CHENEY — School board members are locally elected state officers responsible for governing designated divisions of the region, charged with implementing policy within the bounds of state law. This posting oversees sections of Four Lakes, the Airway Heights community, and areas to the south. There are currently three candidates running for the position of Cheney School District Director 2: Zachary Zorrozua, Suzanne G. Dolle, and Chad Smith. Each candidate was contacted, and the following information was supplied by those who responded. Further information can be found in the Voter Pamphlet.
Why are you running?
Zachary Zorrozua: I am running because I have two children that are in the district and friends with children attending Cheney schools as well. I want to ensure that our schools are providing the best (and safest) education possible for my children, as well as the other children in the community. I believe that some of our schools are amazing, and do great work. Specifically Salnave and Cheney Middle school. There are other schools that are not operating effectively or safely for children in our community. I believe that great schools are one of the building blocks for great communities. I completed all of my K-12 education in Cheney, and want to see Cheney return to being an amazing place to grow up, get educated, and live!
Suzanne G. Dolle: I am running for the school board because I want to help get our schools opened safely, making sure that the learning loss that some students may have encountered is addressed. I love being a part of such an amazing group of individuals, sharing different prospectives and deciding the best path for our district. I feel I have much to offer our district
What issues are most important to you?
Zachary Zorrozua: Student safety, quality curriculum, effective growth planning, staff accountability.
Suzanne G. Dolle: Having students in the classrooms to make connections with staff and other students is very important but we need to do it safely. We need to assess the learning loss that may have occurred during the pandemic and address how we are going to meet the needs of all students. These should be our immediate goals as we begin to move forward.
How do you intend on confronting those issues?
Zachary Zorrozua: As a school board member, I will have a greater impact on the issues that mean the most to myself, and the other members of our community. I can be a representative of my neighbors, and provide insights for the district related to my education, work experience, and community feedback.
Suzanne G. Dolle: By following the guidelines from the state and health departments to make sure our students can be in classes as safely as possible. Making sure we have PPE, masks, disinfectant and staffing to clean and sanitize our buildings so everyone can feel secure in coming back into the buildings. Being proactive with testing if necessary to keep exposures to a minimum and to ensure the safety of all staff and anyone who comes in contact with our students. Cheney School district started Professional Learning Committees (PLC) in 2017. The basic tenets of PLC are: What specifically do we expect all students to learn? How will we know when each student has learned? How will we respond when students experience difficult learning? How will we respond when students demonstrate they have learned? These are the questions used to evaluate our successes and determine where more work is needed.
As a district we identified what standards we were going to teach for each grade level and these were adopted. When the classes had to be moved to remote learning there was a framework in place to help staff identify a starting point. It was not easy, but having a foundation helped get us started. As we are moving out of remote learning we are participating in state level PLC work to get us up and running to assess and address the needs of our students.
What will you bring to the Cheney School District that is unique?
Zachary Zorrozua: I have a wife that works in district, two children that attend school in district. Due to this, I am well informed regarding the dynamics within schools and the community. I have lived in Cheney for 38 years. I have 18 years of experience working in the field of mental health, with most of that being with adolescents and children. As a result, I have knowledge and experience that will make my participation very applicable to my position on the school board. I understand child/adolescent development, access to mental health/substance abuse services and legalities associated with 504 plans and IEPs. I am a volunteer firefighter, and believe that our schools can do more to support children that have experienced traumatic events (watching a parent die, car accidents, allergic reactions, etc.). I have made recommendations regarding how to close this gap, but to my knowledge nothing has been done in the last two years to really improve student support for these events (other than when I personally let school staff I know that there has been an event and a student should be given support). I have served as a lecturer at Eastern Washington University, and understand curriculum development, classroom management, student accommodations, and school systems. I am a lifetime Cheney resident, and my home was built by Hubert Foy, a teacher and principal for Cheney School District long ago, and a dear neighbor and friend of mine. Most of all I am passionate about our community, our schools, and the people within!!!
Suzanne G. Dolle: I have been involved in education for over 40 years. My husband was in the Air Force for 26 years and I engaged in several school systems in communities across our nation as a preschool teacher, a substitute teacher, a paraprofessional, and worked in school offices as we moved around. I have seen what works and doesn’t work in different school districts. I feel this is an asset as I bring a broad perspective to the board. I have served on the Cheney School Board for 12 years and I am well grounded in school board policies and procedures and the needs of our students and community. l have the experience to help lead Cheney School District out from the pandemic conditions of the last year and half. I look forward to the opportunity to continue to serve Cheney Schools.
Scott Davis can be reached at news@cheneyfreepress.com.
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