2022 election: Q&A with District C San Diego school board candidate Lily Higman [Opinion]
There are three candidates on the June 7 ballot for the San Diego Unified School District Board of Education race in District C to represent coastal San Diego — parent school advocate Lily Higman, educator/parent Cody Petterson and charter school businesswoman Becca Williams. The two candidates with the most votes in the race will advance to a Nov. 8 runoff.
I will change this by being the only full-time board member visiting at least three schools a week to meet with teachers, students and administrators. I will also hold office hours so people can talk with me directly about any issue. In general, before, during and after the pandemic, our schools should know who our students are. Dr. Susan Enfield said something that really stuck with me. She said, in her district, they know every student by name, strength and need. San Diego Unified needs to enact this type of a practice so we know every student and what they need. So, rather than guessing, we will absolutely know what they need.
During my weekly school visits, I want to sit down with teachers during lunch and talk to them about what they need. Teachers in different communities will need different issues addressed. I will take the input and create an action plan. There is a purpose to standardized tests — the results are quantifiable and provide a big picture of how the schools and district are doing. But it is not necessarily the best representation of the students’ abilities. One of my kids is extremely strong in classwork but cannot do well on a standardized test. I believe students should be evaluated based on many different criteria, not just a test score.
I know the district has put an emphasis on restorative justice for the past several years and that should definitely continue and is a great way to problem-solve versus just giving out punishment. Restorative justice allows students in small groups to resolve their conflicts by discussing the issues then finding a solution. More importantly, though, we must understand the underlying conditions why these situations are occurring and how we can help the students not to offend again.
Q: The district has been criticized on issues of transparency ranging from email retention to public comments at public meetings. What, if anything, should the district do to be more transparent? More importantly, there is no real, meaningful parent input and involvement. Yes, the district holds many “input sessions,” but our suggestions and comments are ignored.
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