Kristi Cooper

Kristi Cooper is deeply invested in the Deer Valley Unified School District and its community. She is the daughter of Ken Neumann, retired Sunrise principal, and Neva Neumann, retired Mirage and Bellair teacher. Kristi attended Village Meadows, Bellair, Desert Sky, and Deer Valley High School. After graduating from college, Kristi returned to the DVUSD and taught for more than 32 years at Village Meadows, Desert Winds, Norterra Canyon, and Sonoran Foothills. She is also the proud parent of two Barry Goldwater Alumni. Love for this school district is a family affair! One of her sisters is currently a special education preschool teacher at Park Meadows and the other one is a paraprofessional at Mountain Shadows. You will not find a candidate with a stronger commitment to this district, its community, students, and employees.

Kristi Cooper wants to bring families back to Deer Valley Schools by focusing on three main goals: students' needs, smarter spending, and community involvement. Putting
students first means spending money where it matters most: making schools safer, handling disruptive behavior, and cutting down class sizes. The budget should invest in our students and employees instead of prioritizing new construction while 13 schools are half-empty. The district is operating less efficiently and the students and employees are paying the price. Prioritizing buildings over students has resulted in larger class sizes, discussion of programs being cut, and increased athletic/band fees.

Lastly, the board members are elected to represent parents, students, employees and stakeholders. It is the board's responsibility to listen to these groups, hear their input, research issues, and provide direction to the superintendent. Our community should speak first at board meetings in a welcoming boardroom, and have the opportunity to serve on committees where decisions are being made that will directly affect their children.