Maria Solanki
Non-Partisan | Florida
Candidate Profile
Leans Conservative
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Maria Solanki
Party
Non-Partisan
Election Year
2022
Election
Primary
Race
Pinellas County Schools, School Board, District 7
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Bellevue University, Bellevue, B. Psychology, 2009
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
American Welcome Association New Delhi, VP, assisted in fundraising and organizing events. Primary funds were raised for children and women in New Delhi, India and surrounding areas., STOP Global Network
Organization that rescued trafficked minor girls. I assisted in fundraising and training the girls to start their own business, Covenant Academy, Parent volunteering and assisting with events. Contributions
Palna Orphanage, Collecting clothing items and financial contributions, Eckerd/FSS
Currently working on becoming a foster parent, Cleveland Sight Center, Volunteered with their adult and teen programs. Mental health counseling for adults and training teens to live independently
Don Bosco Adults with Down, Volunteered with this organization to help adults with Down become more independent
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Candidate did not provide
Race
ENDORSEMENTS
CONSERVATIVE (3)
BlakPac
Pinellas Suncoast Black Republican Club
Stand For Health Freedom
OTHER (1)
Linda Chaney
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (5)
State Rep. Linda Chaney
Black Pac
Chaplain Sheila Griffin
Suncoast Black Republican Club
Christine Brown Gulfport City Council
SELECTED FINANCIAL SOURCE DOCUMENTS
- Campaign Treasurer's Report (3/1/2022 - 3/31/2022)
- $46.00 in expenditures to Anedot
- Campaign Treasurer's Report (4/1/2022 - 4/30/2022)
- $33.50 in expenditures to Anedot
- $33.50 in expenditures to Anedot
- Campaign Treasurer's Report (5/1/2022 - 5/31/2022)
- $37.00 in expenditures to Anedot
- $37.00 in expenditures to Anedot
- Campaign Treasurer's Report (6/1/2022 - 6/17/2022)
- $33.20 in expenditures to Anedot
- Campaign Treasurer's Report (6/18/2022 - 7/1/2022)
- $16.90 in expenditures to Anedot
- Please note: The following information was received by iVoterGuide after Panel Evaluations occurred and is for additional educational purposes only:
- Campaign Treasurer's Report (7/2/2022 - 7/15/2022)
- $32.80 in expenditures to Anedot
- $32.80 in expenditures to Anedot
- Campaign Treasurer's Report (7/16/2022 - 7/22/2022)
- $33.20 in expenditures to Anedot
- $33.20 in expenditures to Anedot
- Campaign Treasurer's Report (7/23/2022 - 7/29/2022)
- $750.00 contribution from Pinellas County Republican Party
- $35.20 in expenditures to Anedot
- Campaign Treasurer's Report (7/30/2022 - 8/5/2022)
- $1.90 expenditure to Anedot
- $1.90 expenditure to Anedot
- Campaign Treasurer's Report (7/2/2022 - 7/15/2022)
OTHER INFORMATION
Voter Record from the Florida Department of State indicates candidate's Political Affiliation is unknown (as of 6/23/2022).
Election Voting History for Maria Solanki during time of residence in district and/or at current address:
- No voting history
**Voter history is not considered during panel evaluations.**
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not be a resource for instruction or services in the school.
Strongly Agree
Human life begins at conception and deserves legal protection at every stage until natural death.
Strongly Agree
ECONOMY
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree
School districts should be able to use taxpayer money for lobbying the state legislature.
Strongly Agree
What is your position on government funding of public education from Pre-K through college?
The government should not pay for college. For pre-k to 12th grade, parents should be able to CHOOSE the school they want their child to go to and receive a voucher or scholarship to go to that school or to homeschool and receive reimbursement. This includes private and charter schools.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
At school, students should be able to speak freely and civilly about matters of conscience and faith, including Christianity.
Strongly Agree
School districts should not discriminate against individuals, organizations or small businesses because of their belief that marriage is only a union of one man and one woman.
Strongly Agree
Students should not be allowed to pray in school.
Strongly Disagree
EDUCATION
What is the function of the local school board?
School board members must approve budgets, allocate funds, and cut wasteful spending. They should make decisions that are in the best interest of EVERY child in the district. They should support all types of choices that parents choose for their children's education whether that is supporting private and charter schools by providing them transportation or providing more resources to homeschool.
Who should have the authority to set curriculum and determine resources used in those curricula?
In private schools and homeschools that is 100% up to the leader of that school. We need to work as a collective group including parents, principals, school board and state.
When should parents be restricted from speaking in school board meetings?
Only when someone else is speaking. Parent commenting must be allowed, should be welcomed, and needs to be live streamed.
Please list in order the following priorities in relation to the role of a K-12 public school (omitting any that do not apply): Mathematics, Information Technology, Science, Political Activism, Personal Finances, Gender Identity, Physical Fitness, American History, Critical Race Theory, Language Arts, Art & Music, Vocational Learning, Sexuality, Foreign Language, Social Emotional Learning
Personal Finances Language Arts Mathematics Foreign Languages IT Vocational Learning Science If political activism is the same as civics Physical Fitness Art & Music American History SEL should be considered but this would need CAREFUL review. SEL is suppose to look at the child as a whole so they can reach their fullest potential. The thought is, if the child is stressed, they may not focus or may become disruptive and exhibit negative behaviors that can spiral into additional negative situations such as being removed from the class which, in turn, can result in lost learning time and losing hope, feeling that no one cares for them so ‘why learn’?. The concept is valuable but the implementation can be a slippery slope. In an ideal world, all parents would play a role in helping their child emotionally. This does not always happen, and regardless, school life vs. home life can change a child’s behavior. As an adult who had depression as a child, I do see value in this, but as mentioned, this is a slippery slope. Here are some of my concerns. I have noticed in some SEL curriculum samples that there are teachings that blatently contradict a child’s family values and beliefs. I also worry that by teaching children to put too much emphasis on their own emotions, which changes based on outside circumstances that they cannot control, we disempower our children, instead of strengthening their reasoning, intellect and will, which will give them merit based good feelings about themselves instead of just building their egos. This can be extremely destructive in the short and long run. Having banned the subject of God and godly concepts in our schools, it appears that SEL tries to take the place of God. I find it interesting that if we encourage the students to ‘meditate’, progressives tend to be ok with this but if we call it prayer, they are not ok with it. Prayer and meditation are interchangeable words although meditation practices vary immensely. Progressives seem to approve, as long as we are using techniques traditionally associated with Eastern philosophy or religion based on Buddhism or Hinduism, etc. However if we use teachings associated with Christianity, they will not approve. We cannot be bigots. If we stop removing God from everything, we will have happier children. So much that is discussed in SEL is covered in Holy scriptures. I do not care what religion people connect to or what spiritual practice they decide to take, but let’s not replace godly principles with something that is just the latest trend. This is also why I propose more community involvement and after-school programs, even involving faith-based organizations to be part of this involvement. Parents, of course, must opt into these after-school programs. Through these programs, children will learn compassion, empathy and humility towards others, bringing them greater inner peace and fulfillment. Before we implement SEL, we need to ask the question, “why are there so many suicides?” Why is there so much school violence?” When we start to research this answer, it will bring us to the truth and with that understanding, we should shape our plans going forward to deal with the very serious mental health crisis that cannot be ignored.
American civics education should emphasize our nation's founding principles of liberty and equality.
Strongly Agree
Before students are taught courses such as Comprehensive Sex Ed (CSE) or Social Emotional Learning (SEL), they must opt-in with written parental permission.
Strongly Agree
Please see above where I explain SEL in more details
The loss of local control in education is too high a price to pay in exchange for federal dollars.
Strongly Agree
I support the teaching of curricula (such as the 1619 Project, No Place for Hate, Second Step, etc.) that emphasizes slavery and racism as the foundation of American history.
Strongly Disagree
Parents are the ultimate authority in their child’s education and should be able to freely pursue whatever educational options they deem best for their child.
Strongly Agree
They should also get reimbursement to pay for their choice if it is not a public option.
VALUES
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I have a deep faith in God. My family is multi faith, my husband is from India and I participate in his traditions, especially while visiting India. We send our daughter to a Christian school but I would consider myself a spiritual person who believes Christ died on the cross for our sins.
I support allowing public high school students to participate in athletic competition based on the gender with which they identify instead of biological sex.
Strongly Disagree
Who is responsible for teaching sexual education to children, and what is the appropriate age when it should be taught?
Other than biology, I do not believe in sex education in schools. It is not the role of schools but this is the role of the parents. Otherwise, schools should only promote abstinence and teach biology. Some teachings of puberty would start in middle school and more details as the child matures and ages.
If you support the teaching of Sex Ed, please answer the following question: Sexual education should include these topics (list all that apply and add your own, if needed) -- Physical and emotional health outcomes; contraceptive methods; consent; abstinence; sexual orientation and gender identity; human anatomy/the reproductive system; abortion methods and side effects; stages of pregnancy and fetal development; sex acts and pleasures of sex
Abstinence, reproductive, biology, the traumas of abortion, STDs. When children hit puberty or just before puberty, they can be separated and parents can opt into courses that will answer questions about puberty. Once children are older, they can learn more about reproductive. This material should be very transparent to parents and an opt-in should be required.
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality that is necessary for our system of limited government.
Strongly Agree
No healthcare diagnosis or treatment, whether mental, reproductive, or otherwise, should be given to a child without first receiving written consent from the parent.
Strongly Agree
No school official should be involved in the sexual transitioning of a student, including the use of alternative names and pronouns.
Strongly Agree
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
ABOUT YOU
Have you ever been convicted of a felony or been penalized in either civil or criminal court for sexual misconduct? If so, please explain.
no
A candidate's personal moral values should not be relevant when considering a candidacy for elective office.
Strongly Disagree
When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to foreign policy and religious liberty, which of the following best describes you overall?
Conservative
Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).
www.watertownswim.com
Is there anything else you would like voters to know about you?
If we ignore our schools then we lose the battle. Kids spend 6 hours a day, 5 days a week for 13 years. Please consider getting involved or making a contribution. You can get involved remotely as well. You do not need to live in the district.
2ND AMENDMENT
Teachers who are licensed to carry should be allowed to carry guns at school.
Neutral
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
Under what circumstances (if any) should schools be allowed to require vaccinations?
Never
I support mask mandates.
Strongly Disagree
