Endorsements for Erin Barrow
"Erin is a kind and compassionate leader. She seeks to understand all sides of an issue and to be fair and balanced.
She cares deeply about children and families and will do everything in her power to help every JSD kid get the best education possible. She knows that supporting their teachers is one of the best ways to support students."
~Lindy Christensen, LCWS (Licensed Clinical Social Worker)
JEA Endorsement Questions and Erin's answers:
1) The JEA believes the mission and education goals of the Jordan Board of Education are more likely to be achieved when a collaborative partnership exists between the Board and employee groups such as the Jordan Education Association. How do you envision the Jordan Board and Administration working with JEA? Answer) To my knowledge the Board members serve on different committees and I would hope that one of those committees connects them with JEA. From the last board meeting I attended I could tell how important it would be for the Board to work with the JEA to make sure the district policies are fair and just to teachers and administrators as well as students. I hope to work alongside JEA and make sure everyone feels respected and heard about issues that are important to the JEA by corresponding, meeting with and discussing things.
2) Similarly, the JEA believes teachers and their Association should be partners in making decisions affecting children and public education, with employee involvement taking place at both the district and school building level. Please explain your views about involving JEA as the representative of teachers in decision making. Answer) If elected I hope to communicate regularly with the administration/staff at the schools in my precinct via email or in person and hear about issues that need to be addressed. I would then take these issues to the JEA asking if they know about them and what they think could resolve them. I would then work with my other board members to try and come up with a solution to help resolve those issues.
3) The Association believes that a commitment to adequately fund public schools to include more individualized instruction, implementation of new programs, building renovations, growth (including new schools), up-to-date textbooks and technology, and lower-class size may include the need to increase local option taxes. Please share your thoughts about increasing local property taxes for maintenance and operations needs as described above. Answer) I am in no way a tax expert and would need to be educated (beyond what I can read/find on the JSD website or internet) in order to properly answer this question. However I do understand that raising taxes can be a touchy subject for some and should be handled with care and consideration for all. If JSD sees an increase in development I would be in favor of a tax increase in order to increase funding for the programs and operations stated in this question.
4) The JEA believes that the Jordan School Board and District Administration have an obligation to maintain and, when necessary, to seek additional revenue to provide for movement on the salary schedule (salary levels), cost of living adjustments, and other promised benefits for employees. Please explain your views on maintaining employee compensation. Answer) I believe it is vital to maintain employee compensation no matter what the business or organization. Employees are the backbone of any organization and need to feel valued and supported. From the JSD website there have been yearly gradual increases to teacher pay in order to stay competitive and retain teachers. I think that is vital especially when inflation is steadily climbing. I fully support maintaining and, when applicable, increasing employee compensation. I would do my best to fight for and look for the most economical ways to maintain and increase compensation.
5) The Association believes accessing professional opportunities are crucial, including mentoring and teacher induction programs, JPAS Evaluation training, professional development learning opportunities, and time for grade preparation and transmittal. What ideas do you have for supporting teachers in improving their teaching practice? Answer) I would love to support teachers in improving their teaching practices. I think it’s vital for any professional to be continually learning about their specific field. I would want to get a feel from teachers about current training and evaluate if that time is being used to the fullest and most effective way possible. I would welcome any suggestions for possible programs or training that would benefit JSD teachers. I also realize that the board may have to approve certain programs or training if the district would need to pay for these and getting approval can be long and arduous. I would do my best to support teachers who want further training or learning opportunities.
6) The JEA believes public education employees have the right to organize in support of their profession, and professional negotiations should occur between the District and the representative organization regarding educators’ compensation, health insurance and other benefits, working conditions, and terms and conditions of employment which includes a professional agreement (contract) between the Association and the Board of Education. What are your views of the negotiations process between JEA and the Jordan Board? Answer) I would hope that when engaging in negotiations both sides would come to the table with respect and collaboration in mind. As a potential board member I would want all JSD employees to feel heard and respected. I know that in negotiations not everyone will always be satisfied (negotiating with my children comes to mind. Sometimes I am right and sometimes my children are right and I need to proceed with grace and respect in both instances.) Negotiations can be rough but I fully believe that each side has a right to be heard and respected and I would do my best to make all parties feel that.
7) The Association believes legislation that protects public education will be successful only when they include adequate input from both the public and the education community, and only when accompanied by a legislative commitment to adequately fund the new proposals. Would you be willing to actively lobby at the Utah Legislature for public education and the needs of Jordan School District? Please explain. Answer) As I become more involved with educational organizations/lobby groups I have become more informed on the legislature that actively affects schools. At the same time, the way the Utah Legislature is run (only 45 days at the beginning of the year) makes it very difficult to adequately be informed on all the details of bills and, in my opinion, do any lobbying that makes a difference. As the year continues I hope to find ways to be more informed on legislation that is being written up for future sessions so I can be ready to lobby for JSD needs. I would love to lobby at the Utah capital but please know that I still have a young family who needs me. I want to help all children in JSD and would do my best to lobby when and where I can while still helping my own children.
8) The JEA believes that all students deserve to be educated in a great public school by a qualified educator. We recognize that all students do not come with the same backgrounds and experiences. Some students require additional resources to be successful. Please share your thoughts about the growing diversity (socioeconomic, ethnic, special education, second language, etc.) of the student population in Jordan District and how you would support those groups to have equitable access to needed resources. Answer) I would work with the individual schools in my precinct to know their needs and to make sure they are thinking about all of the diverse situations that may be occuring in their boundaries. It is vital to understand where a child needs support in order to help them learn and thrive at school. A lot of these situations need to be addressed at a school level and blanket policies from the top may not always be the best solution. I would do my best to help each school address their individual needs and be supported from the top.
9) How can the Jordan Board of Education support the Jordan District Administration’s efforts to attract and retain quality educators? Answer) I would think that compensation, paid leave, and adequate preparation days would be at the top of the list to attract and retain quality educators. Continual open discussion about the JSD administration's needs would help the board understand where they can help and how. If we don’t communicate we won’t know what needs help or how to help.
10) What do you see as the three most critical needs or issues facing Jordan District? How would you begin to address these issues? Answer) If I were to take my local school as a small sample of JSD I would say 3 critical issues are: teacher retention, support staff funding and student & teacher emotional support. For some reason it’s been hard to attract teachers and keep them. I think some of those issues can not be magically fixed by the district because of location or personal situations for teachers applying. But to try and address them I would start with compensation and outlining a solid framework of support that applying teachers can see and recognize as quality care from our district. I have noticed that our support staff, like reading aids, and rotation teachers (P.E., Library, Art, Stem, etc.) don’t have enough time/compensation to plan their classes and execute them in an effective and enjoyable way. I believe trying to find room in the budget to adequately fund these employees or provide them with extra training would improve the atmosphere of any school. Getting to the root of a school’s “feeling” or “atmosphere” can be traced back to whether or not students and teachers are happy. Making sure that schools are not only a place of learning, but a place where students feel safe and can have fun is also important. A student is going to lash out if there are very strict rules with not a lot of room for fun. And when a student lashes out a teacher is going to become stressed and be less patient with their students. I believe that working on a school by school basis and making sure there is a fun and safe atmosphere will in turn improve teacher retention.