PVUSD Candidates on Board Policies, Teacher Shortage & Teacher Pay

COMMUNITY NEWS

PVUSD Candidates on Board Policies, Teacher Shortage & Teacher Pay

The Aptos Times asked three questions of the candidates for Pajaro Valley Unified School District in the Nov. 8 election. Here are their responses. (Candidate Olivia Flores did not respond.) •••

Are you satisfied with the board policies of the last four years reflecting the wishes of the Pajaro Valley community?

Kim De Serpa: I do feel satisfied that board policies and priorities reflect our community’s demand for safety, excellence, achievement, improved opportunities for students and their families, innovation, mental health and wellness, arts music and sports programs.

Pajaro Valley Unified School district’s response to the pandemic was nothing short of amazing. Our administration pivoted to distance learning in a 5-day period and as a result learning loss was minimized and our students have shown amazing learning despite the hardships we faced.

I attribute this to our leadership, teachers, and staff who working in concert with parents made the very best of a difficult time.

O u r commitment to wellness is evidenced by increasing mental health counseling to address the difficulties students faced in isolation.

Our achievement continues to grow, up 63%. No longer at the bottom ranking of California schools, PVUSD is providing excellence in learning and increased programs that make learning fun!

Jennifer Schacher: I believe that to have effective Board Policy, you need to be out in your community talking to parents, students, teachers and staff.

Our community wants to ensure art and music education are in our curriculum and they are through partner ships with El Sistema, Save the Music Foundation, Band programs, Latino Film Institute, and VAPA and music teachers.

Having students college and career ready is a concern for parents. PVUSD has AP classes, Career Pathways such as Graphic Design, Computer Programing, Bio Agriculture and many more. After school programs at all school sites that are free and readily available for students to attend. Health and safety of students is also a concern.

Upgrades to our facilities, new fencing, additional academic and social emotional counselors at school sites and the opening of the Wellness Center on Palm Ave are ways Board policy is satisfying community wishes.

Natalain Schwartz: No, we need to provide an excellent education in a safe environment. All are concerned with the amount of violence and drugs on school grounds. Students can’t learn if they are in fear. In Kim De Serpa Jennifer Schacher Natalain Schwartz July 2020, four members of the then current board voted to remove the School Resource Officers (SROs) permanently from the 3 high schools while keeping outside security at the district office. The SROs should have never been removed. Even after the killing at AHS, the lack of action by the schools and PVUSD board of trustees was concerning. Some of my ideas are: 1. Keep SROs on campus permanently. 2. Continue to give students the anonymity to report potential problems via the StopIt! app.

“PVUSD Candidates” page 23