Pemberton, Bart

Running For:

School Board

District:

Catalina Foothills Unified School District

Phone:

(520) 329-1741

Age:

55

Occupation:

Optometrist

Education:

University of California at Berkeley, School of Optometry

Biographical Info:

Bart Pemberton is a long-time Tucson resident and third-generation Arizonan. The Catalina Foothills is his home.  Bart and his wife met here and raised their children, and he owns a small business here. They chose to settle in the Catalina Foothills largely because of the reputation of the Catalina Foothills School District.

Bart moved to Tucson in 1997.  He has seen firsthand how an education can change a family’s socio-economic situation, having earned a bachelor’s degree in biology at U.C. Riverside, California, Riverside and a Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) degree at U.C. Berkeley.

In 1999, Bart joined a Tucson optometry practice and eventually became a partner in what is now known as the Edmonds, Husz & Pemberton Eye Center. Being a trusted member of the local business community is very important to Bart. He earns his strong reputation every day by providing first-rate primary and state-of-the-art specialty eye care.

All the Pemberton children attended Catalina Foothills School District schools.  Their oldest daughter, Ella, started at Manzanita Elementary School, proceeded through Orange Grove Middle School, and last year graduated from CFSD High School.  In addition to the academic programs, she loved the music program.  The music and band programs are second to none.

Bart participated in the Family Faculty Organization (FFO) at Manzanita Elementary School, and he founded the Handy Helpers Committee there, which assisted in various projects that would come up.  He was a member of the Site Council there as well.  He was also a supporter of the Band Boosters at the high school.
Bart is a Past President of the Arizona Optometric Association.  This, along with his years in private practice and a small business owner, has allowed him to learn what it takes to meet the needs of stakeholders of a large organization.

He is an active member of St. Thomas the Apostle Church and the Knights of Columbus.  At St. Thomas, Bart has served as both an usher and Sunday school teacher. He is the Scoutmaster for a local Boy Scout Troop (Troop 007), and he is proud that his son Zachary is following in Bart’s footsteps and will be earning the rank of Eagle Scout soon.

Statement:

I Need Your Vote. Why?

CFSD is a great school district at risk and in decline because the current board doesn’t just want to help educate your children. It wants to raise your children, and its members think they know how to do that better than you do. Nothing good can come from such a practice and mindset. It can only lead to declining academic performance and social discord.

To reverse this trend, I want to be elected and have the Board:

Partner with Parents (that means being pro-student, pro-parent, and pro-transparency) to maximize student achievement. In other words, it needs to be pro-family. That means:

Building an effective partnership between parents, teachers, and other school personnel to provide the most effective learning environment for all students. This will improve student achievement and promote excellence in academics and the arts.

The governing board needs to rebuild trust between parents, teachers, and administrators by listening to parents’ concerns. Sadly, some of our leaders refuse to do this.

When a large number of parents or community members have the same concerns about an issue affecting our children, place the item on the agenda and have an open discussion.

Improve School Safety for all Students, Faculty, and Staff

Add school resource officers where necessary

Review campus access at all CFSD schools

Expand background checks to ensure sex offenders and those with a criminal record are identified prior to being hired (two CFSD teachers made the news lately with regard to this, one who was fired and one who worked there the 2022-2023 school year and was arrested recently in the greater Phoenix area).

Enforce the existing zero-tolerance policy on bullying to combat the violence and threats that have increased at our schools

Make CFSD Teachers the Highest Paid in the State

CFSD has great teachers. Making them the highest-paid in the state will help keep them and attract more (especially math and science teachers, who are in short-supply).