UT-SB-Virginia Yazzie Howard

1. Please briefly describe your background (education, family, occupation, etc).

It is my hope to be the one to bring change to the Utah School Board of Education. I am Native American Indian, Married and I have five children. I graduated from University of Utah, with a B.S degree in Sociology.

2. Why did you decide to run for school board, and what do you hope to accomplish if elected?

After many years of working, and being a part owner of a business, in May of 2009, I decided to return home to become a full time Homemaker. However, I found myself thinking that I needed to make a difference in our society and in the community. District 14 is mostly rural. There are many Schools that have to travel long distance to attend functions held by the governor, or any type of educational conferences held in Salt Lake City. This however, can be an expense to many Schools, and to families. It will be my goal to have some type of satellite communication brought to those Schools wanting to attend and cannot due to funding. All students should have the privilege to hear the Governor at the Governors conference.

3. If elected, would you support adopting Texas' new state history standards with slight modifications to include important Utah facts? Here's a link to information if you haven't looked into this. See http://www.utahsrepublic.org/standards/the-awesome-new-texas-history-standards/

I must study the Texas Standard more and intensely before making a hast answer on the subject of adopting the Texas Standard to Utah.

4. How would you handle a problem with an administrator, i.e. an administrator is engaging in unethical behavior, or lying to a parent, etc…

An administer is an employee and must be dealt as such.

5. If elected, would you support replacing Utah's current math standards, or only slightly adjusting from, the standards of an international leader like Singapore or Japan or even one of the top math states in America like Massachusetts? See http://www.utahsmathfuture.com/

MATH- How it is taught needs to change-perhaps Who teaches math must be changed. Our education is failing because of it. And, I am not sure that bringing the Singapore, or Japan Math to our schools is the answer. I believe, our country has the intelligence in Mathematics to correct our own system. And then, of course I am not oppose of doing a study with it here in Utah.

6. How would you encourage and support more parental involvement in the schools and with the board itself?

I personally know that some school districts believe that some parents will not and cannot get involved because the parent(s) are to busy and They do not help their children with homework or their readings due to the level of the parents education. We have to change our views about parents in order to ask for help and involvement.

7. Are you interested in taking a class on the US Constitution and would you encourage the teaching of the Constitution in the schools in the words of our Founding Fathers?

I am always ready to take a class- as for, the U.S constitution class, Our founding fathers had good ideas. I love my country as is and as will be.

8. When you take your oath of office as a school board member, you swear to protect the constitution from domestic enemies. What type of domestic enemy do you see as possibly affecting our educational system?

Protecting The Constitution from domestic enemies: Teachers need to teach correctly from our text books. The basic education seems to have slipped and other unnecessary school clubs or groups have become more important and has devalued our educational system.