District 30 Democrats: Minutes August 1, 2009 [Draft: to be approved at Oct.

3 LD 30 meeting]

Agenda Item: Assigned To: Summary of Information//Points of View: Decision/Action Taken:

Welcome and Pledge of Suzanne Newton, Pledge of Allegiance recited by those attending. Pledge led by Don Kret
Allegiance (10 a.m. start Chair
time)
Introductions Suzanne Newton, Officers and reps to County Exec Committee are introduced.
Chair

Hard copies will continue

Minutes Jen Prileson, Pat Canady moved to accept the June 6 minutes as written (by to be made available at
secretary Mark Kerr). monthly LD meetings in
limited quantity.
Minutes from the last meeting in May were posted on
30dems.blogspot.com (thanks to Mark Kerr). To post comments Minutes
on the blogspot, send to 30dems@gmail.com. amended/corrected.

Motion to approve minutes

made by Pat Canady,
seconded and passed. June
6, 2009 meeting minutes
will be posted on the blog.

Treasurer’s Report Alex Mich, Alex Mich gave the report. we have a current balance of $358.12 Leroy Dyson moved that
Treasurer after payments made for supplies, postage, quarterly support for the we accept the treasurer’s
County Democratic Party, booth space in Sahuarita, and printed report. Motion seconded
checks from Wells Fargo. and report approved.

Penny • Candidate for State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Guest Speaker Kotterman Election to be held in 2010.
• PennyKotterman.com is her website
• Background: teacher for many years, esp. in Special
Education at middle school level; former AEA President
• Dedicated both professional and personal life to promoting
education as basis for strong democracy. High expectations,
high standards with resources to support.
• Systematically reduced support for education; spending
 more but less per student as AZ has grown from 650,000 to
1.2 million students. Our state is now ranked #50 in per
pupil spending.
• Need to focus on what our kids really need to learn, since
the world of work has changed.
• Need to change how we assess students. School ratings can
be managed differently even with federal mandates. Focus
instruction on what matters, tests will take care of
themselves. Have to provide all kids access to rigorous
education options (honors, AP etc). Quality of teachers is #1
factor in student achievement. Class size has gone up as
over 7,000 (15% ) of AZ’s certified teachers due to budget
cuts.
• Performance pay (merit pay) – need to revise what this
looks like.
• School safety: disciplinary actions include the more serious
infractions but not those conditions and incidents that lead
to the more serious ones. Greater emphasis needed on
prevention.
• Schools should be the center of the community –
playgrounds, ball fields, libraries, should be available to the
neighborhoods. Parent education and health services can be
provided through community partnerships at schools.
• Need leadership to accomplish all these things.
• No moderate Republicans running for this office. She is the
only female running from either party at this point.
• Asked for donations, signatures, volunteers.
• Questions: 1. Charter schools receiving federal $$? They
are public schools and we have the right to question how
our taxes are being used; federal initiative includes
important requirements; we should be skeptical and watch
closely. Federal money for Title I and Special Education:
less than 20% has been allocated to the schools. 2. Where
did your kids go to school? Here in AZ. [more discussion
re. recess and PE mandates]. 3. How do we pay for the
kinds of assessment we need to substitute for the current
system? Schools should develop their own; too expensive
to do something uniform statewide. Site-based assessments
 supplemented by standardized assessments can take place.
Example: NAEP can do a rating system by assessing a
carefully selected cross-section of students to get state-wide
samples for ranking and comparisons as a way of getting
accountability data on specific measures. 4. I had trouble
hiring anyone who could read or do basic punctuation. How
will you handle this? It’s not that simple. Kids learn to read
in different ways. Technology has changed the way kids
write. Writing assessment can’t be done with a bubble-in
test; we need to utilize technology better to teach kids in
new ways that are more effective.
Chair’s Report: Suzanne Newton, • Fiesta: Sept. 26 in the Sahuarita park. We will have a booth
PCDP Executive Committee Chair; Laura there (see Alex Mich’s report). Voter registration,
Report Hogan, PCDP candidates can come and introduce themselves, won’t be
State Committee Report Exec. Committee selling anything, need signups to volunteer. David Hosea
will set up and man the booth – see him to sign up.
• Laura was at the county Exec meeting: roof repairs
completed at HQ (took the balance of maintenance budget).
$2,000 will be moved over from somewhere else in the
budget for any unexpected repairs. City council candidates
will have a fundraiser: Jim Hightower will be in town Aug.
30.

Committee Reports • Pat • PC Recruitment & Training: no report at this time.

Canady
• Hospitality: Mary Jane thanked everyone for contributions
• Mary and said that her committee was able to continue providing
Jane
refreshments at meetings as long as these continued. Signup
Dyson
sheet being passed around. Will need help for Oct and Nov
meetings.
• David
Hosea • GOTV: In addition to the event Sept. 26, there will be the
Reid Park event Oct. 4 (see Don Kret’s information) and
Friends Indeed event [on La Canada in Green Valley; watch
DVD and have a discussion afterwards regarding
healthcare, Wed. Aug. 12th ].
Old Business Don Kret Fundraiser: Dysons and Suzanne worked with Don on the
Fundraiser committee. Fliers: Octoberfest will be Sunday Oct. 4,
 Reid Park Ramada #22, $20 donation per person; beer, food,
Octoberfest music. Everyone needs to sell 5 tickets each. Bring
lawnchairs, extra folding tables; limited seating. Need signups for:
soft drinks, buns, plastic cups , plastic knives, forks, spoons; paper
plates, dessert plates, napkins large and small, table cloths, desserts
[expect 100-150]. Bring money to Oct. 3rd meeting. Steve Gall
asked what our goal was; Don is hoping to clear about $1,500.
Leroy Dyson emphasized that if everyone present at today’s
meeting sells 5 tickets we’ll do well; Suzanne Newton will contact
those PCs not in attendance to distribute other tickets; David Hosea
mentioned he has a PA system. Andrea Dalessandro requested
everyone give Don a round of applause.
Club Reports:
• Tanque Verde Valley Club TV(Laura Hogan): Meet & Greet w/Gabby Giffords , Oct. 26
Democrats representatives DCSR (Marla Daugherty): Last meeting featuring Don Laws a complete
• Democratic Club of the success – about 60 people; no meeting this month.
Santa Ritas
• Democratic Women In DWIA (Laurie): Last meeting a potluck with Penny Kotterman speaking;
Action August we’re having an ice cream social, working on guest speaker; Sept.
• SaguaroEastside 26, will be the Elegant Tea party, speaker will be Carolyn Warner
Democrats (Democratic National Committee representative).
• BajaArizona Democrats
SED (Andrea Dalessandro): Not meeting this summer; will resume in
September

BAJA(Laura Hogan): Will be hiring someone in the fall to do the

organizing.

Adam Kinsey: Need to hire a Spanish speaker to organize for the party;
please pass the word.
New Business Pat Burns, • President of state Young Democrats. Sending 40 YDs to
AZYDs Chicago for the national convention. Will elect new
leadership, go to trainings, engage in networking. Need
additional funding; asked for help from those in attendance.

• At Aug. 15 state meeting, State secretary has resigned and

Brittney Storrs a YD is running – asked for our support in
electing her.
Campaign Reports & Suzanne Newton, • Goddard [governor] campaign: [Suzanne Newton] Vera
Announcements Chair Berkman is the point person for Terry’s campaign; he has
 not formally declared but we anticipate he will do so soon.

• Dalessandro [LD30, State Legislature] campaign: has done

the numbers on precincts and registered voters; Democratic
Performance has been 43%; latest analysis looks like 48%.
Andrea has a campaign committee that includes assistants
from all over Pima County. We need to work on increasing
the Early Permanent Vote by Mail list; Republicans are
ahead in LD30. Parents are up in arms in every school
district; a major focus of Andrea’s campaign. Has met with
a number of these parent groups. Discussed the reasons for
‘blanks’ on the last ballot. Thanked Mark Kerr for putting
her information on the LD30 blog. Will be speaking at DGT
on Aug. 17 lunch meeting. Needs help from all of us.

• Trasoff campaign for City counsil: Judy Nagle requested

donations for Nina Trasoff’s campaign.

• Suzanne Newton announced our donations to the Sopori

school in Amado. 91% of students there qualify for free and
reduced lunch. Thanks to all who brought donations to
today’s meeting. Rosanna and Andrea will drive these
materials down on Monday.

• Judy Nagle: “Arizona Adopt a Classroom” program is a

5013c fund to provide supply money for teachers in Pima
county. Have helped over 200 teachers. Can designate a
specific teacher. 100% goes to the teacher; it’s a tax
deduction.

• Marla Daugherty : Peggy Pierce here in spirit;

recommended everyone put a set of student supplies in a
single gallon-size Ziploc bag.

• Adam Kinsey: Andrea’s numbers encouraging for ‘single-

shot’ approach. Everything not earmarked specifically in
the county democratic party budget ends up coming out of
the GOTV portion of the budget. Announced the Aug. 29th
 Armory Park fundraising event; reminded us about the Jim
Hightower event on Aug. 30. Two glaring needs – 2
committee chairs needed: Community Service and
Operations Analysis.

• Rosanna Gabaldon: last year 4,000 in attendance,

encouraged us to attend the Sahuarita event.

• Leroy reminded everyone to pick up their Octoberfest

tickets.

Adjourn Suzanne Newton, Laura Hogan made a motion to adjourn. Motion seconded and
Chair approved.