Van Hoek, Anna

Meet the Candidate

Running For:
School Board
District:
Higley Unified School District
Phone:
(602) 834-4302
Occupation:
Business Owner and Financial Consultant
Biographical Info:

Anna Van Hoek is and has always been devoted to parents and children. That’s what being a Political Candidate is all about. After years of experience working with the school district and parents to make positive change in the lives of families and our community, Anna Van Hoek is now taking it to politics. It’s this intense dedication, passion, and devotion that fuels her fight for change.

Anna moved to Gilbert in 2003. She has 2 children, 17 and 12 and has lived in the Higley District since 2006 and in the Higley schools since 2010.

As a member of the governing board and her background in finance and accounting, Anna will work hard for parents and the community to have transparency when it comes to their tax dollars and what their children are being taught. She will ensure parental and student rights are upheld and that the students are a priority. Last but not least, Anna will fight for academic accountability when it comes to students learning, with a focus on Reading, Writing, Math, History and Science.

Statement:

I am motivated and am known to go above and beyond to ensure all the students’ needs are met in order for them to learn and be successful.

I have 25+ years of experience in finance, analytics and accounting which I will utilize to ensure that the budget and district spending is transparent to taxpayers and appropriately allocated.

I have excellent communication skills and work well as a team. I will utilize these skills to collaborate with the other board members, ask questions instead of rubber stamping everything placed in front of me, make sure the community is informed of the actions being taken by the board and the progresses and challenges the district faces.

Survey

Response Legend

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

Question Response Comments/Notes
1. Requiring school officials, including teachers, to inform parents about their child’s social, mental, emotional, or physical health S* Parents must be involved in all aspects of their children's lives.The liberty of parents to direct the upbringing, education, health care and mental health of their children is a fundamental right.Parents play an irreplaceable role in the lives of their children. This vital relationship positively impacts a child's physical, mental, and emotional well-being. The right of parents to maintain a strong involvement in their children's lives and education must be upheld.
2. Allowing parents to opt their children out of activities or lessons they find offensive to their personal, moral, or religious beliefs S* Schools need to ensure that they follow the law and uphold the Arizona Parental Bill of Rights.
3. Increasing state and local taxes to provide more funding for schools and school facility projects O* The most recent budget passed on June 23, 2022, provided $18 billion in education funding, which included $1 billion in new funding. It is not clear that securing additional funding above and beyond that is required at this point. We need to ensure that the funding is properly allocated and that we do not just rubber stamp all unnecessary expenses without looking at all the possible options.
4. Requiring signed permission from a parent before a student may participate in any sexuality related instruction, activities, or clubs. S* I wholeheartedly support requiring parental consent prior to minor children participating in any sexually related activities or instruction.
5. Allowing all parents to use tax credits, vouchers, or education savings accounts to enable children to attend any public, charter, private, homeschool, or online academy S* I support an ESA For All/Universal ESA program that does not discriminate against any student. All children deserve to have access to the best educational environment for their individual needs, available to them.This will force schools to do better in order to earn the students.
6. Requiring full-day kindergarten for all students O* Full-day kindergarten should be available but should also be optional. A parent should be the one to decide if they feel that their child is ready to attend school for a full day.
7. Mandating sex education classes for 5th-12th grade students O* No. Sex education classes should not be mandatory. Diversity in cultures and values does not allow for a one-size-fits-all sex education. I support health, anatomy, and hygiene instruction, based in biology. Materials should be available to parents, and consent must be required.
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. masters degrees) S* I am in full support of merit-based performance pay. I would like to seek an alternative to standard assessments to determine merit. I believe that the measure of success is the improvement that a student achieves during the course of the school year. There are many amazing teachers that deserve to be compensated accordingly. Additional degrees only measure their success at being students, not being teachers.
9. Implementing policies to allow students and faculty to use the restroom, locker room, and shower room that aligns with their gender identity O* I do not support allowing those with the opposite biological sex to be permitted into areas where privacy and security are paramount.
10. Teaching what is known as diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI); social, emotional learning (SEL); or critical race theory (CRT) in public schools. O* I do not support any of these ideologies being promoted or taught in our schools. The primary function of schools is to educate, and schools are failing our children in basic academics. Our focus must return to core subject matters.
11. Increasing academic (curriculum) transparency by requiring each public school to post online for parents and the public a list of all instructional materials being used in the classroom. S* I support full transparency in curriculum and materials. The greatest determinant in the academic achievement of a child is parental involvement. Schools should do everything they can to encourage parents and make it as easy as possible for them to be more involved. Having access to the materials that our children were presented in the classroom allows for interest, discussion and the ability to help our kids and to reinforce the instruction that they received in class.