Dr. Gary Nine for Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction

1. Ensure all children will be in a physically and emotionally safe environment.
2. All students will be taught at a challenging level every day.
3. All students will have access to computers and leading edge instructional technology daily.
4. For each school to average one year of academic growth per child in all measured areas, with emphasis on reading, writing, and math.
5. Show appreciation and enhance the morale of everyone serving public school children in Arizona.
6. Assist schools in obtaining technologies and training necessary to utilize data-driven instruction effectively.
7. Communicate and have open, honest, dialogue with teachers, district superintendents, charter holders, school board members, and the professional organizations that represent them.
8. Advocate for public education with the governor and legislature, including assisting in the development of a new financial formula for funding education.
9. Build an effective State organization that values KIDS FIRST (and all professional educators and staff members involved in teaching our children a very close second) and prove it by obtaining the following outcomes:
1. Arizona’s high school drop-out rate will decrease to 9%; down from 30%.
2. Arizona’s ranking among states in math and reading will improve to 9^th or better; up from between 37-47th.
3. Arizona’s freshman college and vocational school drop-out rate will decrease to 9%; down from over 40%.

Impossible, you may think.  Please remember this is America; combine great kids, great teachers, and local control, with a KIDS FIRST superintendent who knows education, cares about teachers and works for and with administrators, charter holders, and school boards and gets ALL moving in the same direction; it absolutely can be done!