In August of 2020 The Arizona Republic asked the Maricopa County School Superintendent candidates a series of questions.
What additional support would you provide teachers through the pandemic?
During the pandemic my office has provided support for teachers and districts throughout the county. For example, I am actively working with county public health leaders, to distribute COVID protection equipment to our districts and charter schools. Anything I can do to help create a healthy and safe environment for our teachers is paramount at the moment. Early in the pandemic, I created an online message board for teachers to share ideas about what is working, or not, as they establish their online classrooms. We invited not just teachers in Maricopa County, but educators across the state to share their experiences and ideas around what works in online education. We also shifted our professional development for teachers online. This summer we are hosting internet accessible professional learning experiences in conjunction with Palo Verde Generating Station, and federally-funded cybersecurity educators at Cyber.org.