What pandemic policies do you think were successes in terms protecting students and staff and what did you disagree with? What should schools do if the city gets hit with a new surge of infections?
LBUSD protected teachers and staff by giving them the option of working virtually from home. They also offered vaccination sites for their employees in the second year of the pandemic. Students were required to learn remotely and while this option protected students from COVID-19, closing the schools resulted in a detriment to many students who lacked the technological capacity, digital literacy, or an environment conducive to learning from home.
Facilities should have remained accessible to students and families that critically rely on the district’s infrastructure for a positive learning experience. Should a new surge of infections occur, in-person instruction should remain an option for parents and remote instruction should remain an option for staff. LBUSD should also ensure that every student and faculty member is equipped with the necessary technological devices to effectively instruct class and learn remotely. A better system of communication and instruction should already be formulated, especially this far into the pandemic.
Given the October 2021 killing of Mona Rodriguez by a Millikan High School safety officer, would you support the removal of all armed security and police from school campuses?
The tragic killing of Ms. Mona Rodriguez occurred off campus. The LBUSD security officer was well beyond his jurisdiction and not properly trained to handle such a situation. I am a firm believer that student safety on our LBUSD campuses must be a top priority.
Unfortunately, given the spike of gun violence incidents, schools must now prepare for scenarios like an active shooter on campus. At the same time, school safety officers must act to secure our students, not to endanger them. A committee of all stakeholders, including school staff, parents, and community members, must partake in conversations regarding this issue since all are potentially affected by guns on our campuses. We must come to a consensus on the optimal ways to protect our children and staff and include a discussion whereby safety officers receive training that addresses restorative justice practices, implicit biases and cultural diversity in schools.
The district has warned for decades that declining enrollment could ultimately lead to budget cuts across the LBUSD. Where would you make reductions and what would you fight to protect?
Should LBUSD’s declining enrollment lead to budget cuts, I would fight to protect teaching, counseling, and personnel positions that directly support students and teachers. Any reduction plan would begin with executive and central office positions, but only after a thorough analysis and a series of community-driven conversations that will help inform these difficult decisions.
The LBUSD is unique because it blends together inner-city and suburban students into one educational setting. What will you do to ensure that the achievement gap currently experienced by some students is closed?
As a K-12 educator for over 25 years, it has been one of my top priorities to serve the needs of all students. To close the achievement gap, we need to seriously address the district’s goals regarding equity and inclusion. It is imperative that we hire racial and linguistically diverse faculty that reflects our student population.
We also need to provide ongoing training for teachers in areas including best practices for working with English learners and researched-based strategies for meeting the needs of historically underserved students. More importantly, we must make the curriculum relevant to all students and support classroom teachers. Teachers should be equipped with necessary tools and training to meet the needs of our diverse student population.
The LBUSD is the city’s largest employer but is at an impasse in contract negotiations with one of its largest unions. What perspective would you bring to the position to help ensure that the district is not affected by work stoppages?
The city’s largest employer, LBUSD should ensure that our workers have just and fair compensation and adequate working conditions. We must do what we can to ensure that our teacher and support staff workforce are provided with raises that account for the increased cost of living and provide livable wages for our classified employees. We must also look at the budget and look at areas where we can reduce costs without impacting resources for students, teacher training, and salary increases of our teachers and support staff.
What is your position on the district’s plan for gender-neutral locker rooms?
LBUSD must aim to create inclusive and affirming school environments for all students. As such, LBUSD should offer male, female and gender-neutral locker rooms in schools. No one student should ever feel uncomfortable in a school facility. It is our responsibility to ensure that all our students feel safe, welcomed and included. This means maintaining male and female locker rooms and adding gender-neutral locker rooms.