About Rick Ainge
My name is Rick Ainge. I am running for re-election to the Nebo School District Board of Education, District 4. I am a life-long resident of Nebo School District, born and raised in Spanish Fork. I have lived in Salem for twenty-nine years with my beautiful wife, Deanne. Together we raised three wonderful children, who are now married and have blessed us with eight wonderful grandchildren. I graduated from Brigham Young University with a Master’s Degree in Accounting, and I am a Certified Public Accountant. For the past thirty-two years I have run a successful accounting practice, seventeen years in Spanish Fork and the last fifteen years in Salem. I am deeply rooted in this community. I am dedicated to serving its members and doing what I can to ensure that it remains a great place to live and raise our families. I am a product of the schools of Nebo School District.
I attribute my success, in part, to what I learned in those schools and how they prepared me for college and life. My children were educated in Nebo; my grandchildren also are attending or will be attending the schools of Nebo District. I truly believe that Nebo is the very best school district in Utah, and is among the very best in the Nation. For the sake of my own grandchildren, and for the sake of all the children within our communities, I am committed to keeping Nebo School District at the very top, demanding a standard of excellence and continual improvement, ensuring Nebo will always be a leader among school districts.
Why I Ran for School Board &
Why I Have Chosen to Run Again
Education has always been very important to me. My parents instilled in me a strong desire to learn and helped me obtain an understanding of the importance of education in our lives. They made certain that I had the educational opportunities I needed to be successful and follow my chosen path in life. I have strived to pass this on to my children and to provide them with the educational opportunities necessary to reach their goals and achieve their dreams. My education opened many doors and provided me with many wonderful opportunities. I wanted to find a way to help further education in Nebo School District, and at the same time give back to a community that has given so much to me and my family. Serving on the School Board seemed like the perfect opportunity to accomplish this.
I believe that my education, background, expertise in accounting and finance, and my experience in the business world are very useful and valuable to the School Board and the District. As a school board, we have accomplished much and made great progress during my time on the Board. I also recognize there is yet more to do, and I believe in a need for continual improvement. I look forward to an opportunity to continue working with the other Board members, the administration, teachers, staff, parents, students, and community members to continually improve Nebo School District and the educational opportunities and experiences we provide our children.
Proven and Effective Leadership
During my lifetime, I have served in many different organizations and positions which have helped me develop excellent leadership skills. I served two terms on the Board of Directors for the Spanish Fork/Salem Area Chamber of Commerce, served as Treasurer for the Chamber and in an advisory capacity for many years. I served on the Salem Mayor’s Advisory Board, a foundation board, and many others. I served for eight years with the Utah School Boards Association, four years as a member of the Board of Directors and four years in leadership, including one year as president of the association. I have served on the Nebo School Board for the past twelve years, serving as Board President for two years. During my time on the School Board, the District has shown amazing progress and has achieved many wonderful accomplishments. Below are a handful of those accomplishments:
- Closed a $4.5 million budget shortfall caused by the collapse of the economy in 2008-2009 and resulting budget cutbacks – with no layoffs, no contract cuts, and without raising taxes.
- Started and maintained an energy education and conservation program with the help of an energy consultant which has helped the School District significantly reduce energy usage, better maintain energy equipment, and bring all our buildings into EnergyStar compliance.
- Maintained a very low administration cost – Utah is among the lowest state in the nation on the percentage of budget spent on administration, and Nebo is one of the lowest in Utah.
- Installed Zonar/Transfinder as well as Cameras on school buses for added safety and security.
- Designed and implemented student success initiatives and related student success committees with parent and community members, with the focus of improving student success and achievement.
- Implemented a 5X5 schedule in certain schools to provide more options and greater flexibility for students.
- Opened the Nebo Advanced Learning Center, promoting college and career integration by offering concurrent enrollment and CTE classes in areas such as Computer Information Technology, Computer Programming, Digital Media, Engineering and Technical Design, Manufacturing, Health Sciences, and others, Implemented the Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) programs.
- Built and opened new schools - Sierra Bonita Elementary, Maple Ridge Elementary, Meadow Brook Elementary, Apple Valley Elementary, Valley View Middle School, Maple Grove Middle School, Spring Canyon Middle School, Salem Jr. High, and Springville Jr. High, and began the process of rebuilding our aging high schools in Spanish Fork, Payson, and Springville.
- Upgraded/expanded wireless network – total wireless capability in all buildings.
- Significantly increased technology devices (iPads, Chromebooks, mobile labs, etc.) in schools and classrooms.
- Installed and upgraded security cameras in buildings.
- Implemented parent communication system.
- Conducted stakeholder surveys.
- Navigated the COVID pandemic with as little disruption to learning as possible, striking a delicate balance between student/staff safety, personal choice/options, and quality instruction.
- Implemented many changes to improve safety and security in our schools including electronic locks/key cards, increased cooperation/collaboration with law enforcement, better access control in schools, and better protocols, procedures, and training.
Committed to Excellence in Our Schools
As a board member, I am committed to maintaining and expanding excellence in our schools. Our students deserve nothing less, and we should expect nothing less. As a board, we implement policies that help foster excellence and provide an environment to help our teachers and staff reach their full potential. Through the building of Professional Learning Communities, collaboration, and plentiful, robust professional development opportunities, we provide our teachers with the necessary tools, guidance, and support while leaving them with the flexibility and freedom to establish what works best in their schools and classrooms.
Sound Fiscal Management
This is an area where Nebo School District has historically been very strong, while also making great strides in the past several years. As mentioned previously, through the Board’s sound fiscal decisions, the School District has been able to close a $4.5 million budget shortfall that was caused by the collapsing economy and across-the-board budget cuts of 2008-2009. The Board was able to accomplish this without laying off employees, cutting salaries or contracts, and without raising taxes. The District’s sound fiscal policies and strong fiscal position have helped the District to maintain a high bond rating on the bonds that the District issues for construction and capital projects. This has resulted in very low interest rates on the bonds, which literally saves the School District, and taxpayers, millions of dollars in interest over the lives of the bonds. I have been very involved in the formulation of fiscal policies for the District, and my finance and business background has been important and useful in this process.
Promoting Parental & Community Involvement
I believe that both parental and community involvement in the school district and in the schools is critical to effectively increase student learning and student success. The parent is every child’s first teacher and is ultimately responsible for their child’s education. Also, parental engagement is critical to effective collaboration with the rest of the community. Parents should have meaningful input into the design and implementation of curriculum and policies and should fulfill meaningful roles which go beyond chaperoning field trips or helping in the school library. School districts need parental input to help make difficult decisions and meet difficult challenges. Schools need parents who are partners in education, who will assist with learning activities, tutor students in need, help prepare or choose instructional materials, and otherwise work with the schools to help increase student learning. Collaborative relationships with parents and the community are critical to increasing student success and achievement.
Focused on Student Achievement
As a board member, my primary focus is on student achievement. Every step along the way, we need to ask ourselves “Is this what is best for students?” Each decision we make regarding policy, finance, capital projects, personnel, or anything else needs to be made with the idea of what is best for students as our overriding concern. As mentioned above, the Board has implemented twelve initiatives for student achievement. These initiatives are in areas such as collaboration, college & career readiness, elementary arts, elementary reading, elementary & secondary math, technology, and others. They have one common purpose and one common focus, to bolster student achievement. These initiatives, and many other actions taken by the Board, are excellent examples of my commitment and focus on student achievement.