My name is Denise Walker, and I am running for the Prescott School Board Zone 4. I have been a resident of Prescott since 2012. I am a former Registered Nurse and have also worked in public school as a special education paraprofessional for 2 years. My husband is the owner of Prescott Automotive that was established 15 years ago. Lee is from Prescott and is a 1993 graduate of PHS. We recently took ownership of Danctastics Dance Studio in Hope where our daughter has been a dancer for 9 years. I am a supporter of the Prescott Athletic Boosters and volunteer at the concession stand for basketball games. My husband is a AAA track and field official. We have two children that attend PHS and have been involved in athletics, band, quiz bowl and chess tournaments.
I decided to run for school board this past fall because I have seen many changes in our school that have concerned me. I feel that being a school board member is one way I could help support the school and be a voice for parents, students and the community. I want to see every child in our district receive equal educational and extracurricular activity opportunities. We have seen a decline in student enrollment in our district over the last ten years. Public school enrollment has declined over the entire state recently also. This concerns me because I want to see our schools be the best they can be. My husband and I have always been advocates for public schools. My parents were both public school teachers and principals, so I have the upmost respect for schoolteachers and school employees. I want our school to be one where parents would want their children to go too. When our children became school age, we were living in Hot Springs, but we moved to Prescott so our children could go to school here. We were impressed with Prescott’s academic accomplishments and the extracurricular activities
A few concerns I have currently are:
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Discipline in the classroom. Ensuring teachers get the support they need with students that have behavior problems and getting those students the help they need.
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Hiring qualified licensed teachers and ensuring a thorough background check is completed.
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Using textbooks more. Computers are a wonderful tool, but not all students learn as well with online class work. Having paper and pencil options available also for those students that prefer this.
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Helping academic and extracurricular activities programs work together. Education is number one always. I do feel that activities can help students learn other skills they may not learn in the classroom. Having these activities available is important to students who want to be involved.
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Ensuring the school board listens to the public. This is very important to me as a parent. The school board’s purpose is to be an advocate for the public and bring concerns to the superintendent. May times the parents and community members do not feel heard.
My main concern is ensuring each student gets the support they need. They all have different needs, and I want to do my part to help achieve this. We love our community and want us to come together for the greater good, the children! The school board election is on March 3 and is part of the general election this year. I encourage everyone to vote and let their voice be heard. This is a very important election! If anyone would like to talk with me about any issues or concerns, they have, please reach out. My email is neciejack80@outlook.com. Thank you for your support. Go Curley Wolves!!