Julia Parker
Idaho Education Association members endorsed a slate of pro-public education candidates throughout the state for the Idaho Legislature. As part of the endorsement process, IEA asked candidates to respond to a questionnaire about the issues that are most crucial to Idaho’s public school educators. As we approach the crucial Nov. 5 election, we’ll share their responses with members.
Here’s our Q&A with Julia Parker, a Democrat running for election in District 6, which includes Latah and Lewis counties in addition to part of Nez Perce County. Her answers have been lightly edited for spelling, grammar, brevity and clarity.
What is your relationship to Idaho public education? I have raised four children in Idaho. All attended public schools. I served as the Moscow School District nurse for two years. I was the grateful recipient of a solid K-12 education in Ohio and I wish that for all students.
Idaho does not fully fund its public education system. How would you propose to change that?
We need to make sure that school funding is equitable across districts. Property taxes and levies are not equitable or adequate for our schools. All districts deserve a foundation of funding that is adequate for school facilities, equipment, teachers, and staff. Funding should be based on student progress instead of average daily attendance, and rural districts should be able to provide community schools that allow kids to be close to home.
What is your position on vouchers to fund private school education? I want public tax money to go to public community schools. I do not want to divert money away from our public community schools to private institutions. I believe we need to look at the real basis for private school vouchers. This is not about “parent’s choice,” it is about diverting U.S. educational funds to private business. Much of the support for state voucher programs comes from special interest funded by the Walton family – the owners of Wal-Mart.
Idaho students are facing increasing mental health challenges, such as anxiety and depression. What steps, if any, would you propose to counter that? Schools are enormous resources for our children. As anxiety and depression have increased among children and adolescents, schools have felt the impacts and have been called upon to help. We need to make sure schools have counseling support to help students and families.
What is your position on fast-track, alternate routes to educator certification? I respect educators and know that their education is specific to working with cognition, learning, and human development. Just because someone knows a subject does not mean they can teach – that is like letting an undertaker be a nurse because they both know about the human body. Any program that allows people to become teachers in any way should maintain the need for learning pedagogy and human development.
Idaho educators are frequently disrespected and targeted by anti-public education forces. What is your reaction to that? Our teachers deserve our respect. We have seen our legislators in this district constantly condemn our schools. This is strategic. If people buy the idea that our schools and our teachers are not good, they will be more likely to defund them. Most people in our Idaho communities know better. Our teachers and students have made the best of difficult circumstances in Idaho with crumbling buildings and lack of resources, and our schools and students have succeeded. There will always be students who do poorly or do well and there will be a variety of teachers in the system, but we know that the vast majority of our students and teachers are hard-working and successful.
What are the main points you want IEA members to remember about you and your candidacy? Teachers and students give me a lot of hope for our future. Watching my two youngest kids finish Moscow High School last year with all the love and support of their teachers and coaches has been one of my greatest joys. Public schools are the core of many of our communities and we should all celebrate and support them.