David Smith
What is your education and relevant experience for this office?
B.A., M.J.S., J.D.
If you have children, do you/did you send them to public school? If so, did they graduate from a public school?
NO CHILDREN
Do you feel you are an advocate for public education in Arizona? Use specific examples of what you will do or have done to demonstrate your level of support for public education in Arizona.
YES, I HAVE SERVED ON LEG. EDUCATION COMMITTEE
Will you work to protect public education from any further budget cuts?
YES
The system for funding public education in Arizona is a maze of laws, rules, regulations, funding sources, etc. Please share specifics on how you would simplify how we fund our public schools here in Arizona to make that funding source more efficient, effective and reliable?
YES REFORM THE FUNDING LAWS
Should the education formula be based on seat time and average daily membership or on student academic progress and successful achievement of academic standards?
PROGRESS AND ACHEIVEMENT
Knowing that money does not cure all, how do you feel that Arizona ranks dead last in per pupil funding? Are you happy with the status quo or how will you work to change that? Can you share your plan on how Arizona can improve it's school funding to at least a competitive level? Be specific.
PUT EMPHASIS ON PERFORMANCE
Do you think that class-size affects academic performance? How and at what size?
SMALL CLASS AS IMPROVE PERFORMANCE
How do you feel about the unfunded mandate of the AIMS test (or a similar test) when teachers spend a large portion of their school year "teaching to the test"? Be specific.
I OPPOSE UNFUNDED MANDATES
Do you believe that the voters approving Prop 301 intended the 2% inflation factor to be applied to the entire M&O budget or just legislatively selected portions of the operating budget?
LEG. SELECTED PORTIONS
How do you plan to support districts with textbook adoptions with the decrease/limits on soft capital funding? Do you understand that many districts such as CCUSD operate with textbooks that are ten years old?
PROVIDE FUNDING FOR NEW TEXTBOOKS
The budget cuts have eliminated the funding for the Gifted Students Educational Program. With the passing of Prop 100 what legislative measures will you take to restore this funding to meet the many critical needs for our brightest minds and high acheivers in AZ?
I SUPPORT GIFTED STUDENTS FUNDING
Where and what grade level classrooms have you observed in the last 12 months? What specifics can you share about class size and per pupil expenditure in those classrooms?
NONE IN THE LAST YEAR
Due to our district's low poverty, or "free and reduced lunch" level, do you understand the disparity that places CCUSD at a disadvantage for federal and grant application-based funding, and would you be willing to support legislation that would allow districts such as CCUSD in low-poverty areas to secure supplemental funding to reach curriculum or achievement standards that may be desired by the governing board? If so, what might those funding sources be? (please cite examples such as local prop tax, program fees, etc.)
YES
Do you support performance pay programs like Career Ladders and Prop 301 for teachers?
YES
In constructing new schools, do you believe that bonding or direct general fund support is the most efficient and cost effective?
GENERAL FUND
Would you support a requirement that all new education policy initiatives proposed by the legislature contain a fiscal note and be required to include all necessary funding prior to adoption?
YES
Do you think the Constitutional requirement to fund a general and uniform public education system should take precedence over programs supporting private schools?
NO
Please describe your level of support for school vouchers and private school tax credits, how should they be used (if at all), to whom should they be given/used for, and how would you change the current system in place? Be specific.
I SUPPORT BOTH
Do you feel that the use of Vouchers and private school tax credits is appropriate considering the struggle that our public education system has recently faced and continues to face? Be specific.
YES