Davis District educates around 70,000 children and will be the largest school district in Utah as of next school year. Utahns value quality education. Three of my own children are in Davis Schools, and children’s experiences in school have a profound impact on their lives. School boards make decisions on budget, curriculum, and who the top-level employees are. Davis District’s budget is around one billion dollars. It is important to have people who have professional savvy and courage to ask discerning questions that will help our district make the best use of its money. Curriculum decisions affect what our children learn. Ideally, the curriculum will be effective, liked by the teachers who teach it, and appropriate in the eyes of the community. Top-level employees have a huge top-down effect on the morale of our school district, so board members need to be truly discerning and in touch with district morale when it comes to those hiring decisions.

2. What unique qualities, attributes, skills, and experiences do you possess that make you the best candidate in this race?

I am an attorney at the largest law firm in Utah, but I have taken a hiatus while serving on the school board so I can put my full attention to my school board duties. My legal expertise has proved incredibly useful in helping our district and board in preventing legal misunderstandings and in avoiding unlawful actions and potential lawsuits. Our district deals in legal matters continually, and I’m like a free bonus attorney that our district doesn’t have to pay for!

I’ve looked carefully at our billion dollar budget, been a key player in halting the rubber stamping of giving unnecessary tax breaks to outside entities, got our district to get competitive bids on services it was overpaying for, and thought of creative solutions to reduce unnecessary spending.

Between my four children, I’ve dedicated two decades of my life to Davis Schools and have served in multiple leadership positions in school community councils and on PTAs. I’m endorsed by some of the best in education, including by Tracey Meade, the long-time head of the iconic Davis High math department, and Julie Laub, a highly esteemed chemistry teacher at Davis High. I am also the only board member with a math/science background, and the Davis board hasn’t had anyone with that background for many years.

In sum, I bring a high level of expertise to the board and have learned an incredible amount from serving on the board these last few years. I have dedicated years of time and effort into outreach with my school community, learning about our schools and education law, and learning how to navigate the complexities of a very large school district. There is a huge learning curve to being a school board member, and I want to leverage the experience of the past few years to continue to help make Davis School District the best it can be.

3. Please explain your priorities if elected, as well as why you believe you are uniquely capable of achieving those priorities.

A few of my priorities include small class sizes, less screen time, teacher morale and parent voice, and reducing the need to raise property taxes. See votejuliepowell.com for details.

4. Please describe how you view the importance of compromise in politics and provide an example from your own experiences that highlights your perspective.

Compromise may of course be necessary to get things done. However, I do not think it is always wise to compromise. For example, board members and all political officers take an oath to follow the constitution. If there is a matter before me that would be in violation of the constitution, then I will not compromise. One time, the school board wanted to prevent other board members from abstaining from voting in certain circumstances. Such a restriction is widely considered unconstitutional and a violation of the First Amendment. Therefore, I expressed my dissent and would not vote in favor of the unconstitutional policy. A good board member will stay true to her oath.

5. How will you balance the views of the vocal public, your political party, and your own understanding and knowledge as an elected representative?

The local school board races are nonpartisan, so there is little political party pressure to vote one way or another. I always seek to understand all sides before making a decision, and I always try to verify facts. I am not swayed by one-sided presentations, and my legal training helps me to recognize bias and conflicts of interests. I don’t generally let the fact that a particular group is vocal sway my judgment either way, but I do try to make good faith efforts to gauge how my constituents generally feel as a whole. I also listen with an open mind to all ideas presented before me.

6. What is the best way for readers to contact you and/or get more information about your platform?

My contact info and detailed information about my platform can be found at votejuliepowell.com  Thank you for taking the time to be an informed voter!