Bond

This video provides an overview of the bond. I see no other way to deal with the growth we are having in the district.

New Teacher Qualifications

I am disappointed that the State School Board decided to address the teacher shortage by reducing the standards for teachers. This shortage has been predicted since at least 2006 and the real solution is to provide increased support to attract high quality teachers.
http://www.sltrib.com/…/op-ed-all-viable-solutions-to-teach…

A Punny Story

I cant take credit for any of these puns. Most of them were provided by my talented and witty family.

Video in Watergarden Theatre

As I look to the future, I see an increasing demand for graduates with technology skills.

We need a school board member who will support our students in preparing for these high paying jobs.

My background as a Computer Science Professor and father of 9 Alpine School District students has prepared me to make a difference serving you.

A vote for Mark Clement is a vote for the future.

Local School Board Limitations

Some people have asked about what local school boards could change in terms of the core curriculum and SAGE testing.

This clarification from State Board of Education indicates that neither of these items can be modified by local school boards or charter schools. If you are concerned about changing these issues, then you should be selecting state school board members who share your views.

-------------------------------------------------
The Utah Core Standards (http://www.schools.utah.gov/core/Core.aspx) are under the governance of the Utah State Board of Education. Utah law does not permit local boards – district or charter – to opt out of state academic standards. The Utah State Board of Education did adopt the Common Core standards back in 2010. Common Core is limited to math and English language arts standards. Those standards have been revised since 2010 and are part of an ongoing process to evaluate their effectiveness and relevance. You can see the revision schedule here:http://www.schools.utah.gov/core/Revision.aspx/. You may want to also note the new federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA,http://www2.ed.gov/documents/essa-act-of-1965.pdf), passed earlier this year by Congress, prohibits the federal government from determining or approve state academic standards (you’ll find it on page 436 of the ESSA link above).

State law (http://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title53A/Chapter1/53A-1-S603.html…, section 3 specifically) requires the State Board to require computer-adaptive testing of all local districts and charter schools. That same rule – in section 9 – allows a district or charter to waive SAGE testing in grade 11. Though it’s not written into state law, the intent behind that waiver deals with all Utah public school students being given the ACT college entrance exam. If they’re taking the ACT, SAGE may be redundant and there is evidence this would be acceptable under the federal ESSA rules as well. Utah is not the only state moving in this direction.

Technology for Teachers

One of the most challenging aspects of my job as a High School teacher is providing individualized instruction to students who have very different learning styles.  I have found that when I use web page based tools in my instruction, the students can learn at their own pace and can be much more successful.  I want to prepare my students for jobs that will require strong math and science skills.  A vote for Mark Clement for Alpine School Board is a vote to provide technology tools for teachers who want to use them.

Local Control

Local control is a common buzz word in todays politics.

What can an Alpine School Board member really do?

They can't eliminate federal programs or eliminate federal requirements.

Congress and Department of Education can make these changes, but not the district school board.

The Governor and State Board of Education can negotiate for waivers, but a local school board member cant impact these federal requirements.

A district school board member can't change testing.

All districts must Implement state tests.

District School Boards can’t alter the test created by the State School Board.

Home schooling lets parents control curriculum, but a particular parent cant have total control over their school curriculum.

The Alpine School Board doesn't oversee home schools.

They also don’t oversee charter schools.

A district school board member can have an impact.

Mark Clement disagreed with the investigations math curriculum.

He pushed for local control by giving parents more influence in how math is taught.

Parents helped select math text books that had more of a balanced approach.

Vote for Mark Clement for Real Local Control