Monica Walker (Idaho)
Monica Walker was a candidate for an at-large seat on the Boise School District school board in Idaho. Walker was defeated in the at-large general election on September 6, 2016.
Walker participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 school board candidate survey. Click here to read her responses.
Biography
Walker is a senior loan officer. She obtained a bachelor's degree in marketing from West Chester University. She also has experience as an interior designer. She is involved with FUNDSY, the Ballet Idaho, the Boise Fire Fighters Community Assistance Fund, and the Women of St. Johns.[1][2]
Elections
2016
- See also: Boise School District elections (2016)
Two of the seven seats on the Boise School District Board of Trustees were up for at-large general election on September 6, 2016. Incumbent David Wagers ran for re-election to his seat against challengers Beth Oppenheimer and Monica Walker.[3] Stephen Adams originally filed to run in the race as well, but he withdrew his candidacy.[4] Wagers and Oppenheimer were elected to the two seats.[5]
Results
| Boise School District, At-large General Election, 6-year term, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Beth Oppenheimer |
38.68% | 3,562 |
| David Wagers Incumbent |
36.63% | 3,374 |
| Monica Walker | 24.69% | 2,274 |
| Total Votes | 9,210 | |
| Source: Boise School District, "2016 Election Results," accessed September 6, 2016 | ||
Funding
Walker reported $3,192.00 in contributions and $472.55 in expenditures to the Ada County Clerk's Office, which left her campaign with $2,719.45 on hand as of August 30, 2016.[6]
Endorsements
Walker received official endorsements from the Boise Education Association, Mayor David Bieter, and Sen. Cherie Buckner-Webb (D-19) in the election.[7][8][9]
Campaign themes
2016
Ballotpedia survey responses
Monica Walker participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates. In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on August 11, 2016:
| “ | I hope to help the board meet its vision of "graduating each student prepared for college, career and citizenship."[10][11] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Idaho. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| “ | A strong budget allows the district to retain talent and keep the class offering rich.[11] | ” |
| —Monica Walker (August 11, 2016) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer nine questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| No. Charter schools in general use public resources to create quasi-private schools. I would be more in support if charter school demographics mirrored the district's demographics as a whole. I do support the existing Boise Charter schools and would like to work on improving access for all Boise students. |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should always defer to school board decisions. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. |
| What is your stance on the Common Core State Standards Initiative? |
| I do believe Common Core provides some national continuity for our education and will help us produce students prepared for a global marketplace. However, I support local control and believe our teachers and administrators should have maximum flexibility to make the standards work for our population of students. |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Offer additional training options. Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. The district spends a lot of resources attracting and retaining a high level of teacher talent. We should invest in this talent and do everything possible to ensure success. If they continue to under perform, I believe in a progressive disciplinary process and would ensure the district adheres strictly to the policy before progressing to termination. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| Yes. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Students with behavioral problems should be relocated to the district's alternative school rather than being expelled. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers |
Idaho Statesman questionnaire
Walker participated in a survey conducted by the Idaho Statesman. The six questions provided by the Idaho Statesman are bolded, and Walker's responses are shown below.
What is the top priority the school district must accomplish in the next year, beyond getting more state dollars to run the district?
| “ | The district must address the enrollment increases in certain sectors of our city, such as the Southeast. The success of our students and faculty is dependent on reasonable class size. If the district identifies the need for expanding the existing facilities or building new, we must prepare to educate the voters on the bond required to fulfill the need.[11] | ” |
| —Monica Walker (August 23, 2016)[12] | ||
Why should voters choose you over your opponents to be a trustee?
| “ | Dave and Beth are both excellent and qualified candidates. However, voters can be assured with me they will acquire a board member with a history of commitment and excellence on other boards who is willing to devote myself to continued accomplishment by our district. And as someone who lives in a union household, I will bring a unique labor perspective to the board which will be helpful in attracting and retaining our district talent.[11] | ” |
| —Monica Walker (August 23, 2016)[12] | ||
Boise District is reviewing its buildings, which could lead the district to ask taxpayers for a bond measure to build or improve schools. What would have to be done to get your support for a bond?
| “ | I believe our students and teachers deserve to attend school in facilities which are safe and modern. Any reported deficiency that puts our students or teachers at risk must be addressed. And any decline in reasonable classroom size might suggest the need for new or expanded facilities. I have supported bonds for these purposes in the past and would be an ardent supporter for the same reasons in the future.[11] | ” |
| —Monica Walker (August 23, 2016)[12] | ||
About 20 percent of third-graders aren’t hitting the benchmark on reading proficiency; that’s a pivotal year for students to be solid readers. What do you think of that and what should be done to improve it?
| “ | It all starts with early childhood education. We need to lobby the state to make all-day kindergarten mandatory and invest in early childhood education for underserved neighborhoods. We also must ensure our teachers have the necessary technology to improve proficiency. I am also excited about the Community School model the district is implementing to coordinate services for families and remove barriers to learning. So resources are at the heart of the solution to this problem.[11] | ” |
| —Monica Walker (August 23, 2016)[12] | ||
What are your thoughts about increasing early-childhood education in Boise School District beyond the pilot project with two schools that exists today?
| “ | The pilot program is great. It’s a model of a public/private partnership. Now the state needs to step up and help the Boise district and others around the state to bring pre-K education to all underserved populations.[11] | ” |
| —Monica Walker (August 23, 2016)[12] | ||
How well is Boise School District preparing students for career or college after high school. Give one idea of what it could do better.
| “ | I believe the Boise School district is doing a great job of preparing our students for life after high school. Anecdotally I can offer that my daughter entered her university at a sophomore level with no deficiency in any academic area and completely prepared for success. A high percentage of our students “go on” to a post-secondary education as compared to the rest of the state. And our technical school produces students ready for the skilled work force. We could improve on the counseling effort to prepare students on strategies for financing a post-secondary education.[11] | ” |
| —Monica Walker (August 23, 2016)[12] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Monica Walker Boise School District. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Ballotpedia Candidate Bio Submission, "Monica Walker," August 11, 2016
- ↑ Idaho Ed News, "Four candidates vie for two Boise trustee seats," July 5, 2016
- ↑ Boise School District, "2016 Trustee Election," accessed July 6, 2016
- ↑ Idaho Ed News, "Candidate withdraws from Boise trustee race," July 22, 2016
- ↑ Boise School District, "2016 Election Results," accessed September 6, 2016
- ↑ Ada County Clerk's Office, "Campaign Finance Reports," accessed August 31, 2016
- ↑ Tiffany Rouse, "Email correspondence with Luke Anorak," August 29, 2016
- ↑ Facebook, "Monica Walker for Boise School District Board of Trustees," August 9, 2016
- ↑ Facebook, "Monica Walker for Boise School District Board of Trustees," September 1, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2016, "Monica Walker's responses," August 11, 2016
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 11.7 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 Idaho Statesman, "Boise school trustee candidates talk aging buildings, better readers," August 23, 2016
| 2016 Boise School District Elections | |
| Boise, Idaho | |
| Election date: | September 6, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: Incumbent, David Wagers • Beth Oppenheimer • Monica Walker |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional measures on the ballot |
