Nội dung bài viết
Michele Tsutagawa Ward, 53, a retired teacher and principal, is running for re-election as Carlsbad Unified School District trustee representing Area 1. Why are you running for school board, and what makes you the best candidate?
(150 words max) My partner and I moved to Carlsbad in 2002. We bought our first home here, and we chose to raise our children in this community.
They attended CUSD schools from kindergarten and then graduated from Carlsbad High School, receiving an exemplary education that prepared them for acceptance to UCLA and UC Santa Cruz.
I was a teacher in Carlsbad, at both Jefferson and Calavera Hills Elementary (where I was the 2012 teacher of the year), before becoming an administrator in Vista USD and Poway USD.
Beyond my career as an educator, I have served this district as a Carlsbad Education Foundation (CEF) board member and a CEF Student Leadership mentor, and my partner, Sam, and I as the CEF 2026 Gala Honorees.
These opportunities and honors have allowed me to be part of the Carlsbad community from multiple vantage points: educator, parent and engaged community member. Why are you running for school board, and what makes you the best candidate?
(150 words max) My partner and I moved to Carlsbad in 2002. We bought our first home here, and we chose to raise our children in this community.
They attended CUSD schools from kindergarten and then graduated from Carlsbad High School, receiving an exemplary education that prepared them for acceptance to UCLA and UC Santa Cruz.
I was a teacher in Carlsbad, at both Jefferson and Calavera Hills Elementary (where I was the 2012 teacher of the year), before becoming an administrator in Vista USD and Poway USD.
Beyond my career as an educator, I have served this district as a Carlsbad Education Foundation (CEF) board member and a CEF Student Leadership mentor, and my partner, Sam, and I as the CEF 2026 Gala Honorees.
These opportunities and honors have allowed me to be part of the Carlsbad community from multiple vantage points: educator, parent and engaged community member. What are the three most important issues currently facing your district?
(150 words max) First, instability stemming from federal funding cuts and policy shifts affects student programs and the policy landscape that shapes how we support students.
Political shifts at the federal level influence how families perceive and engag e with public programs, adding a layer of complexity beyond the daily work of educating children. Second, CUSD is focused on building a more inclusive learning environment for every student.
Following a recent incident involving racially-charged language and behavior involving Carlsbad students, we continue to strengthen how we teach and support staff and students in creating a genuine sense of belonging.
Third, we are addressing declining enrollment and attendance impacts while focusing on strengthening academic progress, both of which I address in detail below. What are the top three specific things you would seek to accomplish on the board?
(150 words max) If reelected, I will be entering my fifth year on the board, and I see this next term as a continuation and deepening of my current efforts on the board. I will continue to advance progress in several key areas.
First, I want to continue strengthening inclusive practices across our campuses, ensuring that the work we’ve done to create environments of belonging is sustained, particularly in light of recent challenges around hate language and racial incidents.
Second, I want to keep attendance and mental health supports, includi ng our Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) and counseling programs, as a priority, since these are foundational to student success in every other area.
Third, I want to deepen our focus on math achievement, ensuring that the training and instructional strategies we’ve introduced translate into measurable improvement for students.
How should your school district raise student academic achievement, and what would you do as a board member to accomplish that? (150 words max) In recent years, CUSD’s academics have fared better than most school districts in California.
CUSD has seen improvement in reading and language arts and is focusing on improvements in math.
To address this, CUSD is renewing its focus on math achievement, adding more robust training in Universal Design for Learning and MTSS strategies, an integrated math model at the secondary level and targeted interventions designed to meet students where they are and address individual learning needs.
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) Students go to school when they feel saf e and welcome. CUSD is committed to addressing chronic absenteeism and academic performance gaps.
We are strengthening our counseling and MTSS, which target the mental health and behavioral needs that most heavily influence whether students show up and stay engaged.
This focus is personal for me, as a Japanese American, born and raised in Oceanside, and as the daughter of immigrants, I have experienced racism and more recently have seen racially-charged incidents occur in our communities.
As the first AAPI trustee in the history of CUSD, I know that our community is learning to be better, but I also know that we need to keep improving and work harder to make sure that our campuses are safe and welcoming for all.
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) In recent years, CUSD enrollment has declined modestly in comparison to other districts throughout the state of California, dropping from approximately 10,863 in the 2020-2021 school year to 10,683 in the 2025-2026 school year, a drop of less than 1.68%.
CUSD’s enrollment changes are largely a re flection of demographic changes within our community, as the population of Carlsbad shrank modestly between 2020 and 2025 and the population of Carlsbad has aged, from a median of 38.9 years as of the 2000 census to a median age of 42.5 as of the 2020 census.
Some factors that impact student population, like housing affordability and availability, are largely out of the hands of CUSD.
Our best tool to attract and keep families is to continue providing an excellent education, including both college-track and CTE pathways, and making our schools a welcoming and safe place for all students. How would you approach your district’s budget planning and spending?
What would you do if your district had a budget shortfall? (150 words max)
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