Marvene Lobato

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

Marvene Lobato

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 8, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

University of Northern Colorado, 1980

Other

Argosy University, 2014

Graduate

Northern Arizona University, 1986

Personal

Birthplace

Monte Vista, CO

Religion

Catholic

Profession

Educator

Marvene Lobato ran for election for an at-large seat of the Fowler Elementary School District in Arizona. She lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.

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

Biography

Marvene Lobato was born in Monte Vista, Colorado. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Northern Colorado in 1980, a graduate degree from Northern Arizona University in 1986, and another degree from Argosy University in 2014. Her career experience includes working as an educator, administrator, and superintendent.

Lobato has been affiliated with the following organizations:

• Arizona Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents
• Arizona List
• Save Our Schools Arizona

Elections

2022

See also: Fowler Elementary School District, Arizona, elections (2022)

General election

General election for Fowler Elementary School District, At-large (2 seats)

Incumbent Francisca Montoya and Lisa Perez defeated Leezah Sun and Marvene Lobato in the general election for Fowler Elementary School District, At-large on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Francisca Montoya (Nonpartisan)	30.5	1,985
✔	Submit photo	Lisa Perez (Nonpartisan)	29.0	1,886
		Leezah Sun (Nonpartisan)	25.0	1,629
		Marvene Lobato (Nonpartisan)	14.8	964
		Other/Write-in votes	0.7	44

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 6,508
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Marvene Lobato completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Lobato's responses.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Dr. Marvene Lobato. I have lived in the Fowler Elementary School District for 17 years. I have served as a public educator for 40 years in Arizona and Colorado. My experience in public education includes the following positions: Elementary Teacher, Elementary Principal, Director of Elementary Education, Business Manager, Executive Director for Business Services, Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services and Superintendent. I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Northern Colorado in Elementary Education. My Master of Arts degree is in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University. I received my Doctorate of Education degree from Argosy University - Phoenix, in Higher Education Teaching and Learning.

I am a strong advocate for students to receive optimal learning experiences that will enhance their interest in exploring and learning. I believe that every student should be provided with opportunities that highlight their areas of strength and provide resources to address their areas of challenge. I have been the voice for students and families at the local and state level. I continue to serve on a Maricopa County Foster Care Review Board and serve as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA).

I live by the following quotes: “Every student can learn, just not on the same day, or the same way.” -George Evans “Never look down on anybody, unless you are helping them up.” – Rev. Jesse Jackson

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?

• I will strive to ensure that the school district has sound finance practices and budget appropriations. The school district budget should have adequate allocations for schools and classrooms to have supplies and equipment needed by students and teachers. I will advocate for increased state funding and develop strategies to increase student enrollment.
• The biggest issue impacting K-12 students in Arizona is addressing the learning that did not take place during the pandemic. Educators need to identify the support needed to identify the needs of each student and initiate reasonable achievement plans by grade levels and grade bands. Student achievement has declined and is visible in classrooms today. Educators value partnerships with parents and will embrace the opportunity to work alongside them to assist students in recovering their learning loss.
• Effective communication between parents, community and schools builds strong relationships. Relationships promote active involvement and engagement which create new learning opportunities for students. This teamwork approach helps meet unique student, classroom and school needs. All parties must take responsibility for communicating openly and working through barriers that surface.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

The on-set of the pandemic caused chaos for many school districts nationwide. School districts scrambled to provide computers for each student and a learning management system for instruction. Many public educators were not prepared to teach students remotely. Families faced the dilemma of technology and internet accessibility for their children to attend school online. Students had the most burden placed on them when the pandemic interfered with their learning. Students were isolated with limited assistance from an adult as they attended class online. The one-on-one interaction students had with their teacher in the past was sometimes nonexistent. Everyone did their best, but in many cases student achievement growth was stifled.

The biggest issue impacting K-12 students in Arizona is addressing the learning that did not take place during the pandemic. Educators need to identify the support needed to identify the needs of each student and initiate reasonable achievement plans by grade levels and grade bands. Student achievement has declined and is visible in classrooms today. Educators value partnerships with parents and will embrace the opportunity to work alongside them to assist students in making up missed learning.

The impact the pandemic has had on education will be felt for quite a while.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I believe Rosa Parks is someone who set an example that I have tried to follow. Rosa Parks helped initiate the civil rights movement. She had a belief that was important to her and humanity. She stood up for what she believed. She didn't rely on others to take action, she took action. Sometimes you have to take a stand and do so by yourself. It pains me to see injustices experienced by anyone. It's important to me that our communities do not allow segregation to resurface in any form. When you stand up for what you believe in, you do so with decorum.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I believe I possess the following qualities that are needed to be a successful officeholder: collaborator, initiator and listener. It is important to be able to collaborate with others who share and don't share your viewpoints. Being a collaborator means you need to take initiative and seek out others to problem solve and/or discuss a new idea or issue. When you collaborate and take initiative you must be a good listener. Others will share their views, but a good listener is active by engaging in the conversation by asking clarifying questions. The active listener finds common ground; or offers an outcome that is negotiable; and acknowledge any changes, if needed.

What legacy would you like to leave?

The legacy I hope to leave is that we should work alongside one another to make a difference in the world as we know it. We should be able to lean on and support one another.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The death of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963 was the first historical event that happened in my lifetime. I was five years old.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I was hired as a car-hop for the summer when I was 16. The small business belonged to a community member and sold hamburgers, soda drinks and soft serve ice cream. I had the job for three months and earned 90 cents an hour.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

In my adult life I have struggled with understanding why anyone could dislike another due to their personal beliefs. We don't have to agree with everyone, but we shouldn't be disrespectful by forcing our beliefs on another individual.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

I believe the primary job of a school board member is oversee and make decisions regarding financial and instructional operations of a school district. The school board must have a good understanding of the district budget. They must review the budget at each of their meetings and stay engaged in the fiscal health of the district. A sound, balanced budget is the foundation of any school district. Instructional needs can be addressed when the budget is balanced. Instructional leaders need budgetary parameters to address the needs in the classrooms and students. Site administrators and teachers will be frugal with their allocated site budget. Educators have learned to be creative with how to meet the needs of their students using lean budgets.

Do you believe it is important to intentionally recruit with the aim of diversifying the district’s faculty, staff, and administration? If so, what would be your policy to achieve this?

I believe our students deserve to have the most qualified teacher regardless of their ethnicity. However, if our school district was fortunate to have two applicants who are equally qualified, then I believe the candidate who most resembles our student population should be offered the job.

I do know that there is a teacher and staff shortage nation wide. School districts are having to think outside the box to recruit and retain staff. Our school district has partnerships with two institutions and one organization that assist with recruiting teachers to fill vacancies at all grade levels and subject matter.

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

The majority of parents want to be involved in their child's education. However, sometimes schools and staff do not propose reasonable parent involvement activities for parents and guardians who work full-time or non-traditional work schedules. As a school board member, I would seek assistance from site administration to conduct surveys on parent and guardian needs and ideas for being more involved at their child's school and with the school board. The surveys will be accessible to all parents and guardians.

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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