The Rotary Club of Tucson invited TUSD District board members running for re-election and new candidates to participate in a forum at the May 18th meeting. The forum will focus on the future of the Tucson Unified School District. Each candidate was asked to give a brief statement and bio. See their information below in alphabetical order:
Kristel Ann Foster
Governing Board Member, Tucson Unified School District
Kristel is a public education advocate currently serving on the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board. As a first time candidate in a pool of twelve, she came in first place in the 2012 election. She has a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Northern Arizona University in Elementary/Multicultural Education and Educational Leadership and another master’s degree in Latin American Studies from the University of Arizona. She has over twenty years of teaching experience and is currently an instructional coach in neighboring Sunnyside School District. Kristel is an engaged community member focused on bettering public education for all children in Arizona. She aspires to higher elected office and to serve on statewide boards and committees to further her cause for Arizona students and teachers.
I am a teacher and public education advocate completing my first term on the Tucson Unified Governing Board. I am proud of my work with our superintendent Dr. HT Sanchez and my fellow Board members, Adelita Grijalva and Cam Juarez. Together, we focus on the goals outlined in our community-created Five Year Strategic Plan. Even with extreme budget cuts from the state, we have shifted resources and priorities to increase classroom spending by 4% and re-opened two closed schools as early childhood centers. We’ve given three employee raises so far and I am working every day to do even more for teacher salaries. I continue to advocate for teacher centered, site based professional development to bring more autonomy to the educators who know how to improve student achievement.
I am honored to be endorsed by the following community leaders: Mayor Rothschild and all five City Council Members, Supervisor Richard Elias, Senator Steve Farley and Senator Dave Bradley, Representatives Randy Friese, Matt Kopec, Bruce Wheeler, Stefanie Mach and Andrea Dalessandro, Congressman Raul Grijalva and Ron Barber. We are on track to achieving every goal in our strategic plan. This collaboration, continuity, stability and articulated vision is the key to transforming TUSD.
Betts Putnam-Hidalgo
Candidate, TUSD Governing Board
Betts Putnam-Hidalgo is a TUSD parent and active volunteer in the schools. She was a Community Representative at Holladay Fine Arts Elementary for two years. She has attended Board meetings for approximately 6 years and often speaks during Call to the Audience. She has a B.S. in Resource Mgmt and an M.A. in Latin American Studies with a focus in political science, both from the University of Arizona.
I'm Betts Putnam-Hidalgo and I'm running for TUSD Governing Board. My son, Danilo, is a student in TUSD. I volunteered in every school he attended from primary school to high school. When the district began closing schools about 6 years ago, I began attending Board meetings. I still go, often speaking during the Call to the Audience.
I advocate for more engaging curricula, smaller class sizes and less standardized testing. After discovering the shell game of district financing while investigating desegregation funds, I pushed for accountability and transparency in the budget process. The approval of contracts without review and the disparity of raises also concerns me. The Board's primary role is to make sure the Superintendent implements Board policy. We have yet to see a full Board majority do that.
Too often Board meetings hinge on politics and personalities instead of sound decision-making on issues important to students and teachers. A more open policy process with greater public input will increase enrollment as parents and other concerned citizens realize they have a voice. When I am on the Board, you will be too. And when we are on the Board, we can change the actions of the District.
Lori Riegel, MJEd
Candidate, TUSD Governing Board
Lori Riegel had been involved in education for 25 years. She is a PhD candidate in Educational Leadership at Lesley University, and holds a Masters in Jewish Education with a Certificate in Special Education from Hebrew College. Lori is the proud parent of a University High School graduate, and she herself graduated from UHS almost 25 years to the day from her daughter’s graduation. She is the Youth in Philanthropy Chair for the Association of Fundraising Professionals and chairs the Tucson Unified School District Technology Oversight Committee. Lori is also an Educational Champion with FosterEd, working to close achievement gaps for students living in foster care. She is serving on the board of the Educational Enrichment Foundation and is working on a special project to expand Family University, a program that helps students and families navigate the college admissions process. Lori is the Development Director at Arizona’s Children Association.
As a candidate for TUSD Governing Board, Lori Riegel is focused on engaging the community in addressing the district’s needs. Listening to stakeholders, and truly hearing what they have to say about issues such as school safety and optimal learning environments, are crucial to being responsive as a governing board member. Reducing kindergarten and first grade class sizes are a priority, as the first years of school set critical foundations for literacy and success in learning. Reducing the large number of teacher vacancies and setting aggressive classroom spending targets are both key goals for achieving stability in the district. Lori has 25 years of experience in education and child welfare issues.
Mark Stegeman
Governing Board Member, Tucson Unified School District
Mark Stegeman grew up in northern California and graduated from Pomona College, where he graduated Magna cum Laude with a double major in mathematics and economics. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and taught at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and at Virginia Tech before accepting a tenured position at the Eller College of Business.
Mark worked as a management consultant for Hughes Space and Communications, before it was acquired by Boeing. He is a longtime owner of commercial property and apartments.
Mark connected with the Tucson Unified School District when the board appointed him as a charter member of the district’s audit committee. He attended scores of board meetings before running for the board in 2008. He was reelected in 2012 by a wide margin.
We had a change of pace for our meeting today, as we received a great dance performance by the Maguire Academy of Dance in lieu of our more typical speaking presentation. The dancing was made even more interesting since it was performed by a number of young high school and junior high school performers, including the daughter of our own Sergeant-at-Arms ROBERT O’BRIEN. It was great fun to watch!
ANDREW MARTIN started our meeting today with some inspirational quotes about, of all things, dancing. He was followed by CLIFF BOWMAN leading us in the pledge and song, however our song was a great video of Ray Charles singing America the Beautiful. I didn’t hear CLIFF singing along to the video, as the leader, shouldn’t he have been up their singing as well?? And WOCKY REDSAR had a busy time introducing visiting Rotarians and guests as we had many people in both categories today.
We celebrated five Birthday’s this week. TOM BROWNING was first to the podium and reminded us that he is in his 50th YEAR as an RCOT member! He was followed by KEN TUCKER who been with the club only 7 years, NINA TRASOFF, a 25 year member and the longest standing female member of the club, BOB WEBB, also a 25 year member of RCOT and CHARLIE MEAKER, a 33 year member. NINA informed us that when she joined, it appeared the male members of the club did not really know how to act around the few female members. A couple of the men at the tables reminded NINA that many of us still don’t know how to act around women… Happy Birthday to TOM, KEN, NINA, BOB and CHARLIE!
We had a special acknowledgement for the dedicated service provided to RCOT by STACIA DECKER and JOHN HARLOW who both assist in greeting us almost every week of the year with a smile and a kind word. Thanks STACIA and JOHN for all you do for us and RCOT!
ROTARY BEYOND THE DISTRICT LEVEL – NEW APPROACHES AND NOTABLE SUCCESS
Most RCOT members know our club is one of many in District 5500. Some of us know (need to know) that District 5500 is one of 23 districts within Zone 26 of Rotary International. Representing us as the Zones 25/26 member of the RI Board of Directors is Brad Howard. We’ve had Brad address our club and he has garnered nearly universal praise for his modern approach to Rotary membership.
Part of Brad’s communication with clubs in his two zones is his webinars. He reports on RI progress, and he offers help and suggestions to clubs in the areas of membership, organization, benefits, and more. Here are a few notable revelations from his most recent webinar:
Rotary membership worldwide is 28,000 greater as of 2/29/16 compared to the year prior
Membership in Zone 26 is also greater year-to-year
The retention rate for members in our zone – defined as the percentage who were members as of July 1 of a given year compared to still being members as of the following June 30 – is increasing
By the end of February of this year, there have been only six new cases of polio identified in the world (we really are this close)
Only 5% of Rotoractors ultimately become Rotary members – the opportunity here is huge
Only 4% of Rotary members are believed to be under the age of 40 – the opportunity here is huge
21% of Rotary members are believed to be female – the opportunity here is huge
Zone 25-26 was the first Rotary section to admit female members and has an increasing percentage of female members
In addition to being the largest club in Arizona, our club is one of the 30 largest among the 1300 clubs in Zones 25-26
Brad reminds everyone that there are two reasons people join Rotary – to do good and to experience fellowship. And he is just as quick to remind us of a key reason Rotarians continue to hold membership – because of the friends they make after joining.
The next time a non-Rotarian asks you to describe Rotary and Rotarians, here’s a succinct, initial explanation of what the organization and its members do:
Join Leaders
Exchange Ideas
Take Action
(You say your forte is not talking to non-members about the personal and societal benefits of becoming a Rotarian? No problem. Tell me the name of a person who would be a valuable addition to our club and one of a cadre of your fellow members will make contact.)
Brad’s conducts his next webinar (including Q&A) this coming Thursday or Friday. All Rotarians are welcome to join. If you are curious:
Next time, we look at one of our zone’s major initiatives – cultural diversity in our clubs: how much is there; how can we take advantage of it; and, do we really know how present it is in our club.
The Change of Administration party will be held on Saturday, June 25, 2016 at the Tanque Verde Ranch, 14301 E. Speedway, Tucson, AZ. Start time is 6:00 p.m. Please SAVE THE DATE!
Barbeque Chicken Breast: with Pineapple Chutney, Coconut Rice and Seasonal Vegetables
Wedge Salad: With Balsamic and Ranch Dressing
Doubletree Chocolate Chip Cookies Served Family Style, Coffee, Water or Iced Tea
Chef Salad: Ham, Turkey, Cheddar/Jack Cheese Blend, Hard Boiled Egg, Tomato, Croutons and Cucumber over a Bed of Lettuce. (PLEASE DO NOT ASK THE SERVERS TO ALTER THE SALAD, IT WILL BE SERVED AS DESCRIBED ABOVE. NO CHEF SALADS MAY BE ORDERED AFTER THE FRIDAY DEADLINE)
Vegetarian - Greek Plate-Cold:Hummus with Roasted Peppers and Eggplant, accompanied with Tzatziki Sauce, Cucumbers, Marinated Olives and Grilled Pita Wedges
Fresh Fruit Plate: Fresh Seasonal Fruit served with FLAVORED Greek Yogurt and Low Fat Cottage Cheese
NESDAYS, 12:00 PM-1:20 PM
Kristel Ann Foster
Betts Putnam-Hidalgo
Lori Riegel, MJEd
Mark Stegeman
We had a change of pace for our meeting today, as we received a great dance performance by the Maguire Academy of Dance in lieu of our more typical speaking presentation. The dancing was made even more interesting since it was performed by a number of young high school and junior high school performers, including the daughter of our own Sergeant-at-Arms ROBERT O’BRIEN. It was great fun to watch!
We had a special acknowledgement for the dedicated service provided to RCOT by STACIA DECKER and JOHN HARLOW who both assist in greeting us almost every week of the
year with a smile and a kind word. Thanks STACIA and JOHN for all you do for us and RCOT!
