Ewing, Melissa

Meet the Candidate

Running For:

School Board

District:

Peoria Unified School District

Age:

Occupation:

Peoria Unified School Board Member

Education:

2 master's degree in education and counseling from University of Phoenix

Family:

Married with 2 children

Biographical Info:

Melissa Ewing was first elected to the Peoria School Board in November 2022 and took office in January 2023. She believes in education over politics, respect for educators, transparent governance, and collaboration that keeps the focus on what matters most – student learning and success.

Statement:

I serve on the school board to keep the focus where it belongs — on students, learning, teaching, and stable leadership. I am running for reelection to continue providing steady, student-focused leadership for our schools. I am focused on making sure taxpayer dollars are well managed, educators are respected and supported, and students are prepared for their futures. Board members are entrusted with safeguarding student well‑being, maintaining public confidence, and ensuring that district operations comply with state and federal law. This includes upholding nondiscrimination protections, modeling respectful communication, and making decisions that strengthen—not fracture—the relationship between families and the district. My goal has always been to provide good governance, keep focus on providing academic environments that offer an array of learning opportunities that lead to career pathways, classrooms that provide educational supports and safety for all students, and professional development for staff that place high-quality educators in front of our students. As our district continues to experience financial constraints, we must ensure that budgetary constraints do not negatively impact students, but instead offer an opportunity for redesigning innovative learning spaces, expansion of sought after programs, and facilities that support community needs.

“During my board term I have worked to strengthen literacy through partnerships with local libraries, connect education to workforce opportunities through local chambers of commerce, and collaborate with nonprofits that support students and families.”

Survey

Response Legend

SSupports
OOpposes
*Comment
−Declined to respond
†Declined to respond, Position based on citation

Question	Response	Comments/Notes
1. Requiring district and charter school officials, including teachers, to inform parents about their child’s social, mental, emotional, or physical health.	S*	Providing the proper education and wellness supports for a student in Peoria Unified will have the best outcomes when staff and parents work together to develop a plan. Peoria Unified Schools have the responsibility to ensure and intervene when the immediate safety of a student is of concern, but to immediately notify parents. Peoria Unified requires signed parent permission before being able to speak to a social worker, or mental health provider.
2. Allowing parents to opt their children out of activities or lessons that offend their personal, moral, or religious beliefs.	S
3. Increasing state and local taxes to provide more funding for schools and school facility projects.	S*	I support fully funding public schools. Investing in the education of students is imperative to building the skills and knowledge needed to be workforce-ready, college-ready, and to be ready to provide innovative advancements that provide value to their communities. Strong community schools build strong communities.
4. Requiring signed permission from a parent before a student may participate in any sexuality related instruction, activities, or clubs.	S*	Parent partnership in education and activities is a priority. Peoria Unified requires parent permission forms to be signed before signing up for clubs or activities. Parents are provided an overview of curriculum to be taught during Meet the Teacher Night. Parents may ask to see curriculum from educators if there is concern regarding materials.
5. Allowing all parents to use tax credits and publicly funded empowerment scholarship accounts to enable their children to attend any private, homeschool, or online academy of their choice.	−*	I believe that our students in Arizona deserve to be learning in environments that require safety standards such as background checks, and fingerprint cards of educators. I also believe it is imperative that students are learning from certified highly qualified educators, and they are teaching to the state standards. All teaching institutions should have to meet the same standards as public schools with regards to transparency and accountability of public dollars. I also believe students regardless of learning environments should have to meet the same proficiency and growth standards in academics as those in public schools. Children deserve to have high-quality education, safe learning environments, qualified instructors, quality learning materials, and exposure to exploration of career, technical and education learning opportunities. Families should choose the learning environment that is best for their child, but if they are using public dollars, there should be accountability and transparency to how those dollars are used that are based on standards set for public schools.
6. Making available books and instructional materials that include sexually explicit images and themes in school classrooms and libraries.	−*	I believe learning materials should meet the Arizona state standards, should be developmentally appropriate and parents and students should have an avenue to opt out of learning materials, without opting out of required learning targets or objectives. Students and families are welcomed into school environments and have avenues to discuss if any school or classroom decor raise concerns. Additionally, teachers and staff are encouraged to hang materials that add to student learning, and showcase student work.
7. Acquiring parental consent for school faculty and staff to refer to students by pronouns that do not align with the student’s birth sex.	−*	In the beginning of the school year, parents are asked to fill out questionnaires as to how to best support students in the classroom, this includes preferred names to be used in the classroom. Educators and school staff intervening with a student who does not feel supported in the classroom has the best outcomes when involving the parent/ guardians so they can be ready to learn once in the classroom.
8. Allocating teacher pay raises based upon merit rather than providing uniform salary schedule increases based upon years of teaching or additional credentialing (e.g. master’s degrees).	−*	I don't believe there is one standard or rubric teacher pay should be based on. In every other industry, pay is based on education attainment, years of experience in the field, accomplishments and then once on the job, performance on the job. In Peoria Unified, when considering pay structures and schedules, budgetary constraints, and priorities it involves a team of individuals across all staff levels alongside the CFO to build a plan that works best for employees. Building a comprehensive salary structure and work environment that treats staff as professionals, encourages professional development in knowledge and skills and excellence in their craft, recognizes exceptional accomplishments, and highlights all employees as valuable is imperative.
9. Implementing policies to allow students and faculty to use the restroom, locker room, and shower room based on self-identification rather than biological sex.	−*	Schools should provide facilities that can adapt to student's bathroom needs, whether that is accommodating bathrooms to fit students with disabilities or additional need for privacy. Every school in Peoria Unified has individual bathrooms that offered needed privacy, regardless of reasoning. Students or staff should not be harassed due to need for specific bathroom accommodations. Additionally, every school has student code of conduct standards on appropriate bathroom behavior. The bathroom needs of any student should be a private conversation with administration and parents to devise an appropriate accommodation for that child that ensures their safety, and dignity.
10. Teaching what is known as diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI); social, emotional learning (SEL); or critical race theory (CRT) in public schools.	−*	I have heard DEI and CRT defined in many varying ways which causes confusion. Schools should be focused on providing learning environments that for all learners, that build skills for academic success, free from political ideologies. Teaching standards thus must be grounded in Arizona State Standards, meet requirements of state and federal law. Equal Education opportunity for all students while providing needed educational supports for academic achievement, while also providing high rigor in schools should be the focus.
11. Requiring each district and charter school to post online a list of all curriculum and instructional materials being used in the classroom.	−*	It may be quite cumbersome to post all learning curriculum - especially for grade levels that utilize tactile learning materials, however with the advancement of technology, many high school classes are posting all learning materials online in their classes to better prepare students for colleges that utilize online learning materials.