How do candidates for Paso Robles Joint Unified School District compare?
Among the most hotly contested elections this year are local school boards, which have come under increasing scrutiny as the coronavirus pandemic highlighted how trustees’ decisions can affect the lives of local families and political polarization fractured community conversations.
To help as you decide who to vote for, The Tribune has compiled a 2022 Election Voter Guide, meant to give easy access to some of the candidate’s basic facts and stances.
Ten candidates are running for four open seats to the Paso Robles school board this November.
One candidate, Joel Peterson, is running unopposed to represent Trustee Area 2, while the fields for Area 1, Area 4 and an at-large, two-year seat at the board all have multiple candidates.
For Area 1, incumbent Chris Arend is facing off against Peter Byrne and Jim Cogan; in Area 4, Catherine Reimer and Sondra Williams are challenging appointed incumbent Frank Triggs. For the at-large seat, all three candidates are newcomers: Adelita Hiteshew, Jim Irving and Laurene D. McCoy.
Byrne, McCoy, Reimer and Triggs did not respond to multiple requests to participate in the Voter Guide.
Here are the remaining candidates’ responses, organized by candidate and in alphabetical order.
Editor’s note: Some responses have been edited for length or clarity.
Area 1
Chris Arend
Please describe your background with the district:
My son attended Paso Robles High School for four years and graduated in 2021. Board member from 2018 to present.
What is your vision for what your district should look like in five years? 10 years?
We should become a district of academic excellence by devoting resources, especially para-educators, tutor and mentors, in order to develop the basic learning skills of reading, writing and math early. For example, all children should be reading at third grade level by the end of third grade. We must also devote resources to enabling the top performing students to reach even further. The recruiting phrase used in the past by the U.S. Army says it all: “Be all you can be.” Every student should develop their full potential. Our students must also be taught to appreciate our constitutional form of government and their own individual liberty.
These goals can be achieved within the next five years and further advanced afterwards. In addition to the ample resources we now have, achieving these goals requires academic discipline on the part of our teachers and other staff as well as the students. Learning is often hard work that requires time and focus in a safe environment.
What do you believe is the most important issue facing your district today, and what will you do to address it?
Improving academic performance is by far the most important issue. I will continue to support our district’s great efforts under the LCAP program to bring our disadvantaged youngest students up to speed in language and math skills so that they learn how to learn. We must also improve academic discipline. One small improvement implemented at my urging is that teachers are now required to enforce rules against use of iPhones during class; previously they had a choice about enforcement. Students must also learn, for example, that homework has to be turned in when due and that poor performance has consequences. Our students will be competing soon with millions of their peers in other countries such as China, India and many other nations where academic rigor is the norm. Furthermore, is there anything more satisfying for a student than getting an “A” in a tough course? Is there anything more satisfying for a teacher than being able to wholeheartedly give an “A” to a deserving student?
Is the school district doing enough to help address learning loss that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic? Is there anything you would like to improve?
We have devoted extensive resources to learning loss recovery, and we hope to see substantial improvement in test scores by the end of this 2022-23 school year. We must keep monitoring performance and be flexible in allocating resources as further needs are identified.
Do you think the school district should change its policies to better support LGBTQ+ students, students of color and/or other marginalized groups in the district? If so, how?
Our district has strict non-discrimination and anti-bullying policies, which are enforced firmly and fairly whenever an incident occurs. Our district also allows every student, whether “marginalized” or not, to pursue their interests freely and safely. The fundamental concept that necessarily guides our district is “equal protection under the law,” which requires our district to treat all students as individuals without regard to ethnicity, race, gender identity or other irrelevant factors.
What do you think are three other issues facing the district you’d like to address while on the school board?
First: The 36th Street site should be retooled to create a neighborhood (community) elementary school in which we can focus resources on getting the students up to speed in reading, writing, math, science and American civics so that they can succeed in their further education. Ideally, the new 36th Street would become one of the best elementary schools in the county.
Second: School safety is a constant issue. We have taken various measures to protect our schools from external threats and also protect students and staff from internal threats such as bullying. Everyone must clearly understand that personal safety is sacrosanct and that harming and intimidating others will not be tolerated.
Third: Maintaining stable financing is an essential, ongoing issue in any district. This requires a good finance department with enough resources, especially personnel. Financial surprises are no fun.
Jim Cogan
Please describe your background with the district:
I am a parent of two children in the district. I coached youth football and served as a stakeholder for the Local Control and Accountability Plan.
What is your vision for what your district should look like in five years? 10 years?
The Paso Robles Joint Unified School District will restore bus service for students, our third-grade literacy and eighth-grade math competency will increase by at least 50%, and 10 years from now we will be graduating 100% of our students ready for a career or college.
What do you believe is the most important issue facing your district today, and what will you do to address it?
We need to focus on address learning loss from the pandemic. Last year, only 33% of our third-graders tested at grade level, which is down 14 percentage points since 2019. Our number before the pandemic needed improvement and now we really need to focus on getting our students back up to grade level. We need to use some of our one-time pandemic relief funding to pay for additional tutoring. I would like to see us keep the school libraries open for two hours after school to provide students with additional homework help. Every parent is able to receive weekly text updates about their students’ grades. We should use this same system to promote the additional tutoring/homework help and recommend it to parents for students who are struggling.
Is the school district doing enough to help address learning loss that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic? Is there anything you would like to improve?
The district is not doing enough, and that leadership starts at the school board level. At our recent candidate forum, one of my opponents said that we would not be able to help our students get back up to grade level. I sincerely disagree with him. This is Paso Robles, and we have a tradition of accomplishing amazing things through collaboration. It is part of our DNA, and doubting Paso Robles is betting on the wrong horse.
Do you think the school district should change its policies to better support LGBTQ+ students, students of color and/or other marginalized groups in the district? If so, how?
Better supporting our LGBTQ+, students/families of color and other marginalized groups starts with simply following the law and telling the truth. One of my opponents has attempted to avoid translation services at board meetings, while the rest of the school board majority has invented straw man mandates and scenarios aimed at scaring parents. The school board majority talks of fighting a “culture war.” Unfortunately, the people they are declaring war on are simply trying to live their lives and are not engaged in a war. In that regard, the current school board majority’s “culture war” is actually culture hunting. These actions are part of a national political agenda intended to build power and distract district staff, families and community members from coming together to serve our students.
What do you think are three other issues facing the district you’d like to address while on the school board?
We need to address declining student enrollment. I will work to make the PRJUSD a district of choice for students and great teachers. We need to enhance our already awesome athletics program, partner with affordable housing developers to build low-cost housing for new teachers and expand our career training to include entrepreneurship/innovation.
Area 4
Sondra Williams
Please describe your background with the district:
I have had four children in the district. Two have graduated, two are currently still in.
What is your vision for what your district should look like in five years? 10 years?
Our district needs to be financially stable, with updated classrooms and a breadth of educational programs. It also needs to be a model of civility that promotes respect and stays out of national news.
What do you believe is the most important issue facing your district today, and what will you do to address it?
Our children and teachers don’t feel represented. That is an incredible issue, and needs to be addressed before we can do anything else. We need to ensure our teachers make a living wage, and that our students feel safe to express their identities. We can implement policies that strengthen our existing anti-bullying polices
Is the school district doing enough to help address learning loss that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic? Is there anything you would like to improve?
The learning loss due to COVID is something that I think districts are struggling with nationwide. I think that there should be some conversations with our educators to see what gaps they can identify as serious issues, and perhaps a recommendation of summer tutoring or course repetition. I don’t know what the best answer is, but I think that sitting with our educators is a great start.
Do you think the school district should change its policies to better support LGBTQ+ students, students of color and/or other marginalized groups in the district? If so, how?
Absolutely. We need to create safe and tolerant campuses and strengthen our bullying policies in order to protect our diverse student populations better. Currently, there is nothing being done to stop that marginalization on campus. In order to protect the physical and mental well-being of these students, there needs to be substantive policy change.
What do you think are three other issues facing the district you’d like to address while on the school board?
Bringing back respect and civility, restoring our campuses, establishing anti-hate policies heavily focused on restorative justice and focusing on fiscal responsibility.
At-large
Adelita Hiteshew
Please describe your background with the district:
I graduated from the high school in 1999. I worked as a para educator for three years and currently have three children enrolled in the district.
What is your vision for what your district should look like in five years? 10 years?
I would love to see our district as a collaborative, communicative and inclusive space that serves families where they are and fosters the academic excellence that all children deserve.
What do you believe is the most important issue facing your district today, and what will you do to address it?
First and foremost, we need to get the school board off of the political stage. Once we can bring focus back to our students, I believe that parent engagement is crucial. An informed parent is an empowered parent. I plan to find creative ways to make communications with families easily digestible and not only summarize the ongoings of several meetings in one spot but also provide a clear and concise calendar to make getting involved easy.
Is the school district doing enough to help address learning loss that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic? Is there anything you would like to improve?
The district is working diligently to address learning loss, but it is integral that we don’t let up. It is going to take a while to get us back to where we were and beyond. The district needs to continue the work of identifying students who need help as soon as they begin to fall behind. Early intervention and quality teachers and support staff are all going to be integral in getting our students caught up.
Do you think the school district should change its policies to better support LGBTQ+ students, students of color and/or other marginalized groups in the district? If so, how?
I think that at times, it feels like the board forgets that these groups are a part of the student population and their staff. It is important to remember that for these groups, when you hear the word, ALL, it doesn’t include all of us. I do feel that the board needs to work to set the tone for the district and show that they are invested in the students who don’t feel represented. I would like to see the end to resolutions that set these populations aside, and more specific language that protects them included in safety policies.
What do you think are three other issues facing the district you’d like to address while on the school board?
I am advocating that we remain diligent in our fiscal responsibility to the students, staff and community. I want to retain our teachers and staff and make our district a place that will attract quality new candidates for our vacancies. I would also like to focus on college and career readiness for all of our students.
Jim Irving
Please describe your background with the district:
Born and raised on family ranch in the Adelaide. One-room school, the Sunderland, Georgia Brown and Glen Speck.
What is your vision for what your district should look like in five years? 10 years?
Hopefully more inclusive.
What do you believe is the most important issue facing your district today, and what will you do to address it?
The politicization of nonpartisan offices: school board, supervisors, elections.
Is the school district doing enough to help address learning loss that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic? Is there anything you would like to improve?
Don’t know enough to comment.
Do you think the school district should change its policies to better support LGBTQ+ students, students of color and/or other marginalized groups in the district? If so, how?
Don’t know enough to comment.
What do you think are three other issues facing the district you’d like to address while on the school board?
Promote civility and respect for all points of view.
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