9 Atascadero school board candidates answer questions at forum. How do they compare?
The nine candidates competing four open seats on the Atascadero school board answered questions regarding their stances on certain issues during a forum held Wednesday evening.
The American Association of University Women (AAUW) put on the forum, which was held at San Benito Elementary School.
The Atascadero Unified School District board of trustees election is at-large, so all voters within the boundaries of the school district will vote for four candidates.
All of the candidates qualified for the election were present Wednesday: Chris Collins, Tracy Ellis-Weit, Tami Gunther, Dan Hathaway, Rebekah Koznek, Denise McGrew Kane, Vy Pierce, George Shoemaker and Scott Staton.
The questions were gathered from audience members and asked by Shirley Summers of the AAUW. Topics ranged from COVID-19 pandemic recovery to bullying policies, LGBTQ+ rights and school support programs.
Here’s how the candidates answered key questions.
How do you propose that the schools assist students to bridge the social and learning gaps caused by the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown?
Shoemaker, an incumbent, said the board had seen some data from the state regarding recent test scores, which showed that the district had seen a slight decline of about 1% to 2% from before the pandemic.
Each of the candidates noted that the issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic forcing schools to transition to online learning can be solved through district initiatives.
“The learning loss is really rearing its ugly head right now,” Koznek said, adding that online, after-school tutoring could be something new the district could offer to struggling students.
Hathaway, Shoemaker, Pierce and Gunther, another incumbent on the board, did not offer any concrete or new actions the district could implement to help students recover from the pandemic. Shoemaker, Pierce and Gunther, however, each praised the school district for the many actions it is currently taking and noted that it should continue and expand those initiatives.
“When I worked at Diablo Canyon in security, we had a lot of training and a lot of different complicated things and we’re able to do it really quick,” Hathaway said. “So I do believe that these kids can be taught, just have to get out and do it. With parents and teachers, they can help each other.”
Ellis-Weit noted that perhaps the district could “entice some of our retired teachers to come back and work with, teach the students after school.”
Collins added that the school needs to provide “additional support in either out-of-school or enrichment opportunities for students.”
“The thing about the schools is no matter where you come from, or what color your skin is, we are all in the same boat: All of our kids are behind right now,” Staton said, suggesting that the school district needs to “catch these young people before we push them on to the next grade. ... They need to be able to read before they move on.”
McGrew Kane noted that the district needs to “regularly assess our benchmark testing to make timely changes to the programs and methods that are not increasing our academic success.”
How would you advocate that schools address the issue of bullying?
Each of the candidates acknowledged that bullying was indeed a problem at schools, and a few noted that cellphones have made the problem worse.
Although Summers also asked candidates about what outside programs they would bring in to help the district address the issue of bullying, none specifically stated any.
A commonality between the candidates was the need to promote a culture of mutual respect in the district, provide mental health services to those who need them, and ensure the district’s zero-tolerance policy for bullying is enforced.
Pierce mentioned that “more parent involvement on campuses would help” prevent bullying because it would provide “more eyes and ears and hands to see what’s going on and make sure those instances are addressed.”
What do you see as the greatest tensions affecting educators, parents and the school?
Summers asked candidates to clarify what mitigation measures are already in place to address these tensions and if they could name additional measures they would support to bring groups together into dialogue and resolution.
Gunther, McGrew Kane, Collins and Staton brought up specific issues they saw as tension points.
“There’s a contingent of our community that has issues, and those issues are around gay and transgender rights. They’re around the books in our libraries. They’re around teaching ethnic studies,” Gunther said. “It started with people who didn’t want masks to be worn at school.”
McGrew Kane noted that she thinks “the national politics that tend to be infiltrating a lot of our schools nationally tend to get people really riled up when maybe those things may not even be happening in our own schools.”
Collins noted that political tensions between Democrats and Republicans has created issues.
And Staton noted his issues about certain topics that are not taught in Atascadero schools.
“The school board and teachers should be responsible for teaching the basics to our schoolchildren,” he said. “That means reading, writing and arithmetic, and proper American history. But I hear CRT (critical race theory) or 1619 project, I see Karl Marx; I see Marxism; I see Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals being injected into an idea that isn’t American.”
He added that “cultural competence” needs to be taught in schools.
The other five candidates generally spoke on the need for greater transparency in schools and better communication with parents.
Are you in support of reinstating AVID at Atascadero schools?
Summers also asked candidates that without the AVID program at Atascadero schools, how they would propose reaching the same students to prepare them for college success.
AVID stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination. It is a school program that helps students, particularly those who are first generation or low income, establish a pathway to college after high school.
All of the candidates said they were in favor of reinstating the program at Atascadero schools.
Pierce noted that without AVID, the district should establish more internship opportunities for students so they “have work experience and have a resume that they build up.”
Koznek, while supportive of AVID, also said that students should “know that college is not the only way to make a living.”
No candidates mentioned how they would propose reaching the same students at the schools without AVID.
Do you support the steps the district has taken to support LGBTQ+ students? How will you support LGBTQ+ students?
Most of the candidates broadly mentioned that the district should ensure its zero-tolerance policy for bullying is enforced, that the schools need counselors to help students, and that students should be treated fairly.
“How would I deal with it? I don’t know,” said Collins. “I would count on my counselors or I don’t know if there are personnel service folks or licensed clinical social workers, but every school, at least high school and middle schools, should probably have some counseling available for those folks.”
While Staton noted he supports “people who want to explore their identity,” he added that the district shouldn’t “have too much more to say other than just respecting and having empathy.”
“You should be free to love whoever you want, be whoever you want to be, but not at the expense of the other 98%,” he said. “We need to let the content of our character, not who you choose to kiss, or marry or what you choose to dress like — that should have nothing to do with the content of your character.”
Adding to that sentiment, Hathaway noted that everyone needs to treat others with respect.
“But even, I’ll say it, the LBGTQ (sic) people have to treat the people that think differently with respect as well,” he said. “And it too often goes back and forth; it just needs to stop and treat each other equally.”
About 83% of Atascadero 11th-graders identified as straight in the 2019-20 academic year California Healthy Kids Survey. Meanwhile, 2% identified as gay or lesbian, 9% as bisexual, 3% as unsure, 1% as something else and 1% declined to respond, according to the survey results.
And 96% of the 11th-graders said in the survey they did not identify as transgender, while another 1% said they were transgender, 1% were unsure and 2% declined to answer.
LGBTQ+ students noted in the survey they had experienced harassment and bullying at school because of their sexual identity.
Pierce and McGrew Kane both noted that teachers need more training to ensure they’re aware of the issues facing LGBTQ+ youth so they can properly respond to any incidents or student concerns.
No other candidates mentioned concrete actions they would take to support LGBTQ+ students in the district.
Have you received any funds from any special interest groups or political parties? If so, from whom and how much?
The San Luis Obispo County Democratic Party has endorsed Pierce and Ellis-Weit, while the county Republican Party has endorsed Koznek, Hathaway, McGrew Kane and Staton.
Pierce and Ellis-Weit have both received campaign funding from the Atascadero District Teachers Association, Atascadero Democratic Club and Shatter PAC, a political action committee dedicated to “creating a community of women leaders who break barriers, challenge norms and continue to smash the patriarchy,” according to its website.
Gunther also noted she has received an endorsement from the Atascadero District Teachers Association.
Do you feel that we have the fiscal resources to ensure student safety on all campuses?
Shoemaker noted that the district has some money from the state to improve facilities. He, Gunther, Ellis-Weit and Pierce each praised the district for using those funds to assess Atascadero High School’s security to potentially install perimeter fencing.
McGrew Kane mentioned she had looked up grants for school safety and that “there are several.”
None of the other candidates mentioned whether the district had funds to increase student safety on campus.
