Kyle Clayton for Washington Elementary School District

My name is Kyle Clayton and I’m a parent, not a politician. I am running for Washington Elementary School District governing board. 

As a native of Arizona, I’ve been educated in the public school system from kindergarten to college at ASU. I have a Bachelors degree in Spanish and an International Business certification from the W.P. Carey School of Business. Most importantly, I know what it’s like to be a student in the Arizona educational system. I also know what it is like to be a parent of a WESD student because my son attends school in this district. 

A big reason I am running is because of my son Tate, and his first grade experience. His elementary school experience is so different from mine. He had multiple teachers in one year, there were barely any extracurricular activities, and the environment seemed….sad. I feel like our schools are left on their own, to do whatever they can for their students. Which results in different levels of support and opportunity campus by campus and that isn’t fair. I want to make sure all our kids have amazing memories and learn so much in elementary school.

I am also running because of my high school guidance counselor, Jen Goldman. I never planned to run for an elected office but she tagged me in a Facebook post about the WESD governing board vacancy. Jen’s support encouraged me to run because she pointed out to me, I have what it takes to do this. That is the power of teachers. When we allow them to do what they do best, they can change the lives of their students.  

As a board member I would bring a desire to make things better for kids, a desire to nurture strong teacher/student/family relationships, a willingness to listen and learn, along with the courage to speak up and ask questions. I’ve always been an entrepreneur, running successful companies, so I know how to maximize budgets. As a real estate agent, I understand contract law. I am also a connector, which I would leverage to encourage a collaborative approach to solve problems within our schools. 

My husband and I have been together for 15 years and lived in the district for 12 years. Two years ago we were lucky enough to adopt our son Tate. Like I said, I’m a parent, not a politician. I am running, not just for families like mine, but for all families, particularly those often left out of the conversation. I ask everyone to visit KyleForArizona dot com to learn more about me or to ask questions 

Thank you!