Washington County Language Immersion Council

2016 Washington County School Board of Education

Candidate Questionnaire
Candidates Name: Becky Dunn
District: 1

1. Please tell us a little about yourself and why you have filed to run for Washington County
School District Board of Education?

I am passionate about education, and I want to serve on the Washington County

School District Board to ensure that our Districts tradition of putting our kids at
the center of all of our education decisions continues! I love learning. I am a
mother of three children who are all in the Washington County School District
System. I have a child in the dual immersion program. I want the best for my kids
and all of the other kids in WCSD. These kids are our future leaders and they
need and deserve an excellent education. They are the reason I want to serve on
the Washington School District Board.

2. What kinds of experiences have you had with the schools in Washington County School
District?

Most importantly, I am a parent of three children currently going through the

WSCD education system. Over the past eight years, I have been involved in PTA in
local schools, and at the council, region and state levels. This has given me
opportunities to be involved with many different schools across the district and
state. I have served on various school and district committees. I have been
involved with the WCSD Foundation. As an engaged parent, I have been attending
WCSD School Board meetings regularly for the last six years.

3. In times of budget shortfalls, prioritize where you would make budget cuts if needed.

I graduated from BYU with my bachelors degree in accounting and so budget and
finances are extremely important to me. However, this hypothetical is very

difficult. Depending on the timing of the shortfall and the amount of the shortfall,
we would need to approach it differently. For instance, in light of a very drastic
shortfall, we might need to look to finding alternative ways to use the facilities
that we have more effectively and efficiently in order to save fixed costs. If the
budget shortfall were more minor, we may be able to address the shortfall by
cutting very small amounts from numerous areas so that we can continue the same
programs with a little impact spread across many areas. But again, this
hypothetical is very difficult because without more information on the amount,
timing, and other factors it is difficult to say what is the best cut to make.

4. What do you see as the three most critical need/issues facing the Washington County School
District in the next five years? How would you begin to address these issues?

Based on the WPU, Utah is at the bottom of the list for the nation. So a critical
need/issue is doing more with the limited resources that we have or finding ways
to increase the resources we do have. This needs to be addressed by educating
our parents and community on the shortfalls and needs and the areas where
additional resources are needed. One way to address this is to cut out superfluous
and unnecessary programs that detract from the education of our kids instead of
help it. In this category of managing our resources, we need to plan appropriately
for the growth/lack of growth in our community. If we grow as a school district
too early (ie. building new schools), it may cause problems and costs the district
money. On the flip side, if the district waits until after all of the growth of the
community, it may cause major problems with our schools like over-crowding and
large class sizes. It is a fine line, and one that needs to constantly be assessed to
ensure our resources are being spent wisely.
The second most critical issue/need is to bridge gaps. What I mean by this is that
there are gaps between those who have less and those who have more. Children in
higher socioeconomic status homes are gaining more access to resources than
those from lower socioeconomic homes. We need to continue to pioneer programs
that help bridge these gaps, like early education preschools or optional extended
kindergarten (OEK) programs.
The third need/issue is to ensure that we keep the best qualified educators. They
are the boots on the ground that are in the thick of educating of our children. We
need to address appropriate compensation, and other measures, like doing away

with unnecessary tasks that are burdening educators, to make sure that we are
getting and keeping the best educators that we can.

5. What would you do to hire/retain quality educators in Washington County School District?

This is a critical issue, as I noted above. We need to make sure that our
compensation is not only competitive with other areas, but commensurate to our
cost of living. It is very difficult to afford housing in our area with the limited pay
we offer educators. While this is a difficult issue to address as just one board
member, I also believe that we can address cutting unnecessary and superfluous
programs that create a burden on our educators instead of helping them. Also, as
a leader in PTA, I believe that a great way to retain quality educators is to make
sure that they have plenty of support from parents. Parent engagement is crucial.
This not only includes helping parents see the value of volunteering, but also
helping educate our parents on the tremendous jobs our educators do and helping
parents learn how to be appreciative instead of demanding. I also believe that
training needs to be done with our administrators so that they are being proactive
in helping address problems that teachers are facing instead of waiting too long
and allowing problems to fester.

6. In your opinion, is there anything Washington County School Board, District Administration,
teachers or other staff could do better?

I see two areas that could be improved. First, they could improve on better
bridging the gaps in our students education. The second thing they could improve
on is establishing more transparent policies and procedures, better training on
those procedures, better transparency on how resources are used within the
district for our kids, and ultimately better accountability on those policies and
procedures.

7. What are your thoughts about the current Dual Language Immersion programs in
Washington County?

I currently have a child that is in the dual immersion program in Washington County
School District. It has been a good experience for my student and for our family.
I believe that learning a second language at a young age is wonderful thing! While

dual immersion is not for everyone, I think it is a program that we should expand,
so that children and families that want to participate are able to do so.

8. What will you do to further support the current Dual Language Immersion programs in the
district?

As I stated above, I have a child in the dual immersion program. I am committed

to continuing the program and even expanding it. In addition, part of my platform
is to have regular town hall style meeting with parents and community members. I
anticipate having these meetings include discussion from dual immersion parents to
talk about things they see going well and things that I need to go back and address
at the board level. I believe that this open dialogue will help us better the dual
immersion program and ensure that our kids have the best opportunities available.

9. Are there any other concerns or issues you would like to share with us?

I want you to know that my fundamental belief is that through education, our
children are given opportunity to lead fulfilling and productive lives. They gain
confidence, and find talents that they didnt know they have. I have watched my
own children grow and do things that they didnt dream that they could do. An
example of this is my son. When he first began the dual immersion program, he
believed that he couldnt learn or speak Chinese. Through this public education
program, he has flourished and gained confidence in himself and his learning
abilities. This was possible, and is possible for all of our children, through our
public education system in Washington County. I want to serve on the WCSD
Board of Education to continue to put children first, to creatively find ways to help
all kids, and to help continue to shape our district in a way that will give the most
kids the best opportunities at happiness in life.