Dellinger, Mary Ann

Meet the Candidate

Running For:
School Board
District:
Humboldt Unified School District
Phone:
(928) 460-9916
Occupation:
Professor, retired
Education:
PhD (Spanish) Arizona State University; MAEd, University of Arizona; BA, University of New Mexico
Biographical Info:

Mary Ann Dellinger is Professor emerita of Modern Languages and Cultures (Spanish) of the Virginia Military Institute, where she taught Spanish language, Peninsular Studies, and Spanish for Specific Purposes (SSP). Her 50+ years in second language education span two continents and four languages, including postbaccalaureate teacher education and 11 years as a classroom teacher in the Tucson Unified School District. She holds a PhD in Spanish from Arizona State University and an MAEd from the University of Arizona.

Mary Ann’s research centers on second language teaching and Communist discourse of the anti-Francoist movement, which together serve to inform her primary scholarly interest: Marxist pedagogy and the Soviet educational model. She has published numerous critical essays, along with three co-edited volumes, and delivered over 50 papers at international conferences. Additionally, she has co-authored four textbook programs.

Statement:

There is no doubt that public education in our country has lost its way, albeit on a road paved with (seemingly) good intentions. The divisiveness within American society today has worsened the situation, blurring the lines between teachers’ roles and parental rights, while the focus from student achievement to “the whole child” has often given rise to added friction between schools and the communities they serve. This discord is especially evident in districts where parental values conflict with those upheld by school administrators and teachers who represent the public education establishment.

Considering what I deem the seriousness of our current situation, I have two options: 1) I can continue to lament the situation to anyone willing to listen, or 2) I can use my experience and knowledge to help affect positive change.

I choose the second.

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
2. Allowing parents to opt their children out of activities or lessons that offend their personal, moral, or religious beliefs. S* However, we can circumvent this issue by overseeing instructional materials and classroom techniques to ensure they are not propagandistic in nature or age inappropriate.
3. Increasing state and local taxes to provide more funding for schools and school facility projects. O* We need local oversight and better administration of funds. Throwing more money at public education continues to be a failing policy.
4. Requiring signed permission from a parent before a student may participate in any sexuality related instruction, activities, or clubs. S* We must completely remove sexuality-related instruction & activities from our campuses. Numerous special interest organizations already make such venues possible elsewhere.
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* Every parent has the right to choose the best education for his/her child.
6. Making available books and instructional materials that include sexually explicit images and themes in school classrooms and libraries. O
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 find it disturbing we are even talking about pronoun use, but at least parental consent is a first step.
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* Meritocracy always renders excellence, it never fails.
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* We need to restrict animal costumes in school to Halloween as well.
10. Teaching what is known as diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI); social, emotional learning (SEL); or critical race theory (CRT) in public schools. O* I oppose all, fully realizing they are not new and will be repackaged with another name once we succeed in eliminating them from our schools.
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 also maintain that all curriculum and instructional materials should be available for checkout by parents and other taxpayers.