Craig Beckman

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Craig Beckman

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 8, 2022

Personal

Profession

Owner, Small business

Contact

Campaign website

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Craig Beckman ran for election for an at-large seat of the Deer Valley Unified School District in Arizona. He lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Beckman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Craig Beckman's career experience includes working in business management, marketing, communications, consulting, and as a small business owner.

Elections

2022

See also: Deer Valley Unified School District, Arizona, elections (2022)

General election

General election for Deer Valley Unified School District, At-large (2 seats)

Stephanie Simacek and Paul Carver defeated Tony Bouie and Craig Beckman in the general election for Deer Valley Unified School District, At-large on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Stephanie Simacek (Nonpartisan)	27.3	38,837
✔	Submit photo	Paul Carver (Nonpartisan)	26.3	37,366
	Submit photo	Tony Bouie (Nonpartisan)	24.1	34,269
		Craig Beckman (Nonpartisan)	22.0	31,259
		Other/Write-in votes	0.3	380

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 142,111
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Melody Holehan‐Kopas (Nonpartisan)
• David Alvarado (Nonpartisan)

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Craig Beckman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Beckman's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a father, a husband, and a passionate advocate for public education. With an 8-year-old in the district participating in the Spanish immersion and gifted programs and a 4-year-old who will attend a DVUSD school for kindergarten next year, I’m highly involved in my own children's education and work to help other parents participate throughout their children’s educational journey. For nearly two years, I have been the admin of a Facebook group dedicated to the parents and guardians of DVUSD students, providing nearly 5,000 members with district updates, helping them understand new policies, recapping board meetings to keep them informed, and fostering discussion that helps guide the DVUSD community through the challenges of parenting.

I’m a local business owner - a full-service marketing and advertising agency specializing in marketing and communications for small-to-medium-sized businesses, nonprofits, and schools, both locally and nationally.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Attract and retain qualified teachers and staff through increased pay, improved benefits packages, and better support.
• Improve communications with all stakeholder groups, emphasizing parents/guardians, to improve the parent-teacher relationships and provide more opportunities for involvement.
• Champion massive improvements to our special needs programs. Make getting an IEP/504 easier, ensure our students get the support they deserve, and provide programs to support parents and guardians.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Education is my primary focus. This area of public policy and profession is to do everything with a student-centered focus. It is one of the most important and valuable professions in the world. Without educators, there would be no other professions. Whether we have college-bound students or students who are more likely to go into the workforce right out of high school, we need to provide them with the tools and resources they need to be prepared for the real world. A big piece of that puzzle is providing educators with the support, funding, and resources they need to support our students. As parents, as a community, and as a society, we can do better to support our public education system and those who pour their hearts and souls into providing life-changing opportunities to our community’s youth. I believe that I can help solve some of the concerns and challenges that we face as a district.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

For a school board position, I believe that the most important quality for an elected official is the ability to remain nonpartisan. Personal politics and agendas have no place in public education - we are tasked with representing a community with many students with individual needs, and we need to ensure that we’re offering equal opportunities for everyone. No child should suffer from inequalities in education because of who they are or where they come from.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to leave a legacy of respect. Respect for our students, treating them like the next generation of good people that they will become. Respect for parents, allowing them to make the best decisions for their children, and providing them with the tools and resources they need to help their students succeed. And respect for our educators and staff, bringing back the prestige and desire for the next generation to enter the profession.

Who are your constituents?

The constituents of the DVUSD governing board are the community. We are to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars, communicate at a high level with all stakeholder groups, and ensure that our schools adequately prepare our community’s children for the real world.

That being said, I believe that students, parents, and teachers/staff always need to be prioritized in the decision-making process. This role has everything to do with our students in mind, and those that will be impacted the most by the decisions we make deserve to have the most voice in that process.

How would you support the diverse needs of your district’s students, faculty, staff, and community?

I will support the diverse needs of our district’s stakeholders by ensuring that the school board remains nonpartisan. DVUSD covers 364 square miles, 42 schools, 32k students, and 4k employees - from all different backgrounds, religions, socioeconomic statuses, and individual needs. Every single one of them deserves equal representation. Our students do not have an R or a D next to their name, and every child deserves an education that is equal and equitable.

I will fight for the constitutional rights of every student, parent, and staff member regardless of who they are or what they believe. I will make decisions that are best for the community, with their input, not based on political rhetoric. Education is not political, it is the future of our community.

What will you do to build a relationship with parents in the district? What plans do you have to be inclusive of parental involvement?

When elected, I’ll use my position as a governing board member and professional expertise to help improve the relationships between all stakeholder groups through thoughtful and clear communications. Our students, parents, teachers, and community members deserve a high level of communication regarding policies impacting them, how their tax dollars are being spent, what issues need to be addressed, and what accomplishments we’re celebrating. With my background and experience in marketing and communications, I’ll work to identify new communication channels, improve communications clarity, and standardize communications processes and expectations throughout the district. We can work together to make the best decisions for our children when we are all informed and have the most accurate information possible.

With that improved implementation comes additional awareness and opportunities of parental involvement. Study after study has shown that parental involvement is a key indicator of the success of a student, so we need to provide our parents and guardians with ample opportunity. I will champion increased volunteer opportunities, programs that teach parents how to help with homework, increased PTSA/PTSO involvement, communicate and encourage involvement in the district decision-making process, and many more opportunities to involve our parents.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Candidate

Deer Valley Unified School District, At-large

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