{"id":12645,"date":"2026-09-25T19:07:52","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T19:07:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/arianna-parks\/"},"modified":"2026-09-25T19:07:52","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T19:07:52","slug":"arianna-parks","status":"publish","type":"candidate","link":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/arianna-parks\/","title":{"rendered":"Arianna Parks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Previous Offices Held<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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I have never run for elected office before.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Top Three Priorities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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My top priorities are addressing the high turnover rate among Ed Techs and ensuring these essential professionals feel valued and supported. I want to examine the subcontracting of special education professionals and how it impacts students, staff and consistency of care. Most importantly, I want to give special education teachers, staff, students and families a stronger voice on the School Board, ensuring their experiences and concerns are heard when decisions affecting our schools are made.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Why are you running?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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I am running because I believe special education students and staff deserve a stronger voice. After years of working alongside children, families, Ed Techs and educators, I have seen the challenges they face firsthand. I want to address Ed Tech turnover, examine the impact of subcontracting special education professionals and ensure those working directly with our students are heard. Every student deserves to feel supported, represented, valued and given opportunities to succeed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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What is the biggest challenge facing your area\u2019s schools? The biggest opportunity?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Our biggest challenge is the turnover among Ed Techs and special education staff, increasing reliance on subcontracted staff working under other criteria. Our biggest opportunity is recruitment. We need to make Saco Schools stand out as a place where qualified teachers want to work, grow and stay. By strengthening recruitment and addressing retention, we can build dedicated teams, reduce reliance on subcontractors and provide special education students with the support they deserve every day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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A top issue for many parents is the age of Maine\u2019s school infrastructure. How would you address this issue locally from your position on the school board?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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On a local level, I'd prioritize keeping our current schools safe and functional while Saco works toward its new school campus. I would listen to staff about building concerns, identify urgent repairs and support responsible investments in maintenance and safety. I'd advocate for transparency around infrastructure needs and spending while remaining fiscally responsible. We must ensure students and staff have safe, well-maintained learning environments in our schools today.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Do you think the state government is too involved in local schooling? Not involved enough? The right amount of involved? Explain your answer.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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State involvement in education can be valuable when it provides resources, guidance and support. However, too much involvement can place unnecessary financial burdens on Saco taxpayers without guaranteeing better outcomes for students. I believe decisions should prioritize what benefits students while respecting local needs and resources. State requirements should come with funding and flexibility, allowing local educators and communities to determine how best to serve their students.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":7159,"template":"","meta":{"voter_guide_candidate_first_name":"Arianna","voter_guide_candidate_middle_name":"Rose","voter_guide_candidate_last_name":"Parks","voter_guide_candidate_suffix":"","voter_guide_candidate_race_id":12599,"voter_guide_candidate_age":28,"voter_guide_candidate_hometown":"","voter_guide_candidate_occupation":"Behavioral Health Professional","voter_guide_candidate_bio":"As a mother and special education professional, I\u2019ve spent eight years supporting children and families. My experience as a BHP, Ed Tech, and program manager drives my passion for advocacy.","voter_guide_candidate_education":"Working toward a bachelor\u2019s degree in Psychology with a minor in Counseling and certification in MHRT\/C.","voter_guide_candidate_years_in_municipality":"","voter_guide_candidate_headshot_url":"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/open?id=1F9J6nc3DOufMS-8X7Doqc2jXFdDCWA19","voter_guide_candidate_date_filed":"","footnotes":""},"vg_party":[1186],"vg_residence_municipality":[],"class_list":["post-12645","candidate","type-candidate","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","vg_party-non-partisan"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/12645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/candidate"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/12645\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12646,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/12645\/revisions\/12646"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"vg_party","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_party?post=12645"},{"taxonomy":"vg_residence_municipality","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_residence_municipality?post=12645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}