first
stepped into the job. But you know, you just you
got to do the work. It's it's our responsibility.
Speaker 12 (29:54):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (29:55):
We've all been there. We sign up to volunteer for
a school event or committe and suddenly we are sucked
in and it becomes this delicate balancing act of trying
to juggle yet another volunteer commitment in our already full calendar.
As kimnotes, we all.
Speaker 5 (30:13):
Work too, and we're spending our time during the day
speaking to each other, coming up with strategies, and we're
spending time, you know, planning things and will eventually spend
time on the weekends doing things for these candidates because
this is how much we believe in this, and I
think this really matters. We don't want to have to
(30:35):
pull our kids out of schools.
Speaker 13 (30:37):
You know.
Speaker 1 (30:37):
But as every mom who volunteers in the community understands,
giving back is also very personally rewarding, especially when your children,
their friends, and our communities flourish as a result.
Speaker 12 (30:50):
Like giving back gives me more than I'm giving. It's
that engagement that I really love with the community, where
it's a little self serving and then I feel like
I'm getting a lot out of it for me perly,
you know, and not just it is giving back and
it does a lot of time, but I really just
love doing that kind of work.
Speaker 3 (31:05):
There are many things about board service that actually take
years to accomplish. So to see the evolution of the
district strategic plan, to see an orchestra program that took
takes six years to fully implement, to see the reduction
of class size starting in one year, and going together
to see the immersion programs, we get to see kind
(31:25):
of the fruits of our labor in many ways, and
it is incredibly exciting and fulfilling so really that's that's
you know, that's the hook.
Speaker 1 (31:34):
And the fruits of Amy's labor is the happiness and
educational achievements of our children, which the moms of CSFD
school Board Matter so staunchly want to protect.
Speaker 5 (31:44):
Even when we're feeling really down about the potential for
this takeover of our school board, that we have each
other to you know, work on this together and work
through this and come up with plans. And I think
that's a really important aspect, is that we're a team
on this. We may not even agree on everything, but
it's just really great to be able to have this
(32:05):
group of people who are really smart and motivated and
just really amazing to talk to about these things.
Speaker 2 (32:15):
I agree, don't mess with moms, especially when it comes
to our kids.
Speaker 1 (32:20):
That's right, Randy, don't mess with these moms. From Tucson, Arizona.
This episode was produced by Me and sound edited by Shen.
Cashing our Trillions is part of the Seneca Women Podcast
Network and iHeartRadio. If you have a story to share,
(32:42):
please email us at Cashingourtrillions at gmail dot com. Make
sure you subscribe to the show on the iHeartRadio app
or wherever you listen to podcasts and if you liked
what you heard, please take a moment to rate and
review it. It would really mean so much to me.
Thank you for listening. Halfe Nottedh
Hi, everyone. This episode is about the craziness that revolved
or devolved around our school board elections last November. I
published it with our local paper, the Arizona Daily Star,
on the eve of our school board elections as sort
of a psa about the extremism that was creeping into
(00:28):
our community. This story has a happy ending through the
advocacy of my amazing mom friends. Are three pro public
school candidates won by an overwhelming majority.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
So after the elections, I felt a huge sense of relief.
I felt like I could hang up my hat, my
work was done. It was so emotional because I felt
like a school board when was a small victory in
the larger national culture war issues that we're facing.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
That's the voice of my friend Randy, who you'll hear
from later on in the episode. What did hit us
as a surprise were the results of the state superintendent
election at the superintendent level, where the culture wars were
fiercely at play as well hate one. In March, our
newly elected superintendent, Tom Horn launched an empower hotline so
(01:25):
parents can report lessons they believe fall under the definition
of CRT. Parents can also file complaints about materials that
promote gender ideology, social emotional learning, and inappropriate sexual conduct.
I mean, just imagine the treasure chest of meme quotes
(01:47):
in that voicemail box. This is our political climate right now,
and unfortunately, our school board meetings remain a fierce battleground
for our culture wars. What slightly different post election is
that the grievances have expanded and slightly shifted.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Then I felt like I got pulled back into it.
When I asked how the board was going, she let
me know that the culture wars persist. Trans kids, pronouns, bathrooms,
and locker rooms. It's just the latest boogeyman. It's just
like the latest CRT.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
This is playing out at all levels again. In our
state legislative session, we had three bills aimed at banning
drag shows, a bill to ban books, and a bill
that bans a use of preferred pronouns. Our local middle
school made national news for an email from two years
ago that some seized upon as evidence of administrators trying
(02:44):
to hide information from parents.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
I really hate the narrative that our public schools are
the enemy, that the public schools are somehow harming our students,
And I feel like if normal, sane parents don't say something,
then they win. They will take over the school board.
(03:07):
And by they I mean people with these very partisan
viewpoints that are completely opposite of mine. And I think
our schools will suffer, Our kids will suffer. Books will
be banned, teachers will quit in droves, parents will start
pulling their kids from the public schools.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
I just see this as one.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Small part of a larger movement to discredit public schools.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
And that's why I think it's so important to revisit
this episode one because my mom friends are amazing and
their activism over the last several years can provide a
blueprint on how to engage within your own community and
push back on false narratives and win back the agenda.
And for all you moms up for some good trouble,
(03:54):
here's Tom Horn's Empower hotline number six h two seven
seven to one thirty five hundred. Let's fill his line
with the truth or if you prefer what you had
for breakfast this morning. What really stuck with me after
(04:19):
my call with Mallory was her fierce drive to call
out and fight the hate in extremism that is infiltrating
American politics and her call to action to moms to
mobilize and to pick one issue, to show.
Speaker 4 (04:33):
Up consistently, one issue, and we sign up for that
one group and we show up regularly. We're going to
make a huge impact. And that's going to mean so
much more than trying to do everything that's it and
just trust that other women and moms are out there
picking their issue and we're all going to go forward.
And it's so much Fresh.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Off my call with Mallory, my mom friends started lighting
up our group chat about our upcoming school board elections.
Speaker 5 (04:58):
Here's who's running for our school board. It's terrifying.
Speaker 6 (05:01):
We need better.
Speaker 7 (05:03):
Even if those candidates are making false promises that are
against the law, they're going to appeal to the base
and may win.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
It's about doing what's right for our kids. We need
to assemble our squad. Shall we meet next weekend?
Speaker 7 (05:17):
I can host it also of a Facebook group where
sipisty school board matters exce my invite.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
And voila over two hundred members later, a Twitter account taboot.
They've got a squad and a mission. Welcome back to
cashing our trillions. I'm your host, Yvon So I'm a
full time stay at home mom with three boys, creating
conversations that center the story of moms and provide us
a space where we cash out rather than pay in. Today,
(05:48):
I'm bringing you to my backyard here in Tucson, Arizona.
It's a desert city studded with sorrow cacti and three
hundred and fifty days of sunshine a year. We are
Arizona's second largest city. There's definitely a small town feel
to life here. This is my community. My boys attend
our local public school, and while we did take a
(06:10):
break to homeschool last year, the welcome reception we got
when we attended the meet the teacher's open house just
filled my heart. Kim Tucker starts by talking about how
all these ladies met.
Speaker 5 (06:23):
Like we've all known each other because our kids have
been together in school for years and years. At this point,
they've gotten birthday parties and stuff since they were in preschool.
I texted just a couple people when all of this
started going down, and then those couple people texted their friends,
and all of a sudden, we had a group on
text messaging kind of figure out how to get things
going to help with this school board election.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
Yeah, I think I actually got a text from you
about can you believe who's running for school board? It's terrify,
It's shocking.
Speaker 7 (06:53):
And Helena was the one who really was pushing, like,
let's get involved, we have to do something. But after
reading about the candidate and knowing what they stand for,
there there was just no way.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Where's suburban Arizona moms having a very typical mom zoom, Yes,
someone come in.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
The bathroom behind you, Helena.
Speaker 5 (07:10):
What is it?
Speaker 2 (07:11):
I look bathroom?
Speaker 6 (07:14):
Did someone come in?
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (07:16):
Okay.
Speaker 7 (07:17):
At the of the pandemic, when knowing you.
Speaker 6 (07:19):
Had Oh my god, is link there?
Speaker 2 (07:26):
She's scrunching her eyes like she can't hear she's confused
or something.
Speaker 7 (07:29):
I texted her can you hear us? And she didn't respond.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Did you text the right number? She has like five
burner phones. I was setting up a plate. She's like, oh,
that was the wrong number. Maybe the third number.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
All kidding aside, These moms are seasoned. They effectively advocated
the school board for school masking during the height of
the Delta wave, when most elementary age children were still
ineligible for vaccination, and after our governor passed anti mass
mandates before the twenty one twenty two school year. Here
are Kim and Helena Yip speaking at an August twenty
(08:04):
twenty one school board.
Speaker 8 (08:05):
I'm a mom of two elementary kids in our district
who aren't old enough to be vaccinated. I'm a surgeon.
My husband is also a surgeon. Unlike many of your
speakers that you for tonight, we have frontline knowledge of
what COVID nineteen is done to our community. My husband
and I have been able to keep ourselves and our
family safe because we wear masks. And this isn't political,
this is actually science.
Speaker 6 (08:25):
As I Hi, my name is Helena Yip.
Speaker 9 (08:28):
I'm the mother of three children here in cfst All
at the age of twelve, and I've seen long COVID
and young patients liabilitated by shortness of breath or cognities
of the cline. I know firsthand the danger that COVID
poses to our community. There is on a legislature a
governor dou See band mass Man. They said a time
when cases were lower and before the more virulent delta
(08:49):
variant became dominant. New cases are higher.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
Than they That's also where they encountered some unsubstantiated fringe opinions.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
Speak against CRT.
Speaker 10 (09:00):
What are the terms you use systemic racism, diversity, white.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
Privilege, oppression, equity, it's all the same thing.
Speaker 11 (09:07):
It's a manipulation diversity and inclusion. We're very much a
part of the vernacular that we're used in the special
ed department. But now those special necessary helping phrases are
becoming mainstrained and in the general.
Speaker 10 (09:24):
Follow the money, who follow the money because the social
justice warrior approach, the LGBTQ agenda is based on curriculums
that are backed by the oligarchy of the fast texts
and the CCP China money.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
This language like this, that started at school board meetings
most of the times, not even from concerned district participants, has
only gotten louder in the last year, and now it's
the official rallying cry of a slate of candidates for
our school board elections here in the Catalina Foothills School
District in Tucson, Arizona.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
There's a slate of candidates who wants to fundamentally alter
the way Foothills School District has defined its mission and
values and wants to change those values.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
That's the voice a two term and come and school
board member and part of the Thrive for CSFT campaign
team Amy Krause. She's a practicing attorney and a district
mom who started volunteering in both her son's elementary school
classrooms nearly twenty years ago. Kim and the Ladies explain
the situation further.
Speaker 5 (10:33):
Purple for parents are supporting these candidates and they have
make schools grade again. Is that was that the hat
slogan that we read, Yes, we don't need to make
our school grade again. We are the number one district
in Arizona. There's absolutely nothing that needs to be changed,
and in fact, it's comfortable that we can just send
our kids to school and be confident that they're going
(10:53):
to have an excellent educational experience there. This is their
playbook right now, is to try to take things over
from the bottom up. And it's really disturbing to me.
Speaker 9 (11:02):
Even though they haven't taken over the school boards, I
think it is scaring the teachers.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
All.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
If I was retired, I would not be running for
school board in a state where my kids didn't even
go to school. I'd be going to play golf or
scrap booking with my friends. It's not like they have
a vast experience as a civil servant, you know, devoting
their lives to the higher calling of public education.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Amy Krause is running with two other candidates on the
Thrive for CSFD ticket, Amy Bola and Gina Maymer. Amy Bola,
a district mom who just graduated her youngest child from
csft's high school. Nuctua was considering retirement this year. Explains
what's at state.
Speaker 12 (11:45):
I feel like the stakes are incredibly high in this election.
We did not necessarily plan to run for this election.
After eight years of service. I decided that it would
be a good segue into retirement and allowing other interested
parts parties to run. That all changed when the candidates
who are opposing us displayed what their intentions were for
(12:08):
the governing board.
Speaker 13 (12:09):
This is the.
Speaker 1 (12:09):
First time in twelve years we have a contested school
board election in our district. District school board elections were
called off from twenty twelve to twenty twenty because the
number of candidates that filed to run were equal to
the number of open seats, and Arizona State law allows
us to save the money from conducting election that is
merely a formality. This year, however, we have six candidates
(12:32):
looking to fill three open seats on the five members
school board. Here's Amy Bola again.
Speaker 12 (12:38):
I don't feel there is a harm in having opposition
to a school board candidacy. I feel like it allows
us self reflection and the ability to look at areas
where we can grow and improve. However, I refuse to
give my seat up to someone who is looking to
abandon diversity, equity and inclusion to the people who do
(13:01):
not believe in public education. They are backed by a
group who has openly stated that they do not support
public school teachers. And I've been encouraged by the number
of parents, especially moms and teachers who have stepped up
to support us because they are also concerned about how
this election could change the excellence that is in Catalina
(13:23):
Foothills School District.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
The opposition group is called Back to Basics and as
the Moms and the school board candidate. Amy Bola has stated,
these guys are endorsed by the group Purple for Parents.
If this group sounds familiar to you, and part of
the reason everyone is so incensed about these candidates is
because they're spinoff of Patriot Movement ASY, a group the
Southern Poverty Law Center has designated as a hate group.
(13:47):
This really reminded me of my conversation with Mallory where
she really encourages moms to stay vigilant about our political surroundings.
Speaker 4 (13:55):
So it is because there is this really dark streak
in our politics that is about hate, lies, you targeting
people who are different.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
And I fund the US Department of Justice warrens that
hate crimes more than any other crime, can trigger community conflict,
civil disturbances, and even riots. And as Mallori stated in
our previous conversation, their goal is to divide us and
their views are fundamentally anti democratic and need to be
(14:23):
exposed encountered with the power of truth. These kim elaborate people.
Speaker 5 (14:28):
Were strategically chosen in order to oppose people who actually
have excellent experience. They've been doing this for eight years
at this point, and they're being asked to step down
because they don't feel like they're doing a good enough
job with a political agenda, not the actual job of
the school board, which is to help guide our school
(14:49):
curriculum and keep our schools running.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
To give you contexts, this is not too out of
line with our larger state trend. After the twenty twenty election,
many national pundits were fast to tell Arizona as one
of America's newest blue states. On the ground, though the
picture is definitely more mixed. Don't California. My Arizona has
its own Facebook fan page. And July, right before the
(15:12):
primary elections, our Republican governor Doug Doucy signed a massive
expansion to our state's private school voucher system. So this
essentially allowed parents in Arizona to take public money now
sent to the K twelve public school system and use
it to pay for their children's private school tuition or
any other education costs. And in our August twenty twenty
(15:33):
two Republican primary elections, every Trump endorsed Republican candidate won
their respective race. You're listening to caching our trillions. So
these back to basic guys have a laundry list of grievances,
and the dog whistle language is probably all too familiar.
Speaker 5 (15:52):
Now.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
I pulled these directly from the website, so I'm quoting here.
Bring parents into the classroom to supervise teachers and curriculum content.
Have armed guards in each of our district schools, review
and update policies for sex education for all grades.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
Contrary to some of the hysterical messages that are being
put out there for human growth and development. Foothill School District,
of course, follows state law which requires that all parents
opt into the curriculum, which means they are advised beforehand
what topics the curriculum is going to address, what materials
(16:28):
are going to be used to discuss those topics.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
And then human growth and development. That's what Back to
Basics is referring to as a sex education that needs
to be reviewed and updated. So my son Jasper just
started fifth grade, so I've yet to experience all this.
But Marla Harris has a seventh grade daughter, and she
explains our opt in district policy.
Speaker 7 (16:48):
Now sex education and lack of transparency, and it is
very transparent.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
So fifth grade, you talk about body and.
Speaker 7 (16:57):
Fyodorant very important. No one wants to smell. You'll lose
a lot of friends if you don't smell good, or
if you smell bad for some reason, any reason at all.
That I didn't like what they were teaching. I didn't
have to let my daughter do it. I could say no,
she doesn't have to participate in this.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
Back to Basics also has grievances about mental health resources
listed on the district web page, specifically those offered to
LGBTQ students, and no diversity equity inclusion in K twelve
public classroom instead, and I quote judge others by the
content of their character and not the color of their skin.
(17:33):
That's the one that really gets under my skin. You know,
as an Asian American female, I only dream I'm given
advantages in life because of the color of my skin.
I don't support DI because I feel like I deserve
certain advantages because of my race. It's a fact we're
all shaped by our race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, social
(17:59):
economic status, and disks and or ability. Now for each
of us, how much each of these factors weigh into
the final product that is me differs and DII simply
gives us a space to not only share our unique
perspectives based on this intersectionality of all these factors, but
also helps develop empathy and understanding for those who are
(18:20):
different from us. You know, we need more empathy and
kindness in this world. And if that is something that
can be cultivated and reinforced in the K twelve education system,
I'm all for the candidates from Thrive for CSFD are
equally as concerned about the opponent's determination to abandon DEI
and it was actually a reason Gina Mahmer, the third
(18:43):
candidate from Thrive for CSFD, chose to run in this election.
Here are Gina and Amy Bolop.
Speaker 6 (18:49):
I'm a strong at LGBTQ plus ally and something like
this truly frightens me. It's providing this safe place, these
eight fantastic schools that we have in our districts, where
every student and every educator I'm a app feels that
they can be their true, authentic self. That's what I
want for my kids. I have to believe that's what
every parent wants for their children.
Speaker 12 (19:10):
I agree with everything Gina said. We are talking about
equity between boys and girls in science and math instruction,
where typically females have lagged. We are talking about equity
for our special needs students. We can't control outcomes. Every
student has their own level of achievement. But if you're
looking at an apple tree and our goal is for
(19:30):
every student to reach an apple, then you provide the
size ladder that you need for that student to get
to that apple. And that's what equity is about. So
by abandon in that are we saying that we aren't
going to give students the tools they need to reach achievement.
And I think essentially that is what it's saying, and
that is incredibly frightening to me.
Speaker 6 (19:50):
So one of the things that really sets us apart
from our opponents is that all three of us are
district moms. The three of us have been involved since
day one. Amy Krass, you have the oldest children, right,
twenty five year old.
Speaker 13 (20:03):
Is it right?
Speaker 3 (20:04):
Twenty two?
Speaker 1 (20:05):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (20:05):
I have the youngest at fifteen. Amy Bolas are in
the middle. The three of us have been involved since
our oldest child stepped into kindergarten right in every capacity imaginable.
We've volunteered on campus, in the classrooms, grat nights at
high school. We've been involved in so many ways. And
that's what our school deserves is to have a school
(20:26):
board populated by members who are committed to public education,
who are invested in our school district, who have that legacy,
that track record of stepping up and showing up for
our children, and like I said, for the five thousand
other kids. The kids are calling me on the home phone.
Oh hey, I'm in the master closet. Can you take
(20:49):
your roomself.
Speaker 7 (20:50):
You know you're a mom when.
Speaker 6 (20:54):
Hey, this is a mommy group.
Speaker 10 (20:56):
What do you want?
Speaker 7 (20:57):
No, this is part of the part of them.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
That's Helena having a very relatable mom moment. You know,
even when we're hiding in our closets eating chocolate, scrolling Instagram,
or conducting school board election mobilization meetings, our kids have
a magical way to find us and find a reason
to need us. It's also these same children, you know,
(21:25):
our mama bear instinctual drive to protect these kids and
the local public schools they attend that fire us up
about this down ballot election and why CSFD school Board
Matters is mobilizing a grassroot movement to support the incumbent
team of fellow district moms Amy Bola, Amy Krause, and
Gina Mahmer, who you just heard from before. The moms
(21:46):
of CSFD school Board Matters are massing members on Facebook.
They're educating voters about the candidates. They're writing op eds
and letters to the editors. They're videotaping testimonials, hosting coffee talks,
and planning door to door canvassing in the neighborhood where
the majority of the voters are actually retired residents without
children in the school system. Here's Marline Kim again.
Speaker 7 (22:09):
So, yeah, one interesting thing about our district is we're
very heavy with retired within the retired community, and a
lot of retirees also think that it's not really their
place since they don't have children within the district to vote.
If they know what's going on, I think they absolutely
will vote.
Speaker 5 (22:25):
So we're just hoped to be in the community so
that people can see us and see that we're parents
and we care about this election very much.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
The ladies further discuss the reservations about the opposition group
Back to Basics.
Speaker 7 (22:39):
They don't even have kids in the district. They don't
know what they're talking about. They haven't done their research.
They make claims on their website, so for example, making
the curriculum transparent, letting parents know what's being taught in
the schools, that's already happening. You can look that up
right now if you wanted to. The only reason I
could think of that they'd write something like that is
because they didn't do their homework.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
You know, perhaps back to Basics didn't do their homework,
but their website, the language they use in their messaging
is very much straight from the alt right playbook, which
is honestly having a moment at all levels of our district.
What we thought were fringe opinions at school board meetings
last year are popping up more often, and now they're
(23:19):
showing up at our individual schools. Here's Randy talking about
an encounter she had with the gentleman she met at
the CSFD High School Family Faculty Organization meeting.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
And did I tell you guys about the parent who
approached me at an FFO meeting and he referred me
to his website tusdporn dot com. It was pictures of
kids and on top of their images, it's a stop
child sexual exploitation. Tusd's library is exploiting your children. Will
(23:52):
you allow it? These are pornography that the school library allows.
And it was a list of fuel Surprise winning novels
that is beloved pornography one hundred years of Solitude.
Speaker 13 (24:07):
No, of course not.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
They can't even get basic facts right and.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
If they all this talk ties back into the opposition
campaign of back to basics, as Randy elaborates, and what
sort of.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
Person runs on a campaign claiming that our schools are
doing in quote unquote indoctrination. I look at my kids'
homework when it comes home. I review their tests. I've
been in the classroom volunteering for about nine years now,
and I've never seen anything like that in doctrination. What
(24:39):
does that mean? What are they even talking about? That
is absolutely made up.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
You haven't heard from ling Yo much during the call
because she was having some technical difficulties.
Speaker 10 (24:49):
You know.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
But it's important to note that ling has a very
unique perspective as both a district parent and as an
Inclusion Education assistant at our children's elementary school. An inclusion
EA link as a special needs learners in their respective classrooms,
helping them with any of their learning or personal needs.
This also means she has a front row seat to
(25:12):
the day to day operations of our classrooms.
Speaker 13 (25:15):
I work at a district elementary school, and I can
tell you firsthand that our teachers are amazing and they
are not indoctrinating or grooming our children. I used to
be an inclusion in one of the fifth grade class,
and I attended the class every single day, two hours
(25:36):
a day. Even my English has improved, so I've learned
a lot of our English language art from that teacher,
and I miss him every single day because I've been
assigned to another grade the next year, so I've been
missing him every single day. I don't want this to change.
I want him to do He.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
Literally sits in the classroom every day. Not only does
she personally learn something while doing her inclusion EA work,
you can hear and just feel how much she admired
her fifth grade English Language Arts teacher last year. Now,
which brings up another core concern of all the moms
that all this unnecessary oversight over curriculum content, teaching, and
(26:19):
teachers in general proposed by the opposition group will scare
off teachers and drive them to ultimately quit their jobs.
Speaker 7 (26:28):
So another thing that's in stake is if these opponents win,
is that teachers are going to quit. And one of
the things that they want is for parents to sit
in the classroom and have so much oversight over the
curriculum it would drive the teachers literally crazy. The teachers
would not be able to teach the kids with so
much oversight and so much micromanagement from parents for every
(26:48):
single child.
Speaker 5 (26:49):
I just feel like this is a disruption that's not
necessary in our education system. I trust our teachers to
do their jobs and they are wonderful teachers.
Speaker 13 (26:58):
We know this.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
Prass lays out the Thrive for CSFD staunch support for
teachers and how she and Amy Bula have champion policies
that reflect the support through promoting teacher pay.
Speaker 3 (27:09):
They need to be treated like professionals. They need to
be given opportunities to grow professionally and to reflect our
value of them, which we do in their pay and
their benefits and taking their expertise to help develop and
revise curriculum. And that is why it is so important,
especially in an age of a huge exodus from the
(27:34):
teaching profession, that we focus on attracting and retaining our
high quality teachers. It's the most important thing we can
do to reach our mission and our vision for this district.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
By now, you can obviously hear and feel the passion
of the moms for CSFD school Board matters and the
candidates of Thrive. The moms supporting Thrives fundamentally believe the
candidates have their children and all strict children for that matter,
best interest in mind.
Speaker 10 (28:02):
Now.
Speaker 1 (28:03):
Part of that stems from the candidate's over twenty year
track record of working collaboratively with the community in and
out of the classroom, and the two amys commitment to
preserving public education and ensuring teacher retention during their last
eight years of service on the governing board. And that's
the part that I would like to stress here. The
two Amys have been in their position for eight years.
Speaker 12 (28:27):
I mean, I think a lot of people don't realize
that this board work is unpaid. It is a strictly
volunteer position.
Speaker 1 (28:35):
School board governing members are volunteer positions. Here's the two
amys putting the entire situation in perspective for us.
Speaker 12 (28:43):
About parent involvement. And if we were political, we would
have been political a long time ago for Amy and I.
And the other thing is if we were single issue,
we would not still be running because.
Speaker 3 (28:54):
You know, the issue would have come and gone.
Speaker 6 (28:56):
Yes, we've had it.
Speaker 12 (28:57):
We have a history of board members actually who have
run on a single issue and they don't even finish
out their term. Means you know, they're incredibly wonky. But
that's not what parents care about. That's why parents don't
often attend our school ward meetings because you know, you
kind of want to pull your teeth out after listening
to some of the policies we do over sunscreen or
whatever the latest state law is, but we do important
(29:18):
work in strategic planning and so setting the goals in
the future of the district.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
All the moms I spoke with today are volunteer moms.
They're another example of the trillion dollars of unpaid work
done by women and mostly moms, that sustain our economy
and better the communities we live in. Amy Krass is
one of the most relatable mom quotes of the episode.
Speaker 3 (29:41):
And I will say, I don't think I really knew
the time commitment that that would require when I first
stepped into the job. But you know, you just you
got to do the work. It's it's our responsibility.
Speaker 12 (29:54):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (29:55):
We've all been there. We sign up to volunteer for
a school event or committe and suddenly we are sucked
in and it becomes this delicate balancing act of trying
to juggle yet another volunteer commitment in our already full calendar.
As kimnotes, we all.
Speaker 5 (30:13):
Work too, and we're spending our time during the day
speaking to each other, coming up with strategies, and we're
spending time, you know, planning things and will eventually spend
time on the weekends doing things for these candidates because
this is how much we believe in this, and I
think this really matters. We don't want to have to
(30:35):
pull our kids out of schools.
Speaker 13 (30:37):
You know.
Speaker 1 (30:37):
But as every mom who volunteers in the community understands,
giving back is also very personally rewarding, especially when your children,
their friends, and our communities flourish as a result.
Speaker 12 (30:50):
Like giving back gives me more than I'm giving. It's
that engagement that I really love with the community, where
it's a little self serving and then I feel like
I'm getting a lot out of it for me perly,
you know, and not just it is giving back and
it does a lot of time, but I really just
love doing that kind of work.
Speaker 3 (31:05):
There are many things about board service that actually take
years to accomplish. So to see the evolution of the
district strategic plan, to see an orchestra program that took
takes six years to fully implement, to see the reduction
of class size starting in one year, and going together
to see the immersion programs, we get to see kind
(31:25):
of the fruits of our labor in many ways, and
it is incredibly exciting and fulfilling so really that's that's
you know, that's the hook.
Speaker 1 (31:34):
And the fruits of Amy's labor is the happiness and
educational achievements of our children, which the moms of CSFD
school Board Matter so staunchly want to protect.
Speaker 5 (31:44):
Even when we're feeling really down about the potential for
this takeover of our school board, that we have each
other to you know, work on this together and work
through this and come up with plans. And I think
that's a really important aspect, is that we're a team
on this. We may not even agree on everything, but
it's just really great to be able to have this
(32:05):
group of people who are really smart and motivated and
just really amazing to talk to about these things.
Speaker 2 (32:15):
I agree, don't mess with moms, especially when it comes
to our kids.
Speaker 1 (32:20):
That's right, Randy, don't mess with these moms. From Tucson, Arizona.
This episode was produced by Me and sound edited by Shen.
Cashing our Trillions is part of the Seneca Women Podcast
Network and iHeartRadio. If you have a story to share,
(32:42):
please email us at Cashingourtrillions at gmail dot com. Make
sure you subscribe to the show on the iHeartRadio app
or wherever you listen to podcasts and if you liked
what you heard, please take a moment to rate and
review it. It would really mean so much to me.
Thank you for listening. Halfe Nottedh
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