Bowles, Janelle

Meet the Candidate

Running For:

School Board

District:

Peoria Unified School District

Phone:

(623) 221-8680

Age:

Occupation:

CEO Holistic Learning, LLC

Education:

BA in Psychology , BA in Human Services. Early Childhood Teaching Certification and AA in Early childhood

Family:

Married 28 years, Adult son and adult daughter. Three grandbabies and an adult foster daughter.

Religion:

Christian

Biographical Info:

Professional experience
My name is Janelle Bowles and I am a current candidate for Peoria School Board. As a nine-year veteran of PUSD (Peoria Unified School District), I have worn many hats, some include helping behaviorally challenged students, working with outside resources for my students and families as well as, president of booster clubs within the high schools, fundraising and supporting my children’s extracurricular activities. Since leaving the district, I have started and managed state-wide social service agencies.

Family
I am a native of Minnesota and come from a small family of fourteen. I have lived in Peoria Arizona for over 20 years. Married for 28 years, we have raised three successful adult children, two biological and one foster. I have a daughter-in-law and three beautiful grandbabies.

Political experience
I have volunteered and have been involved in some fashion in politics since my early teen years. I am currently a precinct committeeman as well as a state delegate.

Statement:

While the reasons for running are many, the main few are to see academic excellence once again as a priority, parental empowerment which goes hand in hand with supporting great teachers, district transparency, students first, and special education fidelity.

When I began attending regular board meetings in 2021, I realized many decisions were being made either without the public knowing or in many cases without the board even given the chance to review and then make a well-informed decision on such crucial issues such as on-site school mental health clinics, access to and acceptance of school-wide behavior technology that would collect data on our children based on motivation behind the student’s behavior and most recently the Biden administration trying to change the meaning of the language of Title IX (re-write) and the use of AI within children’s classroom.

Endorsements:

AZ Women of Action

Survey

Response Legend

SSupports
OOpposes
*Comment
−Declined to respond
†Declined to respond, Position based on citation

Question	Response	Comments/Notes
1. Requiring district and charter school officials, including teachers, to inform parents about their child’s social, mental, emotional, or physical health.	S*	Children are dependents for a reason. I agree that parents must be informed in decision-making regarding their childs social, mental, emotional, or physical health.
2. Allowing parents to opt their children out of activities or lessons that offend their personal, moral, or religious beliefs.	S*	I fully support following the Constitution of the United States which states parents and children have the right to freedom of religion and freedom of speech. Arizona Parental Rights laws also allow parents to opt their children out of activities or lessons that offend their personal, moral, or religious beliefs.
3. Increasing state and local taxes to provide more funding for schools and school facility projects.	−*	An increase would be dependent on the history of spending and a clear defined pathway of the allocated funds. We need to be more accountable for earmarked monies being spent in areas that taxpayers originally agreed upon such as classrooms and students.
4. Requiring signed permission from a parent before a student may participate in any sexuality related instruction, activities, or clubs.	S*	Children are called dependent for a reason. I support requiring signed permission from a parent before a student may participate in any sexuality related instruction, activities, or clubs.
5. Allowing all parents to use tax credits and publicly funded empowerment scholarship accounts to enable their children to attend any private, homeschool, or online academy of their choice.	S*	I support school choice which has made our Arizona education system thrive. I support allowing all parents to use tax credits and publicly funded empowerment scholarship accounts to enable their children to attend any private, homeschooled, or online academy of their choice.
6. Making available books and instructional materials that include sexually explicit images and themes in school classrooms and libraries.	O*	School is not a place for sexually explicit images and themes in school classrooms and libraries. We need to be more focused on academic excellence and less on social justice issues,
7. Acquiring parental consent for school faculty and staff to refer to students by pronouns that do not align with the student’s birth sex.	S*	I support acquiring parental consent in allowing a student to receive professional support outside of school and parental consent for school faculty and staff to refer to students by pronouns that do not align with the students birth sex.
8. Allocating teacher pay raises based upon merit rather than providing uniform salary schedule increases based upon years of teaching or additional credentialing (e.g. master’s degrees)	S*	I will support allocating teacher pay raises based upon merit rather than providing uniform salary schedule increases based upon years of teaching or additional credentialing (e.g. masters degrees)
9. Implementing policies to allow students and faculty to use the restroom, locker room, and shower room based on self-identification rather than biological sex.	O*	For the safety and mental health of all students, I oppose implementing policies to allow students and faculty to use the restroom, locker room, and shower room based on self-identification rather than biological sex.
10. Teaching what is known as diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI); social, emotional learning (SEL); or critical race theory (CRT) in public schools.	O*	We need to refocus and strive for excellence when teaching reading, writing, and math. Not in what is known as diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI); social, emotional learning (SEL); or critical race theory (CRT) in public schools. I do support teaching the foundational correct history of our country whether positive or negative (slavery) this only strengthens American children in their resolve and foundational launching board for their future.
11. Requiring each district and charter school to post online a list of all curriculum and instructional materials being used in the classroom.	S*	I support transparency on every level therefore I will support requiring each district and charter school to post online a list of all curriculum and instructional materials being used in the classroom.