If the
“third time’s the charm,” as the saying goes, Julia Hover-Smoot
will be successful at her third attempt at election to a School
Board seat, but she doesn’t believe she needs a “charm” to be
elected.
If the “third time’s the charm,” as the saying goes, Julia Hover-Smoot will be successful at her third attempt at election to a School Board seat, but she doesn’t believe she needs a “charm” to be elected.
“Perhaps the community has finally come around to my point of view,” she said. “In the past, the focus has been on facilities … I think now, for the most part, we’ve put to rest the issue of facilities. I think we’ve reached the point where an academic focus is more important. I’d like to make it a number one priority in our district.”
Hover-Smoot, who has served as a substitute teacher at Live Oak High, said she believes it is important to improve the opportunities for the “middle core” of students, as well as those who are at the bottom in terms of achievement.
“I consider every child out there gifted,” she said. “They don’t start smart, they get smart. And I think we need to act as if every child is gifted. I have more and more friends sending kids to private schools because they are not feeling like the average student is getting very much at public schools.”
The district should be creative in coming up with ways to bring those students up to their potential, maybe utilizing volunteers from the business community as well as the parent community.
“These kids don’t get in advanced classes, if you look at the flow charts in the district,” said Hover-Smoot, who has spent time on the Paradise Valley School Site Council, as well as the districtwide DACIE committee.
“Some of those kids can never flow toward advanced classes. All flow charts should have a pathway to advanced classes … I think if those kids have one-on-one tutoring or small group tutoring, an English “boot camp” or math camp, for example, they would quickly advance. Other districts are doing it. I think you could get parents to do that, even shortie boot camps to try to bump them up. This is a town full of people who want to give.”
To achieve academic success for all students, another component is extremely important, said Hover-Smoot.
“The number one indicator of academic success is teacher education,” she said. “Our teachers are an undervalued resource; we need to go from lip service to loving them. By that I mean not only money but also enrichment.
“Enrichment takes money, too. We need to look at how to decide how to find other things to cut, if necessary. Maybe we need to pass another parcel tax. I think that would not be an unreasonable thing for this community.”
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. She can be reached by e-mail at md****@*************es.com or calling (408) 779-4106 Ext. 202
