Local High School Publications Grill School Board Candidates

The Lancer, the Panther Prowler and the Westlake Wire arranged a panel with the 2024 school board candidates to find out what their campaigns and candidacy are all about

With the desire to share student voices and understand how candidates plan to address key issues within the school community, the Panther Prowler staff provided nearby cohesive high school journalism programs with the opportunity to question the board candidates for the upcoming 2024 local school board election in their first panel of this election.

Incumbents Lauren Gill and Karen Sylvester are defending their seats in Area 1 (Westlake) and Area 5 (Newbury Park). Both have served on the board since 2020 and are being challenged by Nancy Van Volkinburg in Area 1 and Frank Enderle in Area 5.

A total of 13 student journalists participated in the panel, pressing the candidates on topics that will shape the experience of students and parents in the district over the next four years and beyond. Issues such as equity, inclusion, school safety and student experience took center stage as the candidates shared their visions for the future.

The panelists were asked to outline their backgrounds and how their experiences influenced their desire to serve on the school board.

Gill emphasized her commitment to providing all students with a safe and supported path to success. She highlighted her work in implementing programs for multilingual

FIRING QUESTIONS - Local Conejo Valley Unified School journalism students gathered in Room B-9 at the Newbury Park campus on September 9, 2024 to question the candidates for the upcoming school board election. learners and expanding arts education, pointing out the district’s accomplishments such as the dual language immersion program at Conejo Academy and the recently launched Visual and

New carbon dioxide monitors appear in classrooms

Performing Arts (VPA) strategic plan. Enderle expressed concerns about declining academic performance, particularly with test scores. He criticized the board’s handling of the

The district moved forward this past summer to install carbon dioxide sensors per state requirements

This past summer, carbon dioxide monitors were installed in all district classrooms including classrooms at Thousand Oaks High School.

In 2022, CVUSD received a $2.9 million grant from the California Schools Healthy Air, Plumbing, and Efficiency (CalSHAPE) Program, to improve school heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems.

These monitors light up one of three colors based on the CO2 levels measured in the room, reading parts per million (ppm). A green light indicates below 1000 ppm and is considered to be healthy CO2 levels. A yellow light indicates the level is between 1000 ppm and 1500 ppm, this is still a safe level. A red light indicates over 1500 ppm, and teachers should notify the Maintenance Department to evaluate the performance of the ventilation system. Now that these monitors have been installed, students’ and staff’s awareness of this issue has increased.

During any breaks, it is recommended to keep doors open to decrease the accumulated levels of CO2. Also, placing a fan in front of an open door facing a classroom can provide more fresh air as well.

“If CO2 is building up in a classroom and we realize the air system is on but CO2 levels are rising we obviously have to make adjustments,” said Principal Eric Bergmann. “Once doors are open and windows are open, the amount of air we are pumping to classrooms should dissipate relatively quickly. If it’s not, it gives us the information to go back and make adjustments.”

COVID-19 pandemic, stating that it negatively impacted students’ learning, and that Newbury Park High School, in particular, has not been performing to its potential. Enderle strives for more fiscal responsibility and efficiency in the district.

Sylvester focused on her efforts on the board to increase diversity and inclusion. She discussed her role in creating advisory councils for LGBTQ+ and African American students, along with the initiative to diversify literature and provide representation in the curriculum. Van Volkinburg expressed a more traditional stance on education. Volkinburg focuses heavily on returning to “the basics,” such as reading, writing and math. Additionally, Volkinburg believes that the topics of sexual education and sexuality should not be taught in school.

The 2024 election will be extremely significant for both local and national politics. The future of CVUSD will be at stake. Direct questions on technology, safety, curriculum and equality, all revealed significant differences between the incumbents and the opposing candidates.

The candidates also met in an open forum hosted by the League of Women Voters in Ventura County at the Thousand Oaks Civic Center Scherr Forum on Sept. 16. Van Volkinburg was absent from the forum due to a previous conflict. Therefore, Sylvester was unable to participate, per forum rules.

For more candidate perspectives on issues, see page 4