Thread by @DeborahGatrell1

I'm here at @IECHS for the @UTBoardofEd district 8 seat debate tonight, between @audryn_d and Christina Bogess. Full disclosure, I am Team Audryn all the way. And my battery is low. But I will love tweet as best I can as long as I can and link the YouTube recording later. #utpol

Election day is in 4 weeks, but ballots will come in the mail soon. 2 minute opening statements. Questions from the moderator and 90 s to respond. Option to rebut responses, as desired. Last half hour will be audience and viewer Qs. Candidates do no know Qs. CB goes first.

CB a mom of 3 young boys and an educator. 21 years experience teaching in a variety of schools. Deeply rooted understanding of education. Education and secondary, rural and urban, active shootings and aftermath, award winning schools. Been there for 20 years. Touched every facet.

Audryn is a SpEd teacher in Granite. This is terrifying. Describes a student with Marfan syndrome, 6'10". Her message changed his life. He gave her his keys so he wouldn't cut class. Here for parent she texted every day to get child to graduation.

First Q: What brought you to teaching? How will that be an asset? Audryn wasn't planning to be a teacher. Wanted to be a scientist. Taught swim lessons. Connected well with a SpEd student. Supervisor told her to consider SpEd since she would be good at it. Desire to connect.

CB a music specialist in SLCSD. Teaches everything within music, even Geography. Taught palindrome through English. Came to teaching through a teacher. Was a young mother. A teacher said she would be good at this. Serves in multiple buildings in multiple capacities. Brings those.

96% of #uted students rely on public education. Speak to commitment to public ed and responsibility of board. CB approx 700k students. Come to board position w/ humility. There are things to celebrate. People to rely on. But significant concerns in proficiency and tchr attrition.

Audryn often considers "what comes next" for students? Transitions. Academics & soft skills. Constantly works on communication. Need to create opportunities for students. Focus on creating community with resources students need to be successful. CB adds need for skills, esp math.

Next Q: top 3 priorities? If you don't have to fight with board members? Audryn wants to bring teamwork, collaboration, and stewardship. 1. Students need to feel safe so they can learn. Goal to create lifelong learners. 2. Address teacher retention. 3. College & career readiness.

CB offended she only gets 3 priorities. 1. Reduce teacher workload. Overwhelming. Irresponsible that school board has not addressed that. 2. Streamline education along academic skills. Don't elevate SEL, or we have lost the battle. 3. Transparency w/i state agency. Find agenda.

Minutes were missing from board website for months. Meetings are 14 hours long, that doesn't feel transparent.

Next Q addresses model USBE portrait of a graduate. 20 Competenties. Many are academic but not all. Model; districts not required to adopt.
CB first. Biggest issue, some goals not quantifiable. How do you measure grit? Honesty? Is it measurable? Achievable? Can't be legislated.

Is it appropriate? Students should not be expected to come out as cookie cutter products. Students come with different assets.

Audryn loves focus of USBE Portrait of a Graduate. Went to @GraniteSchools board meeting last week and heard district discuss ideas. Was impressed by photo of student who said he wanted to grow up to be a doctor, and his parents were his heroes. Excited to see where it goes.

Next Q: What should we do about testing?
Audryn first. As SpEd teacher, needs data to compare her students to GenEd students to qualify students and develop goals. Need good data, but no need to overtest.

CB lists a number of tests. 20 on state opt out form. Can't list them all, so too many. Argues opt out rate hasn't met DOE 5% level of concern. Does think there are too many assessments. 4 weeks of assessment every year. Lost instructional time. Time to build relationships. Etc.

Huge stressors to educators. Would love educators to be under less stress.

Next Q: Proficiency rates are low and graduation rates are high. Utah ACT scores above average. What does this mean?
CB could we be graduating students who are unprepared? Both data points cannot be true at the same time. ACT score above average but still in bottom 3rd.

Wants to focus on academics. Emotional concerns are important but cannot be priority.

Audryn next. Dad a doctor. Residents shadow him. Says there are brilliant people who kick social skills. Need to give students academic AND soft skills. Went to Elementary community council. Principal excited about reading achievement, making growth. Loved hope in meeting goal.

Need to work with districts and schools to support their needs.

First online Q: is either candidate aligned with or supported by Utah Parents United.
Audryn: no
CB says not endorsed or supported by UPU. Stands as an individual because she disagrees with them on some policy positions.

Monica Wilbur (UPU) asks first audience Q about overt, and over-socialization of society and schools. CB says clearly role of parents, but some kids come to school without needed skills that schools then must. Parents responsibility first, but falls to schools.

Audryn recognizes Monica Wilbur. Reference directed studies class. Sees everything happening in school while helping students. Blown away by Scarlett Letter ELA assignment, critical thinking bias assignment. Schools help students develop independence, and should.

Next Q from a 14 year old asking about explicit content in middle school and high school library.
Audryn recognizes student bravery for asking Qs. Books are windows. Spoke with librarians & attended community council discussing porn in schools & books. Librarian asked abt porn.

Librarian said no porn, but there is a diverse range of literature that represents different experiences. Important to recognize diversity.

CB cites UPU talking point, that local institutions must come into compliance with law banning porn in schools. Not open for discussion.

Next Q from @anderbrooke - asks how issues will be kept local with national issues taking up air time and driving agendas...

CB says you just keep it local. Do your job.

Audryn went to Legislative Day on the Hill w/ @HSG_UT. Amazed at how legislative process works. Hot button social media topics take away from priority issues impacting students directly. Spoke of student whose family being evicted. Wanted to come to school, but not sure he could.

Online Q abt student health/safety survey (SHARP reference). Audryn says good data important.
CB thinks Q nefarious. Educators don't need survey to tell them how students are doing. 63% of educators doing the job more than 7 years. Do the surveys violate 4th amendment? Privacy?

Do we send students to school to take mental health surveys? She doesn't. And students to school to learn reading, etc.

Audryn responds. Speaks of African student, trying to figure out how to be a student. Parents pushing tribal culture. Student won't always share.

CB says data is deidentified and would not help Audryn.

Next audience Q about massive amounts of data being collected. Is it being protected?
CB says isn't being protected. FERPA won't protect it at the nstional level. State board needs to comply w/ law & intent. Says some surveys pay for data. Are we elevating data over academics?

Audryn discussed procedural safeguards in IEPs. Have 5o be very careful.
CB goes on abt 4th amendment. Concerned abt electronic data.

Next online Q: Biggest concern of minority students? CB says expectations. Expectations are too low for these students. Approach assets as springboard to reach for stars and not for excuses. References someone in Utah who speaks of bigotry of low expectations.

Audryn says Kearns the 2nd minority majority school in nation. Speaks of q student she loves who is a little sassy and struggles to get to class. LIA teacher recommended she join GEAR UP. Student leadership opportunity chqnge4 get life. Create opportunities for students. Support.

CB loves Audryn's story. Says many students, even majority, have same struggles. Programs should be in pave for every kid. Labeling students divided them.

Final audience Q. Student referenced a map (math) test from last year. Couldn't answer Qs without revealing his or parents political ideas. Audryn recognizes brave soul. Would love to see assessments, thinking abt ACT info Qs, that help plan for what comes next. Can't JUST do 3Rs

CB says MASS test is funded by Bill Gates. RISE test is test of record. Not sure why Granite school would have both. Qs of a private nature are in violation of state law. Should have been reported.

Closing statements now. Battery dead. Will catch rest later.

[Back up battery. Follow up comments. First, typing with thumbs us hard so apologies for typos. Second, no direct quotes. But I try to capture authentic meaning. Check livestream - I will post when I get home & find it. Third, I appreciate the professionalism &respect tonight.]

[Finally, I am 100% certain a significant # of Qs tonight came from UPU "plants." They have ever right to come and ask Qs, but my sense is the Qs were likely coordinated to allow CB to put out specific UPU talking points. Can't prove it, but known UPU attendees asked those Qs.]

[Furthermore, based on what I have heard from reliable sources on CB, I believe she intentionally misrepresented her relationship with UPU and made demonstrably false allegations on several other points. More to follow if/when I have time to do any research on this.]

Top shelf school board candidates here tonight! @VoteCarolLear @audryn_d @votereale #uted #utpol

Here is the link to the hour long debate if you would like to hear the candidates for Utah State School Board District 8 speak for themselves. Be warned, one of them frequently makes outlandish claims. #uted #utpol

Oh look, the internet is amazing. Utah Parents United hosted a meet the candidate event including Christina Boggess at the Hunter Library in May this year. She is definitely a UPU candidate. #uted #utpol

Here it is with their original post... Christina Boggess denied being a UPU candidate tonight at the Debate. That was a misrepresentation, at best. #uted #utpol

Here we have Christina Boggess quoted in a "documentary" claiming Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion is code for CRT. Thanks again, Sen Johnson, for bringing the hate last school year. UPU whole heartedly endorsed this false narrative parading as an expose. standard.net/news/local/202…

And here we have, in August of this year, Christina Boggess encouraging parents in the Utahns Against Common Core Facebook group to check out a homeschooling resource.
Using the anti-public education code words "government schools."
Again, UPU approves of this message.

Another fun Christina Boggess post from February of this year, again to Utahns Against Common Core. This time, she is complaining about "educratic malfeasance." She also says we need to refuse government money, oversight, & intervention... Umm. Probably meant DOEd. UPU approves.

The Bill Gates conspiracy response she gave to a question from a student? I'm told that one was asked by her SON, so obviously a planted question. She definitely needed to say that to somebody for some reason... But who? Here is the test information: nwea.org/map-growth/?fb…

She also claimed @GraniteSchools is using the MAPS assessment, at least in some schools. I've never heard of it, but I will inquire tomorrow... Even so, BILL GATES conspiracies? Talk about inserting national garbage into local issues - something she disavowed when asked that Q.

Now, to be fair, it does not seem Christina Boggess recieved contributions from the new UPU PAC. However, it appears she has recieved multiple donations from known UPU members. #uted #utpol disclosures.utah.gov/Search/PublicS…

Again, to be fair, it does not appear UPU endorsed a candidate in USBE district 8 (despite hosting Meet the Candidate events). Maybe support now is quiet since UPU endorsed USBE candidates were trounced in the primaries? [Gotta love the wayback machine...] web.archive.org/web/2022061401…

In another curious twist, I looked for a family photo to confirm the MAP assessment question came from her son. She doesn't appear to have family photos ANYWHERE in her candidate website or social media. That's unusual for candidates claiming MOM is their #1 job.

I did find one with Christina's husband & two boys. It WAS her son who asked that very specific question. Ironic considering she said a different Q was "nefarious" b/c it seemed the questioner knew her or Audryn's position already.
The best part? A red MAGA hat. #uted #utpol