John Harrison, candidate for Maize school board District 2
Name: John Harrison
Age: 43
Occupation: Insurance Broker
Previous government service: None
Have you run for office before? (Please list any previous offices sought)
No.
What is the top issue in your race, and how would you address it?
Transparency is one of the top issues that is currently facing our district. Throughout my campaign, I have met with teachers, parents and community members, as an attempt to create an open dialogue and an improved sense of connectedness. I believe it is imperative that we have parents of current students on our board. Only those that are directly impacted by the board’s decisions are adequately positioned to make those important decisions. Additionally-- how can we effect positive change, if we aren’t talking to the people directly impacted by our decisions? We need to be intentional about creating an environment where people feel heard, seen and represented. I am hopeful that as a potential board member I can bring transparency and accountability to the board through effective communication and accessibility, and a desire to represent my constituents.
What would your top 3 policy priorities be?
There is currently a huge demand for skilled labor—like electrical and plumbing contractors. College isn’t for everyone, and I think we could put some of our students on a path for great success by finding ways to offer a more expansive curriculum in our career academy. We could partner with local contractors, and/or technical colleges.
I think it would be beneficial to have teachers evaluating our building administrators, and I think our teachers and our administrators should be evaluating our superintendent. This is regularly practiced in the business world, and I think our district could benefit from regular evaluations. This would improve ACCOUNTABILITY and TRANSPARENCY.
We currently have a Mental Health Intervention Team, and according to data they’ve had success treating those students that might be suffering. I believe the pandemic has probably only exacerbated the need for these interventions. As a member of the board, I’ll make sure these issues are addressed.
Campaign website:
None
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