Cooper, Kristi

Meet the Candidate

Running For:
School Board
District:
Deer Valley Unified School District
Age:
54
Occupation:
Retired Deer Valley Teacher / Reading Specialist
Education:
Master of Education Early Childhood/Reading Specialist Endorsement, NAU 1997, Bachelor of Arts Elementary Education, ASU 1994.
Family:
I have been with my husband for the past 36 years. He is an inventor and small business owner in the Deer Valley community. We have two grown children. All four of us are Deer Valley alumni.
Religion:
Christian
Biographical Info:

I am a third generation native Arizonan. I am deeply invested in the Deer Valley Unified School District and its community. I have been a Deer Valley classroom teacher and reading specialist for the past 32 years. I lived in Deer Valley for the past 48, I attended Deer Valley schools from second to 12th grade, both my husband and I graduated from Deer Valley High School, and both of our children attended Deer Valley from preschool until they graduated from Barry Goldwater. That makes me an employee, a student, a graduate, a parent, taxpayer, and long-time community member of Deer Valley. My family’s commitment to this district started when my father Ken Neumann was hired to teach at Village Meadows in 1967. He dedicated 36 years as a teacher and principal in Deer Valley, my mother retired after 19 years of teaching in Deer Valley, and both my sisters currently teach in Deer Valley. One sister has been a special education preschool teacher for the past 29 years, and the other a para professional for the past 17. All of their children, and now grandchildren, have only attended Deer Valley schools as well.

Statement:

I am running for the Deer Valley School Board because I have deep roots in Deer Valley. I am a graduate, a parent of two district alumni, and a former teacher of 32 years. No candidate has a stronger commitment to our students and community. For over three decades, I witnessed critical funding fail to reach our classrooms where students need it most. As a parent, I felt the frustration of having my voice silenced. Deer Valley students, employees, and taxpayers deserve better. It is time to elect a board member who will prioritize investing directly in students instead of empty buildings and administrative increases, restore the public’s voice, and ensure Deer Valley is the absolute first choice for families. Together, we can do this!

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
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. O
4. Requiring signed permission from a parent before a student may participate in any sexuality related instruction, activities, or clubs. S
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. S
6. Making available books and instructional materials that include sexually explicit images and themes in school classrooms and libraries. O
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. S
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). -* This issue is too complex to address with a survey answer. There is an issue of inter-rater reliability. Teacher's evaluation ratings can fluctuate greatly with principal turnover. It is difficult to compare student test scores among teachers because there are many contributing factors that must be considered when evaluating job performance. There are many factors that would need to be considered in this process such as class sizes, extreme behaviors, pre-existing levels, language barriers, etc... I agree that merit should be a major factor if we could figure out how to do it, so it is a fair process for all employees. Measuring job performance is far more complex than a student's test score. You also have differences in faculty positions. We have P.E. teachers, music, art, and different subject areas. How would district office administration employees' salary increases be rated? This is something that will need to be studied.
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. O
10. Teaching what is known as diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI); social, emotional learning (SEL); or critical race theory (CRT) in public schools. O
11. Requiring each district and charter school to post online a list of all curriculum and instructional materials being used in the classroom. S