Every Woman of Action Makes a Difference--Meet Dr. Karen Pack!
I hope you had a great Labor Day Weekend and are recharged to start September off strong. This month’s Woman of Action spotlight features Dr. Karen Pack, a Vice President and Governing Board Member in Deer Valley Unified School District. As you’ll see, Dr. Pack is a Woman of Action – having grown up in the Deer Valley School District, she saw the need for strong leaders to prioritize academic excellence and proper stewardship of funds, so she decided to run for school board and won! We are grateful that Dr. Pack was willing to share her experience with us and for the work she’s doing to help students in her district!
My name is Dr. Karen Pack, and I am a Deer Valley Unified School District alum and parent who has lived in the district for over 50 years. Last year, I was elected to serve on the Deer Valley Unified School District Governing Board. I ran for school board because we need to focus on providing rigorous academics, smaller class sizes with fully supported teachers, and the responsible use of taxpayer dollars and have been making good headway these first eight months on the job. From stopping an increase in class sizes to supporting teachers by reducing the number of hours required for performance pay, I feel that these small successes are a step in the right direction for my district.
I have been an educator for almost 25 years and I understand the importance of a solid, academic focused education and want to set each and every student in Arizona up for success. In addition to my teaching career, I also hold a doctorate in Organizational Leadership and provide tutoring to students who need additional assistance with reading. I have been involved in my community in various capacities over the years, including serving as PTSA president, Girl Scout leader, Boy Scout mom, Sunday School teacher, Block Watch Captain, Blood Drive coordinator, and a lifelong blood donor, as well as now being an elected official. I am a servant leader who genuinely cares about kids and the community.
People often ask me if the role of school board member is what I had expected, and my answer is “yes and no”. I knew that being a school board member would be a considerable time commitment, which I was prepared for, but there are some additional responsibilities that require a great deal of time and attention- the requirement to attend all graduations, meetings that often start at 5:30 due to executive sessions and awards added before the actual 7:00 p.m. general meeting, and campus tours to observe teachers and students in action. And while I value these opportunities and experiences of celebrating students’ achievements and watching the schools in action, it can be tough to fit everything in while working a full time job. In addition to these commitments, I am also the Governing Board Vice President, which comes with its own set of responsibilities. I enjoy delving into the vouchers that I am required to sign as VP and since I personally cannot sign anything until I read it, going through every single page of the stacks of vouchers to understand what tax dollars are being spent on has allowed me to learn so much more about the DVUSD. I usually submit around five questions to the district after each review, with occasional follow-up questions upon receiving the answers. I hope those in other districts with this role are just as thorough so that we can be good stewards of our tax dollars and are using the funds appropriately.
Overall, I find my role as a Governing Board Member to be very rewarding, and I am proud to serve the students, faculty and staff of DVUSD.
My bit of advice for anyone thinking of running for school board is to do your research and partner with groups like Arizona Women of Action or the Arizona Coalition of School Board Members who provide excellent resources and support. I prepared for my role by proactively seeking out additional training beyond what the district provided during its onboarding. The Maricopa County Elections training helped me with keeping my campaign on track with important filing deadlines and information. The Arizona School Board Association training helped me understand current issues within schools and the Arizona Department of Education School Board School provided great resources as well. Plus, I read a couple of books on governance, to help me understand my role and responsibilities. This is an important role, and I want to ensure I am serving my community by ensuring that students are put first and are set up for success while making sure your tax dollars are spent wisely.
If you can’t already tell, I am a detail-oriented person who wants all of the facts and data to make decisions, and I hope my community appreciates the time and dedication I have to serving them. I cannot serve the public in good faith unless I read, research, and ask questions to fully understand the issues and make informed decisions. Before voting, I read the entirety of the agenda and all of the attachments. I submit questions for clarification and conduct additional research to determine which policies apply and what other districts are doing.
Communicating with community members, responding to emails, and addressing questions or suggestions all require a significant amount of time, but it is important to consider the viewpoints of all stakeholders as well as the perspectives of fellow board members. What is best for students is the most important to me. Providing a quality education with strong academics delivered by competent teachers who are fully trained and fairly compensated, along with parental and community involvement, is the goal. Moving mountains to get there is the challenge.
I encourage those who want to see our public schools and its students thrive with excellent academics and strong community support to consider for running for school board in their district. One voice or vote can make a difference, and we need more Women of Action out there to be that voice!