SE Valley Times

Moms for Liberty has endorsed Taylor Francis in his race for a seat on the Higley Unified School District (HUSD) Governing Board. Early voting began on October 9 and extends through November 1 for the November 5 general election.

Francis' priorities, should he be elected, include focusing on academics. "Our children should be provided a robust education based on facts, including rigorous instruction in math, science, civics, history, literature, and the arts," he said on his website. "The purpose of the education system is to educate, creating an environment where students learn in a fact-based, ideologically neutral setting, embracing multiple perspectives and sources without bias or favoritism." 

Another of Francis' priorities is equipping teachers with material and training support as well as providing administrators with a solid and comprehensive support structure, while a third priority is fostering academic achievement and increasing proficiency in areas like math, English, and science.

"Parents expect the well-being of their children to come first when attending school, including respecting student privacy and protecting the confidentiality of each child's personal information," Francis said. "To that end, parents expect openness and transparency from schools regarding actions against certified and classified staff, student discipline, classroom curriculum, data privacy policy and practices, and academic progress." He emphasizes that it is incumbent upon the school district and Governing Board to be accountable to parents and to the community at large. 

Francis' final main priority is protecting taxpayers' interests by ensuring that HUSD and the Governing Board account for assets, budget responsibly, regularly audit performance and spending, and engage with and seek input from the community with regard to expenditures.

Francis graduated from Brigham Young University with a BS and two minors. He previously worked a science tutor at BYU as well as tutoring middle school and high school students after graduating from college. He has pursued online education through a number of institutions, and he is fluent in Spanish, a skill he has used both as a translator and tutor. He and his wife have two children.

Per the HUSD Governing Board's website, the Board comprises five members. Terms are four years and staggered so that two or three members are elected every two years.

Moms for Liberty is a parental-rights-in-education advocacy group founded by Tiffany Justice and Tina Descovich, two former school board members. According to their website, "Moms for Liberty is dedicated to fighting for the survival of America by unifying, educating and empowering parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government."