1 / 3

Randy Boothe

2 / 3

Jeff Rust

3 / 3

Generic ballot

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The current pervasive pandemic has prompted many conversations about how we long to return back to normal. Many, however, insist that we will never return to “normal,” but rather, a “new normal” where people more willingly work “together” to ensure a bright future.

We are both running for Utah State Board of Education District 13 because we care about the future of our state and the education of our children. We are committed to providing an excellent education for every child. As we run into each other on the campaign trail, we discover that we share certain values and principles: greater emphasis on local control of education; parents, the student and the teacher working together so each student can maximize their potential; and spending decisions being made at the local level. We are both fiscal conservatives who believe in efficient use of taxpayer dollars. We also want to promote innovation using educational best practices.

We were inspired by an article recently written by Utah State Superintendent Sydnee Dickson, who made the case that while we are in a “new now,” we should be learning lessons that will result in a “new future” for public education. She said, “Eventually, we will be able to return to face-to-face instruction and engage in the rituals that we’re missing at this time. But, we need to recognize that the “normal,” has inevitably changed. The “new future” is one where we fully appreciate the importance of human connection and relationships in learning. It is one where lessons learned from digital teaching have informed efforts to personalize instruction for every learner. This time physically apart paves the way for validating student learning based on mastery, as opposed to some of the time-based constructs the system often relies on.”

Like she says, we need to take the very best from the “new now” and implement it into the day-to-day lesson plans of the “new future.” We remain optimistic in this time of disruption that Utah will emerge from the pandemic stronger and better able to educate children. Sometimes innovation happens organically and sometimes we see it thrust upon us like the current COVID-19 situation. We praise our Utah teachers for adapting to this environment of “social distancing,” “self-quarantine” and “shelter at home.”

While we are both competing for the same school board seat, we agree on much more than we disagree. We ask for your support at the upcoming convention. At the convention, you will rank candidates in order of preference. You can indicate a first choice, and then a second choice in the event your first choice has been eliminated.

We ask you to make us your first and your second choice. Thank you for caring about our children, our teachers and the future of our schools. Working together, we can continue to provide an excellent education for our children.