Nội dung bài viết
Katina Gonzalez-Rondeau, 53, is a special education teacher and student advocate running for Chula Vista Elementary School District trustee representing Area 3. Why are you running for school board, and what makes you the best candidate?
(150 words max) I am the best candidate because I’ve dedicated my career of 25 years to the classroom and have been honored as teacher of the year three times. I have served as a school board trustee and also serve as a special education student advocate.
I have a masters of science in special education and a certificate for special education law advocacy from USD Law School. I am the only candidate who brings this combined experience to the board.
We need board leaders with extensive experience and who are willing to do the right thing and be fiscally responsible. We need board leaders not to be tied to a political party and truly keep politics out of board decisions.
I am a registered no-party-preference voter. What are the three most important issues currently facing your district?
(150 words max) Financial instability and lack of transparency: Deficit spending has our district in a crisis. The state’s Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Tea m (FCMAT) has had to get involved.
Safety concerns: Students and staff experience bullying. Voices are quieted by intimidation.
CVESD recently paid over $3 million in a lawsuit confirming this. Staff are being pulled from playground supervision to cover other areas of need; less supervision equates to less safety.
Buses have no air conditioning, and temperatures reported were over 104 degrees. Many classrooms still have no A/C, and it’s a health safety concern.
Recruitment and retention: We are no longer a competitive school district. When we do not treat our staff with respect and give them a liveable wage, they go elsewhere.
When we pay the lowest substitute wages, we cannot ensure subs are available when staff are absent. We have so many of our best administrators and staff leaving CVESD.
What are the top three specific things you would seek to accomplish on the board? (150 words max) Stop deficit spending.
Reduce / revoke the 300% raise on board trustee stipend, now at $3,000, previously $750. The current board, by a 3-2 vote, gave themselves a raise at the expense of students, staff and teachers.
Recall / rehire all the support staff who were released when the district made bu dget cuts. Our children are not receiving services and support, and there is a huge need for support staff.
My concern is that the district may be failing to implement student IEPs because staff is being pulled to cover other needs. Safety is my other concern; staff report they are being pulled from playground supervision to cover other needs.
Updating our buses and classrooms with air conditioning is a top priority due to health and safety concerns; buses were gauged at 104 degrees during the hotter days, and there was no A/C.
How should your school district raise student academic achievement, and what would you do as a board member to accomplish that? (150 words max) We need multi-tiered support systems.
To raise student academics, we need to be sure we have baseline data to start with — a quick snapshot of what each student’s ability is. Then create a targeted growth plan and provide wraparound services for students who may need the extra support.
We need to challenge our gifted kids and be sure that they too can thrive to their higher learning goals. Student absenteeism has generally worsened in recent years across California.
What do you think is driving absenteeism in your di strict, and what would you do to reduce it? (150 words max) From experience and what I have witnessed, it is a combination of social and emotional impacts.
Bullying is a very big problem still to this day; some students will withdraw when administration and systems do not support students from the bullies within the school. To reduce absenteeism, we need to first address what the underlying factor is.
Work to help those with social emotional needs. Relatedly, many California school districts are seeing enrollment decline, which exacerbates funding problems.
What should your district do to drive new enrollment? (150 words max) We need to be able to attract and retain the best teachers and support staff.
Without these in place, you don’t have a competitive district. Families want to know their children are receiving the best education and quality staff and support.
Our employees are underpaid, and CVESD has the lowest substitute teacher pay rate — so when staff are absent, it’s hard to convince someone to come and sub for CVESD when they can earn higher wages working elsewhere. This impacts that learning day.
How would you approach your district’s budget planning and spending? What w ould you do if your district had a budget shortfall?
(150 words max)
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