On Tuesday, September 29th, Sacramento ACT gathered all candidates running for school board in the Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) to ask them about some of the most pressing challenges facing our district. Listen to what they had to say in the video above.
Individual videos of the responses for each of the candidates can be accessed below:
Area 3: Jose Navarro & Christina D. Pritchett
Area 4: Nailah Pope-Harden & Jamee Villa
Area 5: Vanessa Areiza King & Chinua Rhodes
Area 7: Lavinia Grace Phillips & Jessie Ryan
We also asked all candidates to send us written responses if they would like us to share them publicly. We received written responses from Jose Navarro, Vanessa Areiza King, and Jessie Ryan and they can found below.
Responses we received from Area 3 candidate, Jose Navarro.
1. Multiple audits show that students of color, students from low-income families, English learners and students with disabilities in SCUSD are significantly more likely to fail, significantly less likely to graduate, and subject to harsher discipline than students in other districts in California. In fact, the California School Dashboard shows that in 2018-19, white students were 34 points above the state standard in English Language Arts, while Hispanic students were 40 points below, African American students were 72.5 points below, foster youth were 82 points below, English learners were 58 points below, and students with disabilities were 100 points below the standard. A similar dynamic showed up in Mathematics: white students are above the standard, while all other groups were below, including Hispanics by 70 points, African Americans by 107 points, and English learners by 75 points. What specific actions will you take or policy changes will you support to address the long standing inequities and academic achievement gaps to ensure that each and every student receives a high quality education targeted to their unique needs, and how will you work to change the system to ensure equity in every classroom?
Response: I am one of those statistics. An immigrant whose father was a farm worker. A kid who wanted to learn about computers but we couldn’t afford one. What I feel most strongly about is how the School District has constantly manipulated their budget numbers – hiding money under the budget category for “Books and Materials”, never spending it, projecting a deficit, and then ending up with a surplus. If this were a one-time thing, I would understand. But anyone here who looks at the District’s projected numbers at the beginning of each fiscal year and then compares those same numbers to the end of the fiscal year one can only conclude that our school budget isn’t being mismanaged... it is being manipulated.
I will insist on two things for achievement gaps one that we invest on PK programs for all kids in the district and two that we hire the reading specialists we need to make sure every third grader can read at third grade level. I won’t tolerate another study, another task force, another delay. We have the money. There is no better way to spend some of it.”
In terms of suspensions of students of color, we need to make sure that we have bi-yearly implicit bias training for staff. We also need to make sure we have well defined restorative practices and those practices are followed.
2. The District and its teachers union have been engaged in a cycle of mistrust and conflict that has made it impossible to fully address most of the challenges that affect students, from distance learning to school climate to serving special education families. This destructive dynamic must be overcome if SCUSD is going to address its long-term structural budget issues and avoid a state takeover. We understand that a Board member is only one part of a large and complex system. However, what are you going to do to bridge the District/union relationship and rebuild trust so that we can move forward without a state takeover?
Response: I appreciate the sentiment and sincerity of this question. But given the dishonest manipulation of the budget numbers, the annual threat to layoff teachers, and the new bogeyman of state takeover... I don’t trust the District.
If I was a teacher and I experienced this level of dishonesty I would be as angry as they are. I’m not running to be on the Board of the Teachers Union. I’m running to be on the School Board. So before I find fault with the union, I will make sure the District cleans its own hands. From where I stand the district needs to earn the trust of all employees, If we are to move forward.
That will be my first order of business since we will need to work together to solve all other issues”
3. We know that the mental health challenges for students have only deepened with distance learning. Even before COVID, the Children's Movement of California reported that nearly 1 in 3 California high schoolers reported feeling sad or hopeless almost every day for two or more weeks in a row and stopped doing some of their usual activities. Nearly 1 in 5 reported that they have seriously considered attempting suicide. And there was a 34 percent increase in suicides among California youth between the ages of 15 and 19 over the past three years. What actions will you take to improve our students’ mental health and increase access to mental health resources to address these challenges within our district during and beyond distance learning?
Response: I couldn’t agree more. This school district can make zero claim about caring for student health. They have only hired one school nurse for every 3,600 students. It’s a laughable ratio. So when you ask a serious question about serious mental health issues, I agree with you...
Sacramento’s Mayor wrote the ballot initiative to fund mental health services. He passed it. It is ironic and wrong that his own School District doesn’t receive an adequate share of that funding to address the issue. I will make that point and fight to make things different. I will work with SCOE and Sac County.
Responses we received from Area 5 candidate, Vanessa Areiza King.
1. Multiple audits show that students of color, students from low-income families, English learners and students with disabilities in SCUSD are significantly more likely to fail, significantly less likely to graduate, and subject to harsher discipline than students in other districts in California. In fact, the California School Dashboard shows that in 2018-19, white students were 34 points above the state standard in English Language Arts, while Hispanic students were 40 points below, African American students were 72.5 points below, foster youth were 82 points below, English learners were 58 points below, and students with disabilities were 100 points below the standard. A similar dynamic showed up in Mathematics: white students are above the standard, while all other groups were below, including Hispanics by 70 points, African Americans by 107 points, and English learners by 75 points. What specific actions will you take or policy changes will you support to address the long standing inequities and academic achievement gaps to ensure that each and every student receives a high quality education targeted to their unique needs, and how will you work to change the system to ensure equity in every classroom?
Responses: One of the most important aspects of this challenge is continuing to find a way to increase our level of parent engagement in the district. The district needs to find ways to facilitate and empower administrators and teachers in finding creative, personal, and institutional ways of continuing to reach out to parents. The research is clear that parent engagement is critically important for student’s success. We need to continue to work collectively to find ways to further tap into this incredible resource, the love and dedication parents have for their children. It is also clear from the research that one of the greatest challenges in increasing students (especially minority students) intrinsic motivation for learning is the quality of relationships that they have with school staff and teachers, as well as how fair and equitable students perceive the school to be in its disciplinary forms. As SCUSD Board Member, one of my main goals will be to work with administration, teachers, school staff, students, and student families to strengthen our sense of community. I would like to assess and discuss ways to strengthen SCUSD Family and Community Engagement program to promote a warm and engaged environment in our classrooms and hallways. Additionally, it is critical to increase our use and implementation of restorative justice methods within the district in addressing students’ behavioral challenges without losing a student’s sense of belonging and importance in the school community.
Along with these things, I believe it would be excellent to facilitate greater input from teachers on a year to year basis on our district programs. This could be done with the creation of an additional committee that includes administration, teachers, and our education partners in the Cal-State system to work toward the development of curriculum programs that have sound scientific research behind them in ineffectiveness, provide representation for minority history, and that would make sense in “real-time” for teachers when standing in front of a classroom. Teachers teach, and we have to find a way to receive greater input from them about how we (as the district) can help them be successful in their classrooms.
An additional thought would be for the district to be more assertive in making announcements publicly about where it stands on social justice issues. SCUSD has a high percentage of minority students. The district has already made important institutional changes like no longer funding resource officers on school campus and being a Safe Haven district. The district needs to do it’s best to let all of our students know these changes were made and the value represented behind these changes. The larger environment in which our students dwell impacts their mindsets and the narratives they create. Am I seen? Does anyone care? Do I matter? Do I have a future? Does my future matter? The district needs to be as assertive as possible in answering in the affirmative to all of these questions. Our children are listening, and they are watching.
Unfortunately for SCUSD, and for every family and student in SCUSD, the ongoing dysfunctional relationship between the district and it’s union partners overshadows some of the great work the district is already doing to show the community that it cares and that it’s addressing ways to meet its students needs (like providing meals, Chromebooks, bringing awareness of mental health issues and suicide, etc.). The stability and reliability of the district’s programs cannot be assured without the district and its union partners working together to address our ongoing financial uncertainty. It is imperative that the district and all of its stakeholders find a way to come to a solid financial standing. If we do not, the ongoing financial drama will continue to undermine the district’s efforts of outreach to families and schools, and it will continue to distract the district from the ever more important goal of providing each and every one of our students the best education possible.
2. The District and its teachers union have been engaged in a cycle of mistrust and conflict that has made it impossible to fully address most of the challenges that affect students, from distance learning to school climate to serving special education families. This destructive dynamic must be overcome if SCUSD is going to address its long-term structural budget issues and avoid a state takeover. We understand that a Board member is only one part of a large and complex system. However, what are you going to do to bridge the District/union relationship and rebuild trust so that we can move forward without a state takeover?
Response: Building trust in a strained and conflict-ridden relationship is one of the biggest challenges in the world. My work as a marriage and family therapist constantly reminds me of this. In attempting to address this challenge, we cannot lose sight of this simple truth: The district’s and the union’s paths are intertwined. We will win, and we will lose together. In the midst of this ongoing tension and litigation, it appears the district and the unions have lost sight of this fact. State receivership is a collective failure, with the biggest losers in all of this being our children.
It will be necessary for all parties including the district, teachers union, and parents to address their concerns and acknowledge the fiscal realities the district is facing. From my outsider perspective, there appears to have been a lack of transparency and follow-through from the part of the district. This has rightfully led to mistrust and misgivings about collaborating with the district on finding a budget that meets the needs of our students, while also recognizing the possibility of state receivership. If elected, I believe my role would be one of organizing meetings to collaborate with the state and the district to address budgetary needs and prioritize expenses, meetings between the district and the unions to address contracts and limitations, and meetings with the public to address the budget and provide clarification to the community for the items that were prioritized in the budget. As we face this overwhelming challenge, let’s not lose sight of the real “enemy.” It is neither the district nor the unions. Let’s move on common ground and strive to create more common ground, because the true “enemy” is the possibility of state receivership.
3. We know that the mental health challenges for students have only deepened with distance learning. Even before COVID, the Children's Movement of California reported that nearly 1 in 3 California high schoolers reported feeling sad or hopeless almost every day for two or more weeks in a row, and stopped doing some of their usual activities. Nearly 1 in 5 reported that they have seriously considered attempting suicide. And there was a 34 percent increase in suicides among California youth between the ages of 15 and 19 over the past three years. What actions will you take to improve our students’ mental health and increase access to mental health resources to address these challenges within our district during and beyond distance learning?
Response: The ongoing public health crisis adds additional challenges to reaching families with students struggling with mental health issues. Reaching our students who are most vulnerable to develop severe mental health symptoms will require greater collaboration between the district, the city, and health providers to increase and facilitate access to mental health services with regular ongoing treatment for them and their families. One of the greatest contributing factors to mental health issues is loneliness and social isolation. Therefore any efforts the district can make to facilitate virtual gatherings and socially distanced physical gatherings would be important in combating this sense of loneliness and social isolation. I know that teachers are already making efforts in their own ways to create a sense of being “alone together.” Receiving input from teachers and administrators of how the district could facilitate or promote these gatherings would be important. The district needs to empower teachers and administrators with flexibility and freedom to be creative, while giving recognition and praise for creative and innovative efforts.
Beyond distance learning, I believe the incorporation of evaluating for Adverse Childhood Effects (ACE) as part of our standard steps for admission would be important. ACE evaluations are being heavily promoted by the Surgeon General of California in the Medi-Cal system. Incorporating these evaluations would help the district and individual schools be more trauma-informed and resiliency-focused on addressing behavioral issues. This is critical since behavioral issues are often symptomatic and/or indicative of underlying mental health issues. In coordination with health providers, school nurses, school counselors, and psychologists, we would be better able to track and follow through on regular contact with our students who score highest on the ACE evaluation. This will require creativity and flexibility in meeting these students and parents “where they are at” both physically and emotionally to protect and promote the educational development of our students most vulnerable to mental health challenges.
In addition, I also believe teachers are already doing a lot to incorporate social-emotional skills in elementary, and these skills need to continue to be strengthened and better incorporated into our middle school and high school programs. Even when students are physically safe and well fed, they will struggle to engage in rigorous academic work if they are emotionally flooded and physiologically hyper aroused. Taking time out of the school day to incorporate deep breathing, positive affirmation, mindfulness, soothing self-talk, and bodily awareness are key for soft skill development. These skills increase our ability to tolerate discomfort, to be more kind towards ourselves and others, and keep sustained attention. These are basic coping tools integral to our mental health. Teaching our students these skills is an ongoing part of their academic development.
Responses we received from Area 7 candidate, Jessie Ryan:
1) Multiple audits show that students of color, students from low-income families, English learners and students with disabilities in SCUSD are significantly more likely to fail, significantly less likely to graduate, and subject to harsher discipline than students in other districts in California. In fact, the California School Dashboard shows that in 2018-19, white students were 34 points above the state standard in English Language Arts, while Hispanic students were 40 points below, African American students were 72.5 points below, foster youth were 82 points below, and students with disabilities were 100 points below the standard. A similar dynamic showed up in Mathematics: white students are above the standard, while all other groups were below, including Hispanics by 70 points and African Americans by 107 points. English learners were 58 points below standard in English Language Arts, and 75 points below standard in Math. What specific actions will you take or policy changes will you support to address the long standing inequities and academic achievement gaps to ensure that each and every student receives a high quality education targeted to their unique needs, and how will you work to change the system to ensure equity in every classroom?
Response: I am all too familiar with these troubling statistics, they keep me up at night and drive my determination to repair a broken system for my children and all children! As the parent of Afro Latino children, one with an accommodation plan and the other receiving special education services, I know firsthand how these numbers represent the stories of students within our schools. I am fighting tirelessly to disrupt long standing inequities within the district. Over the past three years, I have led efforts to increase student outcomes. And while the District has finally seen real progress, there is still much work to be done. Student-centered improvements and policies that must be doubled down on include:
Increasing graduation rates - Since 2018, high school graduation rates have increased to 86% (exceeding the statewide average for the first time in many years). These gains in student completion were a direct result of efforts like targeted credit recovery, where hundreds of students who were off track for graduation became eligible. In addition, the District introduced data systems that track graduation information in real time to allow counselors to document students’ graduation progress and status.
Improving college readiness - College readiness rates in our District have increased by 5 percent for all students and by 7 percent for Latinx students.
Providing opportunities for our students to participate in college entrance exams - Our middle school and high school students now take the PSAT and SAT test for free. Prior to 2017, just 24% of students entering their senior year of high school in our District had an SAT score on file compared to 87% in 2019 as a result of this effort, removing this as a barrier to college admission.
Free Applications for Financial Aid (FAFSA) filed by our students saw a 25 percent increase since 2016/17. 72% of Sac City Unified students now complete a FAFSA, up from just 47% of students in 2016-17. This resulted in millions of dollars in additional aid for our neediest students!
Breaking down barriers to provide equal access programs - Sacramento City Unified School District has many pockets of excellence but it also has been plagued with deserts of despair . Unfortunately, while the system has served some student populations well it has left other populations behind (Black, Latinx, AANHPI). In order to ensure EVERY 8th Grade Student has an equal opportunity to access the high school program they believe will provide them with meaningful and engaging learning experiences, the Board pushed to move away from site level selection and towards a centralized application and selection process to grow the number of Black, Latinx, and AANHPI eligible for admission to specialty programs.
Supporting "willful defiance ban" and expansion of restorative practices- The Sacramento region has been called ground zero for disportioncate suspension/expulsion. SCUSD supported statewide legislation to ban willful defiance as a harmful catch all for school discipline issues. The establishment of restorative practices is a moral imperative, it should not be negotiable or left to a coalition of the willing. Only when implemented at scale, will we truly address the racism in the classroom and at school sites.
Increasing access to real time assessments of student progress - We didn't learn that my daughter was failing to read at grade level until it was nearly too late (half way into her second grade year). With the support of civil rights and special education advocates, the District is moving to conduct common assessments districtwide to help better understand the academic needs of students and provide needed interventions so that students like my daughter can reach grade level readiness.
Special education – For far too long the District has failed students with disabilities and changes are happening. The District ended a contractual clause (Appendix D) that allowed classroom exclusion of SpEd students. Knowing that all of our students are general education students first, this spring the District provided all staff with optional UDL (Universal Design for Learning) training to help support inclusive decision making. The Board engaged an expert from the Special Education Audit, Judy Elliot, to help lead a long overdue restructuring of the Special Education department, which includes two restructured positions and will allow support for ongoing student support. There is a renewed focus on Multi-Tiered Systems of Support as a student-centered best practice rooted in a belief that all children can learn. This is being scaled at a cohort of the District's neediest schools.
Ethnic studies curriculum as a tool for student engagement – SCUSD was one of the first districts in the state to adopt Ethnic Studies as a graduation requirement in 2017. Ethnic studies pushes forward SCUSD’s effort to provide culturally relevant, reflective curriculum. Research has shown that a high school ethnic studies course examining the roles of race, nationality and culture on identity and experience boosted attendance and academic performance of students at risk of dropping out. I was proud to also champion Ethnic Studies as a graduation requirement in higher education.
2) The District and its teachers union have been engaged in a cycle of mistrust and conflict that has made it impossible to fully address most of the challenges that affect students, from distance learning to school climate to serving special education families. This destructive dynamic must be overcome if SCUSD is going to address its long-term structural budget issues and avoid a state takeover. We understand that a Board member is only one part of a large and complex system. However, what are you going to do to bridge the District/union relationship and rebuild trust so that we can move forward without a state takeover?
Response: I have spent my entire career bringing together unlikely coalitions to focus on improving student pathways in higher education. This means sometimes vehemently disagreeing with partners but always treating one another with respect and a shared commitment to making the path better for our students. The decades-long dysfunction between the District and its teachers union, has spanned many boards and Superintendents. Though the players have changed the mistrust has not. The very real structural financial challenges have only seemed to exacerbate the divide. I believe that the future of our students and this district relies upon the parties seeing each other as human beings first and not adversaries. We are all members of the same team; rooting for one party to fail is in essence rooting for the failure of our students. First, there must be a shared agreement that a state takeover would be devastating to our most vulnerable students and families as well as irreparably harm our teachers and community. One of the best ways to bridge that divide is by building with teachers on the ground and at a school site level in a deep and intentional way. Our parents also have the potential to be the unit of change as observers in the critical negotiations that will be necessary to address the structural budget issues, build trust, and avoid a state takeover. Additionally, the California Department of Education and Superintendent of Public Instruction Thurmond have lifted-up a Labor Management Institute as creating critical space to develop stronger labor/management relations. This includes bringing in skilled facilitators that help both sides engage in interest based conversations that are healthy and rooted in practical, measurable goals. The District and SCTA should lean into this work as creating a vital container for the relationship building and grounding necessary to lay the foundation for greater alignment and relationships.
3) We know that the mental health challenges for students have only deepened with distance learning. Even before COVID, the Children's Movement of California reported that nearly 1 in 3 California high schoolers reported feeling sad or hopeless almost every day for two or more weeks in a row, and stopped doing some of their usual activities. Nearly 1 in 5 reported that they have seriously considered attempting suicide. And there was a 34 percent increase in suicides among California youth between the ages of 15 and 19 over the past three years. What actions will you take to improve our students’ mental health and increase access to mental health resources to address these challenges within our district during and beyond distance learning?
Response: I am deeply concerned with our students’ mental health and risk of suicide. I know that in addition to providing our students with direct support, educators must communicate and provide our families with the tools necessary to see the signs of distress and to react appropriately. The trauma from the public health crisis compounded with the racial reckoning is leaving many of our students in a state of overwhelm. Teachers, the District and trusted community allies must increase public outreach by sharing suicide prevention tips, signs, and how to reach immediate help through both the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 and SCUSD’s warmline number at (916) 643-2333. We also need to expeditiously fund and launch a peer to peer mental health mentoring program so that youth have relatable touchstones that can help them navigate these uncharted waters (the board will be voting on this critical investment at an upcoming meeting).
· Trauma Informed Training- This year SCUSD staff received Kognito - Trauma-Informed Practices for K12 Schools - as a way to recognize and understand the root causes of trauma, how to engage students with compassion and empathy, and how to get help if needed - particularly if there is a safety concern such as suicide. The goal of the training is to recognize signs of trauma and distress and intervene before a student becomes so emotionally distressed they experience thoughts of suicide. Last year 2,618 staff members successfully completed the Kognito suicide prevention training where they learned about the signs of emotional distress, risk factors for suicide, and how to help student access supports to mitigate mental health risks and save lives.
· The district focused support for different high needs student populations and trained and provided resources for staff to assist students in crisis, including groups that might need additional support such as LGBTQ+, students in foster care, and Students experiencing homelessness. Utilizing a combination of staff and community based partnerships, students receive targeted real time intervention from trusted brokers.
Finally, we must recognize that for many of our students home is not a safe space. All the tools in the world cannot adequately compensate for in-person mental health support. There are students physically disconnected from the very schools that served as their lifelines. This knowledge must serve as a North Star as we move towards safely reopening.