Nicole McDermott
Nicole McDermott is a member of the Granite School District in Utah, representing Precinct IV. She assumed office on January 7, 2019. Her current term ends on December 31, 2028.
McDermott ran for re-election to the Granite School District to represent Precinct IV in Utah. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
McDermott completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Nicole McDermott was born in Casper, Wyoming. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Utah in 1997 and a graduate degree from Columbia University in 2008. She earned an M.D. from Columbia University, Teachers College in 2008. Her career experience includes working as an educator.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: Granite School District, Utah, elections (2024)
General election
General election for Granite School District Precinct IV
Incumbent Nicole McDermott defeated Todd Morrill in the general election for Granite School District Precinct IV on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Nicole McDermott (Nonpartisan)  | 76.1 | 15,073 |
| Todd Morrill (Nonpartisan) | 23.9 | 4,722 | ||
| Total votes: 19,795 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Nicole McDermott and Todd Morrill advanced from the primary for Granite School District Precinct IV.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Cindy Dipo Isakson (Nonpartisan)
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for McDermott in this election.
2020
See also: Granite School District, Utah, elections (2020)
General election
General election for Granite School District Precinct IV
Incumbent Nicole McDermott won election in the general election for Granite School District Precinct IV on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Nicole McDermott (Nonpartisan) | 100.0 | 18,227 |
| Total votes: 18,227 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Nicole McDermott advanced from the primary for Granite School District Precinct IV.
2018
- See also: Granite School District elections (2018)
General election
General election for Granite School District Precinct IV
Nicole McDermott defeated incumbent Carrie Johnson in the general election for Granite School District Precinct IV on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Nicole McDermott (Nonpartisan) | 57.5 | 7,986 |
| Carrie Johnson (Nonpartisan) | 42.5 | 5,905 | ||
| Total votes: 13,891 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
General election
General election
General election for Granite School District Precinct IV
Nicole McDermott defeated incumbent Carrie Johnson in the general election for Granite School District Precinct IV on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Nicole McDermott (Nonpartisan) | 57.5 | 7,986 |
| Carrie Johnson (Nonpartisan) | 42.5 | 5,905 | ||
| Total votes: 13,891 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Nicole McDermott completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by McDermott's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I come from a family of educators and began my teaching career 25 years ago in Granite District. I graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelors of Music Education and, after an 18 month hiatus, began teaching at Churchill Jr. High. During my 11 years there I also received my Masters of Music Education from Columbia University. It is during this time as a teacher that I became interested in running for school board. I saw decisions being made without educator voices or community voices considered.
When my husband and I were home shopping for our growing family, we wanted to live in a community that was supportive, modest, and diverse. We loved the area of Taylorsville and Kearns.
It has always been important to me to be involved in the schools, both as an educator and a parent. I have served in many different capacities, including PTA president, in supporting our students and educators.
I have served for 6 years on the school board. I have been a part of moving our district forward to a better place. I believe there is still more work left to do, but I have worked hard to represent all voices and create a positive environment for our students.- Parent Voice: I have 3 children currently attending Granite District schools. I have actively participated in the PTA, community councils and volunteered in the schools. I know the families in my precinct and what is important to them. I believe in strengthening our local schools and want to help make them the best options for all our kids.
- Experienced Educator: With 25 years teaching experience, I have an in depth knowledge of what happens in our classrooms. I understand the challenges that our parents, students, and educators face each day. When creating policy, it is critical to have an experienced educator to provide perspective from the classroom. This way we can create policy that works for students to improve outcomes as well as support teachers.
- Community Involvement: I love the Kearns and Taylorsville communities. Each of these communities is unique and have their own challenges and strengths. I have attended city council meetings and community events, and I know the issues important to our citizens. I represent all our students, educators and community members.
Public Education Funding: It is important for us be prudent when spending public money. We need to make sure our programs support increased student outcomes and that we cut back where we can to make sure we are good stewards of our funds. At the same time, there are challenges we face and we need to have an honest conversation about funding public education fully in Utah.
My mother was a school teacher and I remember thinking that I didn't want to go into teaching because of how hard she worked and how hard it was. But I now know how rewarding it is also. She was a great example to me of hard work and resilience.
Good judgment: our job is to gather all the facts and then weigh what is best for our students and our communities. This requires someone who can listen to those who are passionate but also make good decisions based on all the voices in the room.
Effective communicator: elected officials should always be looking for ways to gather feedback. We should be approachable and good at listening to all sides of the issue. It is important for elected officials to communicate with those they represent.
Create good policies to support our students in academic excellence.
Understand and create capital and operating budgets that show fiscally sound management.
Hire and evaluate annually a superintendent
1- We appoint and evaluate the superintendent and the business administrator (the CEO and the CFO of the district). They are our only employees we directly supervise. We assure they are carrying out the mission and vision of the board. If they are not, we hold them accountable.
2- We oversee the development of the budget and approve it. We need to assure that we are fiscally responsible with the money we oversee. It is our responsibility to assure it is being spent wisely, that we have a return on our investment, and that we spend it in alignment with our strategic plan with the goal of improving student outcomes.
3- We set policy. Our job is to create policy that will steer the district towards increased student outcomes. We make sure that we represent all views when we are creating and revising policy.
We continue to see distractions taking away from learning time for our students. I am proud of the policy we passed recently about cell phones. Our deepest desire is for our students to learn, and removing a major distraction from their learning environment will help. Policies like these are important to me to assure we are creating opportunities to learn and find success.
Meredith Harker, Taylorsville City Council
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.
2020
Nicole McDermott did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Nicole McDermott completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by McDermott's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
My first priority is to ensure the safety and well being of our students, both physically, socially and emotionally. We need to have safe buildings that are in good condition for our students and teachers to work in together. We need to make sure that we have the support systems in place for our students so that they are able to deal with situations in a healthy way. We have a problem with bullying and with suicide all over. This needs to be addressed by having a strong policy in place in regards to bullying and one that is enforced consistently. My second priority goes hand-in-hand with the first. Only when we support our teachers do we attract and retain great teachers. We need these kind of teachers to help our students become successful life long learners. We can do this by supporting new teachers with mentors and instructional coaches to assist as they develop teaching strategies for a successful classroom. We need to be competitive with other districts in attracting teachers as well. Salary and benefits need to remain at a level that is sustainable to the district but also competitive with other districts. Third, we need to make sure ALL our students are receiving the best education possible. We have a very diverse district and it is hard to address all the needs with such diversity. Even in the smaller area I represent we have a great deal of diversity. My priority is to give a voice to those communities who are underrepresented and to make sure that they receive the same educational opportunities afforded to students in other areas of our district and of our state. These are the kids that need a strong voice the most.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
I am passionate about public education and am a fierce defender of every child deserving an opportunity for learning and growth. I follow very closely the laws that affect education every year. I have visited representatives both through e-mail and by direct contact during the legislative session to express concerns and opinions. I believe that we need to be the voice for those who are unable to voice their concerns. We need to advocate for those who are the youngest among us. I am also a strong advocate for arts education. Arts is an important part of who we are and by encouraging creativity we spark the imagination to problem solve in every other area of education and in life. STEAM is an important movement because, while technology has been at the forefront of job growth, art and design continue to be an essential part of that growth. We need to be educating the whole child to make sure they are well equipped when they move on.
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
I have had many strong examples of leadership and compassion in my life. Both my mother and my aunt are retired teachers. They have spent their life advocating for kids. I admire their commitment to their students and their defense of education. They are often who I look to when I have questions in my own classroom. Because of their influence, both my cousin and I chose education as a career, to teach and advocate for our kids. I have had the opportunity to visit with and listen to Erin Gruwell. She is best known for the book she wrote entitled The Freedom Writers Diary: How One Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them. She is someone I admire because she was in one of the most difficult circumstances in terms of education and, by thinking outside the box, she found ways to help her students not just succeed, but make a powerful impact on other students and neighborhoods where they lived. This is an example of what a difference one person can make. Another I admire is Malala Yousafzai who stood up to defend girls receiving an education even when it meant risking her life. She is a fierce defender of women's rights and education and someone I am proud to teach my own children about. Lily Eskelsen Garcia is a teacher from here is Salt Lake. She is an amazing educator who left her passion for teaching to defend public education at the national level. She is another who is inspiring to hear speak and to visit with. She understands public education and I admire her fortitude to defend it fiercely in an arena where it is not always popular. There are too many local teachers to name who have effected my life and my children's. I love and support the many teachers my kids have had or currently have. We have amazing administration in our district who I have worked with closely both as a parent and as a teacher. I admire all these teachers and I know that they are there because they love their students.
Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?
The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell has made a powerful impact on my life. This book doesn't talk about education specifically, but rather about how the small things can make a big difference. As a teacher, I have thought about this a lot. I have tried to be that tipping point for my students. I want them to succeed. I try to give one-on-one time. I use different methods of teaching. As a school board member, this would continue to be the philosophy I live by. A school board member can be a "little thing", just like a teacher. But it is amazing how a little thing can make a big difference. I hope to make a big difference in the lives of students.
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
An elected official needs to, first and foremost, give a voice to all who they represent. They need to think about the diversity of the population and give a voice to everyone, not just those who are the most vocal. They need to educate themselves on the issues and make informed decisions. I believe that decisions should reflect community opinion as well but should represent what is best for the overall community and district. An elected official needs to allow the community to take ownership of change and understand that reform can take time. We need to be patient and make sure that communities have the information needed and that any change is supported both from the district and from the community. Integrity, commitment, respect and hard work are some of the most important characteristics of any elected official. For a school board add to that the ability to work together, communicate well with the community and advocate for public school on all levels.
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
In addition to integrity, commitment, respect and hard work, I have a first-hand, working knowledge of schools and the policies and procedures. Someone once said to me, "if you truly want to know a place you need to live there." I have lived in a classroom, not just visited. I have the perspective of a teacher, a community member and a parent. I believe these are all valuable when it comes to making policies for our kids. I have the ability to collaborate and work together with others to bring about positive change for education. I have done that where I teach. I can communicate well and find solutions to problems that help all our students, not just a small portion. I have been a long-time advocate for public education. It is something that has been at the forefront of my life for a long time and it will continue to be.
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
A school board member helps to set goals for the district. They then help to create policy to achieve these goals. They hold the schools district responsible for achieving goals and make sure that the superintendent is doing his/her job. They make sure that fiscally responsible decisions are being made with the budget and ensure it is balanced.
What legacy would you like to leave?
I would like to know that all our kids have every opportunity for a great education, regardless of race, socioeconomic status, religion or location. I want people to know that there are those who care about them and fight for them every day. I want to leave a legacy with my students and my children that they know I love them and that I care.
What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?
I remember the Spaceship Challenger explosion happening in January of 1986. I was 10 at the time and I remember how close to home that hit because one of the teachers from Brighton High School, the school where my aunt was currently teaching, was a finalist to be the teacher on that shuttle. It was devastating to so many not just nationally but also in our community.
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
My very first official job was working at the zoo. I worked there the summer after I graduated from high school and worked until well into the fall when taking classes at the university conflicted with me being able to continue.
What is your favorite holiday? Why?
Halloween through Christmas. I love the decorations, the excitement and the family time. And of course the music.
What is your favorite thing in your home or apartment? Why?
My family. They are my loves. I could live without anything else.
How might you improve the value of a high school diploma? What should a 21st century diploma reflect?
I love that our district is headed toward proficiency based grading. There are going to be some growing pains as students, parents and teachers strive to understand it better and implement it. But it will more accurately reflect what a student knows. I believe it will also help to hold teachers up to a higher standard. It is hard to switch our mindset but I believe this is a positive move for our students.
In what areas would you like to expand curriculum? For example, do you see a need for advanced technical training or apprenticeships? What sort of innovative programming would you advance if given the opportunity?
I would like to know that every student has access to the current programs we have available. That is where we need to start. There are schools that have to drop programs because they can't find qualified teachers willing to teach the classes. We need to make teaching attractive enough that people will choose to work here instead of industry.
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.
Ballotpedia biographical submission form
The candidate completed Ballotpedia's biographical information submission form:
| “ | What is your political philosophy?
I believe in a strong public education for every child. They should feel safe, both physically and emotionally, in school and have a variety of opportunities for success.[2] |
” |
| —Nicole McDermott[3] | ||
See also
2024 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Granite School District Precinct IV |
Officeholder Granite School District Precinct IV |
Personal |
Footnotes
