Where I stand on the challenges facing Dysart Unified School District in 2026.
The single most important factor in student success is a high-quality teacher in the classroom. Everything else is secondary.
Arizona has ranked at or near the bottom of the nation for teacher pay for too long. The profession faces a burnout crisis — Gallup research has identified K-12 workers as having the highest burnout rate of any industry nationwide. Teachers are leaving the state and the profession, and Dysart feels that loss every time a classroom is staffed by a long-term substitute instead of a qualified educator.
Dysart voters recognized this and took action. In November 2024, voters approved an override specifically to fund teacher compensation. As a board member, protecting that override commitment will be a non-negotiable priority for me.
But compensation alone is not enough. Teachers also leave because they feel unsupported, disrespected, and buried in administrative requirements that take time away from their students. A board that truly values teachers shows it through culture, not just contracts. I will push for reducing unnecessary administrative burden, ensuring teachers have the supplies and support they need, and building a district culture where top educators want to build their careers — not just pass through on their way somewhere else.
If you want to recruit and retain high-quality people, you have to treat them right and pay them appropriately. That is not a radical idea. Every successful business operates on this principle. It is time Dysart's board did too.
I have high expectations for Dysart students. I know they are capable of greatness, and I want to see them succeed — not just on tests, but for the rest of their lives.
Dysart consistently performs above the state average on AzMERIT assessments, and I will not dismiss that. But above average is not the goal. I want Dysart to be a district that other schools strive to emulate — particularly at our Title I campuses, where scores have historically lagged significantly behind the rest of the district. Every Dysart student deserves the same quality of instruction regardless of which school they attend.
Academic success requires great teachers, high expectations, and honest assessment of where students are falling behind. It does not require demoralizing the educators who deliver instruction every day. As Charles Kettering said: "High achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectations." That applies to students and to the adults who serve them.
Beyond core academics, every Dysart student deserves a clear pathway to success after graduation — whether that means a four-year university, a trade apprenticeship, a certification program, or a career. Not every road to a fulfilling life runs through a college degree, and our district should reflect that reality.
Career and Technical Education through West-MEC is one of Dysart's genuine strengths. I will advocate for expanding CTE pathways in trades and technical fields where employer demand is strongest. Through my professional work leading teams across a 10-state region, I see firsthand how urgently local businesses need skilled workers — and how well-designed CTE programs can launch Dysart graduates directly into well-paying careers. The goal is simple: every Dysart graduate should leave with the skills and credentials to pursue their own vision of success.
Every dollar the district spends is a taxpayer dollar. It should be spent carefully, reported honestly, and directed where it has the greatest impact on students.
I am a fiscal conservative. In my professional role I manage budgets, teams, and performance systems across a 10-state region. On the City of Surprise Board of Trustees I have overseen a multi-million-dollar self-insured medical trust, built substantial reserves, and returned $1 million annually to the City's general fund when those reserves exceeded what was needed. Fiscal responsibility means knowing when to stop spending as much as knowing when to save. That discipline is exactly what I will bring to Dysart.
The $600,000 Warning the Board Ignored
In February 2026, I presented the Dysart Governing Board with documented evidence of a permanent $500,000–$600,000 annual budget deficit being created by the conversion of a $70 million private property to federal ownership inside our district boundaries. Based on the standard 16% commercial assessment ratio, this property represents approximately $11.2 million in net assessed value — and removing it from the tax rolls creates a hole in our operating budget every single year, permanently. That loss directly offsets the teacher compensation gains voters approved in November 2024.
The board had legal tools available under A.R.S. § 38-431.01(H) to simply place this on a future agenda for discussion. They chose silence.
A board that will not discuss a half-million-dollar annual threat to the budget that funds our teachers is not doing its job.
As a board member I will insist on honest, transparent budget reporting. I will ask hard questions, and I will never allow a documented financial threat to sit unaddressed because it is politically inconvenient to discuss.
The safety of Dysart students and staff is the foundation upon which every other decision must be made. A child who does not feel safe cannot learn. A teacher who does not feel safe cannot teach.
School safety requires sustained investment and proactive leadership:
Strong support for School Resource Officers on every campus
Clear, tested emergency protocols communicated transparently to parents
Honest, timely communication when safety incidents occur — not damage control
A board willing to ask hard questions of administration rather than accept reassurances at face value
The Federal Facility Safety Concern
In February 2026, I raised documented concerns before the Governing Board about a proposed 1,500-bed federal detention facility located inside our district boundaries — less than one mile from Dysart High School and Dysart Middle School, in the same primary transit corridor as El Mirage, West Point, Surprise, and Thompson Ranch elementary schools.
DHS representatives publicly stated this facility will prioritize the detention of those they classify as "the worst of the worst" — specifically naming violent offenders and child predators. That population, and the 24/7 federal transport traffic it generates, will share the roads our students walk and our buses travel every single day.
I requested a formal safety and fiscal impact assessment — not an immediate vote, just a discussion. The board refused to schedule one.
I also raised a longer-term concern: under 42 U.S.C. § 11411 (Title V of the McKinney-Vento Act), the $150 million in residential infrastructure being built at this site legally prioritizes it for conversion to a regional homeless shelter for up to 30 years once the federal mission concludes. Dysart is currently neither staffed nor funded for that long-term obligation.
Doing nothing is not a plan. It is a choice to ignore a credible threat to our students and our budget.
Watch my full presentation and read the complete fact sheet →
Dysart is a growing district, and that growth is accelerating. The rapid residential development in the Asante area is bringing thousands of new families into our boundaries — which is good news for our community. But growth without infrastructure is a crisis in slow motion.
Voters were asked to approve a bond that would have funded a new school to serve the Asante area's growing student population. That bond failed. The result is predictable: students who should be attending a neighborhood school are instead being transported across the district, straining capacity at schools that were not designed for this volume.
Bond measures fail for two reasons: voters do not trust that the money will be spent as promised, or the case was not made compellingly enough. Both are failures of communication and transparency — and both are board-level responsibilities.
The Asante growth pressure is not going away. As a board member I will push for honest capacity planning based on real enrollment projections, transparent and specific communication with taxpayers about exactly what infrastructure funds will be used for, and a renewed, trust-building effort to make the case for the facilities our growing student population actually needs. Voters deserve that clarity before they are asked to vote — not after a defeat.
Research is consistent: when families are engaged in their children's education, students earn higher grades, attend more regularly, and have fewer behavioral issues. Parent involvement is not a nice-to-have — it is one of the most powerful tools a district has, and it costs almost nothing to cultivate.
As a board member I will advocate for a district culture that actively invites parent participation rather than merely tolerating it. Specific priorities:
Restore a District-Wide PTSO/PTSA Council. A council connecting representatives from each school's parent organization allows sharing of best practices, coordinated advocacy, and a unified parent voice at the district level. Dysart had this before. We should bring it back.
Expand Volunteer Opportunities. Traditional PTSO roles exclude parents who work non-traditional hours, prefer behind-the-scenes contributions, or simply do not enjoy social settings. A broader volunteer structure means more hands helping our schools.
Transparent Communication When Problems Arise. When parents suspect the district is hiding problems, they disengage and lose trust. When administration communicates openly — including about difficult issues — parents become partners in solutions rather than critics on the sidelines. Trust is earned through honesty, not through polished messaging.
Encourage the Right Chain of Communication. Parents with concerns should bring them first to teachers, then to school administration, then to the district — not directly to the board or social media. Administration cannot fix what it does not know about. I will work to make sure every Dysart family knows how to navigate this process effectively.
The more our community is invested in Dysart, the stronger our district becomes.
A governing board that operates in secret is not serving its community. It is hiding from it.
In 2022, three Dysart board members forced the resignation of Superintendent Dr. Kellis — a superintendent with 86% parent approval and 95% staff approval ratings — without providing any public justification for their decision. They violated state law by ignoring Dr. Kellis's explicit written request that his contract discussion be held in a public meeting rather than executive session. The forced resignation cost Dysart taxpayers $312,532.23 in a lump sum settlement. To this day, no public explanation has been offered.
For the full documented account of the 2022 superintendent situation, read my detailed post from that campaign →
In 2026, the full board refused to even schedule a discussion of a documented $500,000+ annual budget threat and a school safety concern affecting six of our schools.
This is a pattern of avoidance, not an isolated incident.
As a board member I will vote in public, explain my reasoning in public, and never use executive session as a shield against accountability. I will ask questions administration may find uncomfortable — because that is the job. The Dysart community deserves a board that is willing to be questioned and willing to answer.
Arizona's ESA voucher program began in 2011 as a targeted program to help students with disabilities, children in foster care, and students in failing schools. That original, limited program served a legitimate purpose. What it has become is something else entirely.
In 2022, the legislature expanded ESA eligibility to every student in Arizona regardless of need or circumstance. The program has since exploded in cost and scope. Annual spending has grown from roughly $175 million to over $1 billion, with FY2026 costs projected to exceed $1.03 billion. To put that in context: Arizona ranks 49th in the nation for per-pupil public school spending — yet the state now spends over a billion dollars annually on a program with virtually no accountability requirements.
Who is actually using the money? Approximately 71% of universal ESA recipients were already enrolled in private school or homeschool before the expansion — meaning the vast majority of this spending is not rescuing students from failing schools. It is subsidizing families who were already paying for private education. Meanwhile, students with disabilities — the population the program was originally designed to serve — have dropped from 60% of ESA users before expansion to just 18% today.
Where is the money going? Investigative reporting has documented voucher funds being spent on items including diamond rings, appliances, and clothing with no educational purpose. As of 2025, more than $440 million sits unspent in ESA accounts, with nearly 200 individuals accumulating more than $100,000 each. Arizona's own budget analysts have flagged the program as a significant driver of the state's fiscal challenges.
The accountability double standard is indefensible. Private schools receiving these public dollars face none of the requirements Dysart must meet:
No state assessments required
No demonstration of student outcomes
No required teacher qualifications
No public curriculum review process
No fiscal audits or public budget reporting
Permitted to reject students based on gender, religion, or sexual orientation while accepting public funds
Special education students who accept a voucher forfeit their federal IDEA disability rights
I supported the original, targeted ESA program. I oppose the universal expansion. This is not a partisan position — it is a fiscal and accountability one. Any institution receiving taxpayer dollars should be held to the same standards of transparency and accountability as a public school. A billion dollars a year with no oversight is not school choice. It is a blank check written on the backs of Arizona's public school students.
As a Dysart Governing Board member I cannot change state law on ESAs. But I can advocate loudly at the state level for accountability reforms, and I can ensure Dysart voters understand exactly how this program affects our district's budget and our students' classrooms.
These topics were used heavily as political weapons in recent election cycles. I am keeping this section as factual reference because voters still ask about them — and because misinformation about what Dysart actually teaches has real consequences for trust in our schools.
Critical Race Theory is not taught in Dysart schools. It is explicitly prohibited by Dysart Governing Board policy. No board member or administrator has proposed teaching it. The district's own Curriculum FAQ addresses this directly:
"Dysart Schools do not have a curriculum for or teach Critical Race Theory, nor has the Governing Board or administration had any discussions related to the exploration, adoption or implementation of this theory."
Candidates who campaign on CRT as an active threat in Dysart are manufacturing fear about something that does not exist in our classrooms. Ask them for specific evidence. They will not have any.
The 1619 Project is not taught in Dysart schools. This is also addressed directly in the Dysart Curriculum FAQ.
When voters are asked whether schools should teach students to set and achieve goals, persevere through obstacles, adopt a growth mindset, make responsible choices, and interact with others based on ethical standards — the overwhelming answer is yes. Those are the skills SEL teaches.
The controversy around SEL has been manufactured by political actors who claim it is a vehicle for teaching racism or undermining personal responsibility. I have seen no credible evidence of this in Dysart's curriculum. I support Social-Emotional Learning as practiced in Dysart schools. I would not support any curriculum that teaches negative traits, promotes a political ideology, or undermines parental authority — but that is not what Dysart is doing.
Dysart's Human Sexual Growth and Development curriculum occurs in 6th grade only. It is entirely opt-in — without an explicit signed parental permission slip, the student does not participate. Boys and girls are taught separately and only about their own biology and puberty. The complete curriculum is publicly available for review.
Claims that Dysart teaches sexualized content to young children are false. The curriculum is available for anyone to read here. I have reviewed it personally.
When candidates campaign on fear about what schools are secretly teaching your children, ask them for specific evidence. (They won't have any).
Have a question about an issue not covered here? Contact me