LLESD SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE FORUM RECORDING FROM 10/10/24
RECORDING: This recording will be taken down after the election on November 5th. REMEMBER TO VOTE!!
CANDIDATES
Two-Year Seat Candidates:
Four-Year Seat Candidates:
Above is the recording of the candidate forum. Unfortunately, there was a delay in the start of the recording so the introduction and the candidates’ 90 second statements are not provided BUT ALL Q&A is available. Since we missed the candidates’ statements, we have provided links to their websites or substack.
We received over 200 questions for this forum. We read through each and every question and then put them into themed buckets. We also drilled down on those themes and then used those themes to develop thoughtful open-ended questions. We wanted to ask more questions, but we only had 2 hours, so we hope these detailed questions help our community learn about our candidates. Since this isn’t a debate, we also decided that each candidate would answer the same questions. We apologize beforehand, for not being able to include every topic.
Each candidate had 2 minutes to answer the question before we moved on to the next candidate. To best simulate an open question and answer forum we did not provide the questions to the candidates beforehand. We drew straws to see who went first for opening statements. The person who started the opening statement answered the first question last. To maximize time for questions we elected to eliminate closing statements. So we could get through all of the questions we asked people to refrain from expressing their feelings after the candidates spoke.
QUESTIONS FOR YOUR REFERENCE:
Question 1: An important role of being a board member will be helping shape our next 5 year plan. What would be your top 3 priorities and why do you believe these are important and how would you reflect that in the budget? (vision, duties, and budgetary)
Question 2: Many constituencies in the community are concerned about the budget priorities and process. Besides teacher salaries, what do you view as priorities for the district, what would you de-prioritize and how will you make the process transparent and inclusive of community opinions?
Question 3: The potential for a teachers’ strike has raised many questions about compensation for teachers, classified staff (e.g. bus drivers, secretaries, and paraeducators) administration. How will you work with our teachers, staff, and administrators to ensure we can retain and motivate the top talent while also being considerate of budgetary constraints?
Question 4: One of the roles of a board member is to select and supervise the superintendent. Some believe that the superintendent should be fairly independent in managing the schools in the district, while others believe board members should be more hands-on. What qualities, values and vision do you believe a superintendent should have and how do you plan on working with the superintendent?
Question 5: Board members are supposed to collaborate with each other and the superintendent, while representing their constituents and remaining independent. How will you balance these roles and what will you do when they conflict with each other?
Question 6: We received many questions regarding academic excellence in our district including questions regarding the implementation of gifted or honors classes and programs as well as ensuring our current strategies, IEP, 504 and ESL programs maintain funding and support. What does academic excellence for all mean to you? How would you approach balancing academics, wellness, and social emotional skills across different student needs?
Question 7: Student enrichment has declined since the pandemic, the removal of Apple for the Classroom and the decline in LLEF donations. What would you do as a board member to bring back student enrichment such as field trips, assemblies, student clubs, or other programming teachers want to do?
Question 8: What do equity and DEIAB mean to you and how do you think these principles should be reflected in our elementary schools, middle school and the professional development of our teachers?
Question 9: Unfortunately, we have had issues of racism, antisemitism, homophobia and islamophobia at our schools. As a board member, what do you see as your role in dealing with this and preventing it?
Question 10: We have had many complicated and controversial issues over the past year and a half like the Ladera/Woodland issue. What would you do differently to handle these controversial issues, and how would you ensure the constituencies are represented?
Question 11: We received many questions regarding transparency, communication, and community input with regard to the teachers, staff, families and guardians of the community. Some of the most popular ideas were as follows: 1) Holding Q&A sessions outside board meetings that comply with the Brown Act; 2) Agreeing to have debates and votes on agenda items in open session and keep closed session items for those legally required to be kept confidential; 3) Working with your constituents to create a mechanism for them to put items on the agenda: and 4) Forming a budget advisory committee with constituents in the community.
What would you CHANGE in how the board interacts with the community to ensure their input is taken into account?