Sandra Christensen
Sandra Christensen is an at-large member of the Paradise Valley Unified School District in Arizona. She assumed office on January 1, 2023. Her current term ends on January 1, 2027.
Christensen ran for election for an at-large seat of the Paradise Valley Unified School District in Arizona. She won in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Christensen completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Sandra Christensen was born in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Christensen earned a bachelor's degree from New Mexico State University in 1994. Her career experience includes being CEO and co-founder of Indigo Mountain Media. She has also worked in business, IT, project management, veterinary sciences, and multimedia. Christensen has served as a precinct committee-member and has been affiliated with Arizona Women of Action, America Pack, Moms for Liberty, and Highland Church.[1]
Elections
2022
See also: Paradise Valley Unified School District, Arizona, elections (2022)
General election
General election for Paradise Valley Unified School District, At-large (2 seats)
Sandra Christensen and Tony Pantera defeated incumbent Susan Matura, Eddy Jackson, and Sheryl Evenson in the general election for Paradise Valley Unified School District, At-large on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Sandra Christensen (Nonpartisan)  | 24.2 | 34,247 |
| ✔ |  | Tony Pantera (Nonpartisan) | 23.5 | 33,242 |
 | Susan Matura (Nonpartisan) | 21.1 | 29,881 | |
 | Eddy Jackson (Nonpartisan) | 20.1 | 28,481 | |
 | Sheryl Evenson (Nonpartisan) | 10.7 | 15,130 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 575 | ||
| Total votes: 141,556 | |||
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Endorsements
To view Christensen's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Sandra Christensen completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Christensen's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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- Increase Academic Performance: Arizona ranks among the lowest states in terms of performance and PVUSD students are testing well below grade level in Math, ELA and Science. I want to put the focus back on academics and put dollars directly into the classrooms to support our students and teachers including increasing teacher salaries in our district. I intend to address declining test scores and enrollment by focusing on academics that will help students build essential skills in written and oral communication, quantitative reasoning, science, technology, the arts and add classes that will prepare PV students for the college, career, or vocational path they may choose after graduation.
- Remove Politics from the Classroom: My goal is for our district to strengthen PV students in the basics of reading, writing, and math and keep divisive ideologies and political propaganda out of the classrooms. Politically charged, academically discredited materials such as the New York times 1619 project that teach anti-American values have no place in our classrooms. I want to ensure that our PVUSD schools choose curriculum that is based on quality education for our children and that we reject publishers who push ideologies that teach through the lens of race, sexually, or social justice.
- Restore Parent's Rights: As a parent, I understand that we must be allowed to direct the upbringing, education, health care and mental health of our own children without government interference. For a child to be successful in school, parents and educators must partner together. Parents cannot be left on the outside looking in when it comes to educating their children. As a governing board member, I will ensure that parents have a strong voice in the future of PVUSD schools.
I have spent over 30 years defending those who normally don’t have a voice. Whether as a foster parent, room parent, church volunteer, animal rescuer, Phoenix Dream Center mentor, or local Precinct Committeeman, I strive for excellence and work tirelessly to protect the vulnerable as well as our liberties and freedoms.
- Hiring the district superintendent
- Developing the budget
- Approving the budget
- Setting salaries for employees
- Approving purchases and school activities like field trips
- Approving curriculum materials
- Closing and constructing schools
In my view it is to represent all stakeholders by making important decisions for our schools and the surrounding community which may include:
- Decisions for improving education and putting our students first
- Hiring the district superintendent
- Developing the budget
- Approving the budget
- Setting salaries for employees
- Approving purchases
- Approving curriculum materials
- Closing and constructing schools
Faculty: The faculty at PVUSD, around our state and this nation have been challenged and stretched thin over the past few years. I will look to recruit and retain quality teachers and increase teacher salaries. I will also work with the PTOs and groups like the United Parent Council to develop programs that support the needs of teachers. While teacher appreciate weeks are wonderful, I would like to do more to ensure they have the tools and supplies needed to teach their students to limit out of pocket expenditures. I would like to conduct round table discussions with teachers in our district to hear from them directly.
Community: I believe that parents, educators, and governing board members should be partners in the success of our students by providing tools to enable them to achieve educational success and be well-rounded. I want to ensure that all voices are heard in the district, not just the people on committees.
I would like to bring town hall meetings directly to our community instead of having them come to governing board meetings. Once per month, we can pick a different school to let the community speak instead of giving them 3 mins e twice a month with no discussion or follow up action at a governing board meeting.
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.
See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on August 22, 2022
