GILLETTE, Wyo. — Election season is well underway and County 17 has sent a list of questions to each candidate who has filed to run for office in contested races.
These questions are designed to give our readers a better understanding of the people behind the names on the ballot. All candidate responses submitted to County 17 are republished as they are received. County 17 solely made minor edits to the responses, for clarity. Minor edits may include correcting punctuation, capitalization or spelling.
Below, get to know Jessica Martinez, who is running for election to the Campbell County School District Board of Trustees:
- Please introduce yourself and describe your educational and employment history. Please include your name and hometown along with highlights of your past involvement in the Campbell County community.
Hi, my name is Jessica Martinez. I was born in West Berlin, Germany. My dad served in the Army for 13 years so I traveled around a lot before settling down in Dallas, Texas, until my parents moved to Gillette in winter 2001. I have lived in Campbell County for going on 22 years now. I am raising my four kids in Campbell County. I am happily married helping my husband raise my two beautiful bonus sons. I went to Campbell County High School. While there I played football and soccer, class of 2005. I previously worked for Mrs. C’s Cafe and Done Right cleaning before becoming a stay-at-home mom. This is my first time getting 100% involved within the community. My hobbies include watching horror movies and spending time with family. - What prompted your decision to run for school board? What do you have to offer the community as a board member? What do you believe your role is as a board member?
My decision to run for school board was fueled by my 12-year-old son being bullied at school and nothing being done and watching not only my kids but friends of mine’s kids struggle in school with the current curriculum. I am concerned for the future of our school system and I would like to be the voice for the community, the parents, teachers and, above anybody else, the students who we are leaving the world to. My role as a school board member would be to bring change to get back to the basics of a solid education system.
3. How do you propose Campbell County School District attract and retain quality
educators and other staff, given employee shortages? How can board members
help provide an environment in which employees can thrive?
To keep teachers, they must be better paid with great benefits and treated with the utmost respect, to always listen to them, to make a better work atmosphere and enforcing policies. With that, we will attract more teachers because we will be an excellent school district.
4. What does a successful school district look like?
To me a successful school district is where everybody is thriving and everyone in the community including the board school district and teachers are all hands-on and everybody’s goals are met.
5. What does the school district administration do well?
They are good at securing our schools from any harmful threats.
6. How has education impacted your life?
It has shaped me into the adult I am today.
7. What advice would you offer parents of school-aged children to empower students in their learning?
To lead by example and to be the change they wish to see. And that with great sacrifice comes great rewards.
8. What lessons did our school district community learn from the COVID-19
pandemic? How will you help the school district’s efforts to recover the academic
losses associated with the pandemic?
The school district did a great job keeping the community up to date when the pandemic first hit, and they did an excellent job of continuing the education of our children. To get back to that, we got to revisit what we were doing before the pandemic hit.
9. Should the school board promote more community involvement? If so, how? If
not, why not?
Yes, 100%. The school district and board needs to involve the community with everything and with any issue that arises. It can be done by possibly holding more meetings or giving out weekly school district newsletters to keep the parents informed of what’s going on.
10. Is there anything else voters should know about you and your perspective?
I’m here for the students, parents and teachers. That I’m here to listen to everybody and everyone’s ideas to fight for what’s right to bring fresh ideas and new perspective to make change for a more successful district, for a better fundamental educational experience.
Thank you and don’t forget to vote November 8th.
