Name: Rick Ainge

Race: Nebo School District Board of Education Seat 4

Email: voterick4nebo@gmail.com

Occupation: Certified Public Accountant

Age: 54

Education: Masters of Accountancy – Brigham Young University

Facebook: Rick Ainge for Nebo School District, @voterick4nebo

What are the biggest issues facing Utah Valley and how do you plan to address them?

One of the biggest issues facing Nebo School District is ensuring that we have high quality teachers for our students. Highly effective teachers are the most important factor affecting student learning and student achievement. A major focus must be placed on attracting and retaining high quality teachers and providing them with the training, support, materials, technology, and resources they need to reach their potential and become highly effective. Collaboration is essential to ensure that best practices are shared and are available for all teachers to use in their classrooms. Support from their principal, and support from the district are critical to their success.

One thing I have learned is that being a school board member means dealing with many difficult issues and at times making difficult decisions. I have also learned that keeping a constant focus on what is best for students makes these issues and decisions easier and more meaningful. As we consider options and make decisions, our conversation and our analysis must be centered on students. We must maintain a constant focus on student learning and achievement. Our decisions must be based on relevant and reliable data regarding student growth.

School and student safety is another critical issue we face. We must continue to work diligently to make our schools as safe as they can be. Our efforts with respect to improving safety and security in our schools must be multi-faceted, and address all of the many different challenges and potential threats our schools and our students face. They must have an emphasis on preventative measures, an emphasis on preparation and training on how to deal with emergencies and crisis situations, and an emphasis on supporting and helping our students and employees deal with and recover from a traumatic event. I believe that our strongest focus must be on preventative measures. These measures include expanding mental health services, increasing the numbers of school counselors, social workers, and other mental health professionals, expanding preschool, and increasing or expanding prevention programs in our schools. Additional school resource officers and an increased police presence is a great prevention measure and can foster better communication and collaboration during a crisis event. We must continue to modify our existing facilities to further control access and enhance safety and security as quickly as our resources allow. We must ensure that the design of new schools has a strong focus on safety and utilizes the best and most up to date technology and security features. Finally, we must also focus on technologies that are available to improve communication, identify areas of exposure, deter or isolate threats, and improve overall safety and security in our buildings.

What sets you apart from other candidates?

In my professional life, I am a Certified Public Accountant. I have owned and managed my own accounting firm for the past 28 years. I firmly believe that my skills and experience in accounting, finance, and business have been especially helpful to me as a school board member and have been very beneficial for the district. Nebo School District has a AAA bond rating (the highest rating you can get). In their analysis, the rating company stated that the school board contained members with significant accounting and financial expertise and cited this as a factor contributing to the high rating.

What relevant experience do you have for this position?

I am currently in my eighth year of serving on the Nebo School Board. I served as Board President for two of those years. I have served on many district committees and have worked closely with some of the best educators and administrators around. I have also represented Nebo School District serving on the Board of Directors of the Utah School Boards Association for the past four years, including serving as Vice-President and, currently, President-Elect of the association. In this capacity I have had the opportunity to work with school board members from around the state as well as across the country. I have been able to learn from their successes and from their mistakes and have learned much about what makes an effective school board and an effective school board member. This has also been a great opportunity to work closely with legislators and State School Board members and be a strong advocate for public education in Nebo School District and the State of Utah as a whole.

What previous elected positions have you held?

Nebo School District board member for eight years.

Is there anything else you want your readers to know about you?

I was born and raised in Spanish Fork. My wife and I have lived in Salem for the past 26 years. We were both educated in the schools of Nebo School District, as were our children. Most likely our grandchildren will all receive their education in Nebo District. I am passionate about public education and fully dedicated to ensuring that the students of Nebo School District receive the best educational experience possible. I believe that our communities are wonderful, exceptional places to live and raise a family, and I believe that Nebo School District can and does provide a world-class educational experience for our students. Together, with hard work, we can ensure that public education in Nebo School District is an excellent investment of our time, talents, and resources.