Hayley Ross
Hayley Ross is running for election to the Miami-Dade County Public Schools school board to represent District 3 in Florida. She is on the ballot in the primary on August 20, 2024.[source]
Ross completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Hayley Ross earned a bachelor's degree from the University of West Florida in 1996, a graduate degree from Nova Southeastern University in 1996, and a degree from Nova Southeastern University in 2010. Her career experience includes working as a teacher, a small business owner, and the owner and manager of multiple rental properties.[1]
Ross has been affiliated with the following organizations:[1]
- Republican National Hispanic Assembly, member
- Women's Republican Club of Miami, member
- Federate, member
- Federate Women's Republican Club of Miami Beach, member
- Election Integrity Brigade, member
Elections
2024
See also: Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Florida, elections (2024)
General election
The primary will occur on August 20, 2024. The general election will occur on November 5, 2024. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Miami-Dade County Public Schools school board District 3
Joseph Geller, Martin Karp, Brent Latham, Gustavo Ortega, and Hayley Ross are running in the primary for Miami-Dade County Public Schools school board District 3 on August 20, 2024.
Candidate | ||
 | Joseph Geller (Nonpartisan) | |
 | Martin Karp (Nonpartisan) | |
| Brent Latham (Nonpartisan) | |
 | Gustavo Ortega (Nonpartisan)  | |
 | Hayley Ross (Nonpartisan) | |
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Michael Hepburn (Nonpartisan)
- Enid Weisman (Nonpartisan)
Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Hayley Ross completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ross' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I am also a mother of two adults daughters whom I am very proud of and retired teacher with over 25 years of service to our children and parents. My husband and I are small business owners, but we spend most of our time in retirement as advocates for our community and volunteer for strong conservative candidates running in Miami-Dade County. I am not a politician, nor do I aspire to be. I simply want to make sure that the children in Miami-Dade County receive the best education possible in the safest environment available. We don't have any transparency and accountability and I don't want to see what is happening in our states repeat itself in South Florida.
- I want to guarantee the safety of our children. Whether that is updating the risk assessment and emergency respnse protocalls for our schools or making sure our schools are properly maintained and up to code.
- Our children education is overshadowed by political issues that are distrating from the important issues. We need to return to focusing on the basics so our children can be competitve on an international scale and curriculum must be age appropriate. Age Appropriate is not a subjective term. There are common sense standard established and when they are in question, it is up to parents to decide.
- Our children cannot receive continuous quality of education, it we can't keep quality teacher in the public school systems. Constantly recruiting and training teachers is more expensive them supporting our current teachers. I want to ensure that teachers are receive a proper living wage, that resources are available to them to eliminate their out of pocket costs, and I want to make sure they have quality continuing education to keep them ahead of the curve.
There are so many critical issues being addressed by the school board, but the first issues I'd focus on are 1. Parental Rights, Fiancial Transparency and Accountabilty, Teachers Salaries and Benefits to maintaining a strong teaching staff, and School Safety. These are issues that are non-negotiables and should be the top priority.
I’ve had great role models in my life, but my father was my greatest. He led a life of honesty, integrity, thoughtfulness, and, most of all, love for his family. I like to think that I have his very best qualities.
I don't know that it gives a better understanding of my political philosophy, but my favorite President is Theodore Roosevelt. I recently read "Mornings on Horseback" and I highyly recommended as a view into the family and homelife that influenced his character and ultimately his Presidency. My favorite saying is "Walk Softly and Carry a Big Stick." It is unnessary to be scandalous in one's retoric to make a point or get attention. It is, however, vital, to stand by ones values and to be direct and act decisively when upholding them.
Aside from being honest and trustworthy, elected officials need to be patient and openminded. They need to have a willingness to hear all sides of an issue and the curiosity to research and learn as much as possible before passing judgement.
I’m a hard worker, and I’m very tenacious. I also bring a wealth of knowledge and years of experience in the field of education.
The core responsibilities of any elected official is to represent their constituents and protect their best interests. Elected officials should not take their election to office as a mandate from voters to impose their own personal views on constituents.
I would like to leave behind a better world for all children.
The first historical event that I remember was the lunar landing. I remember my whole family sitting around the television watching it live when I was eight years old.
My first job was at White Flint Mall, where I sold frozen yogurt in the food court. I think I worked there for six months.
There are too many to list, but Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett is one. The characters are well-developed, and you follow the same families through multiple generations. It’s interesting
It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood.
This is a broad question. Like most people, I have many struggles, personally and professionally. I would say that one I've been confronted with often on the campaign trail dealing with all different types of characters is. I constantly remind myself to think carefully before I speak and always be diplomatic.
The primary job of a school board member is the represent the best intersts of its constituents, students, their families and public school staff.
Constituents are the students, their families and public school staff.
I understand that every person is a unique individual and as such should be treated accordingly and afforded the opportunity to shine in their best light. Students should be provided the room to grow according to their academic individualities. Teachers should be allowed to put their best skills to work in an environment that provides growth for them as well.
I plan to visit all the schools in my district on a rotating basis to speak with teachers and parents. I will witness what programs and initiatives work and don’t work. I will regularly attend PTA, PTSA, and teachers’ union meetings as well as other non-governmental organization meetings, community events and community council meetings to stay connected to the parents, teachers and students in my district and hear their concerns firsthand. I would also establish regular office hours when constituents can schedule meetings with me and my staff. I will initially seek input from the PTA, PTSA, the teacher’s union, and other parent organizations such as Parent to Parent, and other agencies, such as Florida Healthy Start that are established to provide resources to families and lobby for parents and student interest. I will devise a plan for cross-collaboration and a communications plan to increase communications to parents and families of the services and resources available to them.
Teachers should be knowledgeable about their subject and be able to impart this knowledge to their students in a supportive and caring environment. Teachers should be engaging and clear in their expectations of their students. Teachers set the tone for a classroom, of behavior that will be acceptable. You can measure good teaching in a classroom in various ways. First, student scores will reflect if students are making gains in their environment. Attendance is important for academic success, that is a measure of a good teacher, making sure they do everything within their purview to make the students show up to learn. Administrative observations can be used to measure good teaching.
Considering the rising cost of college, and the trend toward entrepreneurship and trade workers, I will advocate for greater opportunity in these fields. I will also support a curriculum that will help our students for the next phase of life, such as good citizenship and personal financial management. I will further apprenticeship programs and work study courses. I will also request a study to ensure that we are offering our highest achieving students sufficient access to electives, AP courses, and college preparatory courses.
Before looking at increasing funding, it is necessary we have a comprehensive audit of the school board finances to ensure responsible spending and transparency. It was alarming to learn this year that one of the school board members had squandered school funds on personal expenses. Far too many schools are empty and dilapidated while the school board continues to spend without adequate contract bidding. This cannot continue.
I have attended school safety training provided by the Leadership Institute. While Florida is far ahead of many states, it is imperative we have regular and thorough risk assessments in the district. I have learned that the Secret Service will come to the district to conduct an assessment so we can budget for the best technology and training for our safety officers. In addition to the physical safety of our children and staff, I think it is vital that we also address the gap in mental health, identifying and referring our students and families to necessary care.
I will evaluate the number and qualifications of counselors and mental health providers compared to the national average. I would also budget for continued education for teachers and staff to ensure that they continue to receive the necessary training to serve our children and their families. I would also promote cross-departmental collaboration on how to meet our children and families in a manner they feel comfortable with. There is still such a stigma associated with mental health, particularly in some cultures, it is important to aid in removing the barriers families might have in getting the mental health care they need.
I don't have one, but I think Dad jokes are the best. Especially when my dad cracks himself up before getting to the punch line and he's laughing so hard he can hardly speak. The laughter is contagious.
I will create teacher retention programs to retain our experienced and veteran teachers. I will increase the availability of mental health care for our families. I will ensure that our school safety protocols are the best in the country, and I will make sure the funds are available for every one of these programs.
Republican National Hispanic Assembly of Florida and the Miami Independent
First and foremost, our children need to feel that they are safe. The ideal learning environment is in-person in the classroom where children can learn without outside distractions. Every student should feel welcome and excited to learn. Students should be eager to learn and their learning environment should provide them with a sense of security where they are free to learn, are engaged in their learning and to experience the joy of learning.
I feel that Miami-Dade County and Florida handled the pandemic in the best way possible, bringing children back to the classroom as soon as possible. My concern with the pandemic is that many children did not return to the classroom after the pandemic. Those children do not cease to be our constituents. We need to ensure that those children are accounted for and that they are seeking appropriate alternative schooling. In the case of underserved communities, school is the only place where they are receiving adequate meals and supervision and we need to make sure these children don’t fall through the cracks.
In addition to attending the meetings I reference above; I plan to utilize town halls and digital communications to make sure parents are informed of critical services and issues being addressed by the school board. In my research, I discovered that many parents aren’t even aware of the wide range of services and resources available to them. By collaborating with the various departments and non-governmental organizations we can do a better job of keeping parents in the loop beyond just putting a flyer in their children’s backpacks.
I will request a salary study for teachers, administrators, and staff to compare our salaries and benefits with other counties across the state to ensure that we are competitive because the issue isn’t just recruitment, but retention. If our teachers and staff can move to Monroe County for example to get a more livable wage, Miami-Dade County will be caught in an endless cycle of recruitment and training which is inevitably costing us more than if we had just raised salaries to the appropriate statewide benchmark. I would also speak to teachers to find out what obstacles they faced in completing their education and licensing. I think we can create more incentives and resources without reducing the requirements for teachers and jeopardizing the quality of our staff.
This is one of my top priorities. In Miami-Dade County we have actually had school board members arrested for embezzling over $100,00. I believe that an in-depth audit is needed county wide, to ensure this a larger issues. We should put more checks in balances in place and make public records requests easier to obtain.
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See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate Miami-Dade County Public Schools school board District 3 |
Personal |
Footnotes
