New SLCSD Board Member Amanda Longwell Is Ready To Dive In To Role

Amanda Longwell isn’t one to sit still and watch things happen.
“If I see a problem, I can’t sit still and ignore it, so I like to dive in,” she said.
With a hands-on approach, Longwell is ready to tackle challenges and create an impact. She’s not waiting for change; she’s ready to make it happen.
Longwell is the newest Salt Lake City School Board member after being elected in November. She represents the Highland community where she has watched her children go to school.
Longwell is ready for a step up in action. With eight years of watching the school board, and personal engagement with the community, she is well prepared for this leadership role.
“I’ve been mentoring and communicating with board members or watching their meetings and seeing the discussions since 2016,” Longwell said.
She’s been preparing for eight years, self-monitoring or self-investigating and trying to talk to others who’ve been in the district for years. Longwell learned everything historically so she could get a new perspective of what happened before she came in.
In 2016, when Longwell first felt a desire to run for district board member, her daughter, who has a disability, entered the school district. As a mother, she quickly noticed the supports put in place did not meet her daughter’s unique needs.
“Whenever you have a child with a certain level of disability, it’ll kind of get auto segregated, which not only isn’t morally right. It actually violates a lot of laws,” Longwell said.
In a mother’s eyes, getting the care her daughter needs is a top priority, and getting involved in the district is something Longwell hopes will bring along benefits.
Fighting for equal educational opportunities is what Longwell wants. When she already cares for her daughter daily, it’s a lot harder when the circumstances around school are not appropriate.
“If you have a child with a more complex disability, you’re barely holding on by and thread and a prayer, so having somebody step up and properly advocate for them is really challenging,” Longwell said.
To provide for everyone in the community, she wants to create natural and organic relationships with people. Talking with the community and hearing their side of things is meaningful to Longwell. Creating one on one’s with students and community members, or having simple gatherings is part of her plan.
“Really listening to the school communities, the students, and the individuals that actually live it on a daily basis to break down those holes to really resolve it,” Longwell said.
Not only does she have connections in the community, but her daughter Alexa Longwell is a sophomore at Highland. She is excited for her mom to share her ideas outside of home and can see the happiness it brings her.
“I’m very excited. I feel like she would bring a lot of good change to the district and how they structure things,” Alexa said.
The relationships she wants to create will help her connect more with those involved in the district. She wants to be genuine and truly involve the community.
Longwell has walked into the district board position with many goals. She has pushed herself to create goals that positively benefit every student and leader in the district. Knowing what benefits the community is an achievement she has gotten from her current job.
She is serving on a non-profit board and will be stepping down to better focus on the new job. The amount of work that the job requires won’t be a huge change, according to Longwell. The new job won’t look much different.
“And so ironically, it’s a little bit less of a weight off my shoulders and, I kind of do better whenever I’m in a situation to help affect positive change,” Longwell said.
Having this job will help her personally in some ways. Feeling more connected to her kids and knowing firsthand what’s going on in the school will guide her to sustain the district.
For eight years, Longwell has been preparing for a this position. Not only is she involved, but she has personally experienced the problems throughout the district. She wants to make equal education for all students and listen to the community for everyone’s needs. She is determined to create a change in the district.