Nội dung bài viết
Bill Shen, 49, the owner of a small advising firm, is running for Encinitas Union School District trustee. Why are you running for school board, and what makes you the best candidate?
(150 words max) EUSD schools are some of the best in California. That’s exactly why I’m running — to protect what’s working and make them even better.
California public schools carried me from elementary school to Stanford, and on to a career in business. Public education is the reason I have the life I have.
I now have three kids in EUSD, and I want the same for every child here.
I have served the community for years: on our local PTA board, as chair of our school site council, as chair of the Measure Z school bond campaign and on the board of Coastal Roots Farm, which welcomes 12,000 students every year for environmental and STEM education.
I am a professional corporate board member, so reading budgets, driving strategy and holding management accountable is my day job. My professional and volunteer experience make me uniquely qualified to serve.
What are the three most important issues currently facing your district? (150 words max) 1.
Classroom technology: EUSD has had devices for all students sinc e 2013. I’m calling for an audit to evaluate academic outcomes, assessment of each app, current and projected hardware/software investment and a review of data privacy.
I believe that K-2 should be iPad-free, and tech should be phased in for the upper grades. 2.
Curriculum consistency: Educational quality shouldn’t depend on which school or which classroom a student attends. Teachers and students deserve a best-in-class curriculum for each subject that builds year-over-year.
3. Budget discipline and class size: We are a basic aid district funded mainly by local property taxes (not “butts-in-seats”), so our math differs from most districts.
But our class size challenge remains. Every dollar outside the classroom is a dollar not paying a teacher or an aide.
What are the top three specific things you would seek to accomplish on the board? (150 words max) 1.
Commission a districtwide technology audit that will determine policy — device-logged screen time by grade and app, what each contract costs (current and projected), what happens to student data and what the academic evidence shows.
Share outcomes with parents, then develop policy: no iPads in K-2, purposeful and phased use in thir d through sixth grades, clear restrictions on data and annual public updates. 2.
Move savings into the classroom. Savings from reductions in both hardware (iPads) and software/app spending should be redirected to “frontline” instruction.
Teachers, aides and specialists will always be my first budget priority. 3.
Massive transparency and proactive communication. We have to do a better job communicating with and soliciting input from our families as well as the broader community.
I’m committed to creating more community engagement beyond email newsletters and social media posts. How should your school district raise student academic achievement, and what would you do as a board member to accomplish that?
(150 words max) Averages can hide where the real needs are. Test data should be disaggregated and reported by school, by grade and by student group, including students with IEPs/504s, English learners, etc.
Then apply resources where the data points us. That likely means smaller classes in the early grades, reading and math specialists and classroom aides, funded by moving dollars out of technology contracts and administrative overhead.
Our district does a good job with students who are at risk of falling behind. But our commitment is to help all students reach their full potential, so we also have to support students who can level up.
Our MTSS framework captures this, and I’d like to see dedicated resources (e.g. TOSAs) for students that are seeking more academic challenges.
Student absenteeism has generally worsened in recent years across California. What do you think is driving absenteeism in your district, and what would you do to reduce it?
(150 words max)
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