|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The four candidates for two seats on the San Ramon Valley Unified School District’s Board of Education are in the final stretch of their campaigns before Election Day, with less than two weeks to go until the final deadline for voters to cast their ballots.
Incumbents for both seats up for election this year – Area 2 trustee Shelley Clark and Area 3 trustee Laura Bratt – are facing challenges in bids for second terms in their seats, from newcomers Karin Shumway and Sukriti Sehgal respectively.
Since launching their campaigns earlier in the year, all four candidates have participated in election forums this month ahead of the election, most recently an Oct. 8 event hosted by the San Ramon Valley Council of PTAs and the Danville-Alamo-Walnut Creek branch of the American Association of University Women, moderated by the League of Women Voters.
Days before, Sehgal, Clark and Bratt also participated in an election forum hosted by PFLAG Danville/San Ramon Valley on Oct. 5. Shumway was invited but did not attend.
In addition to the two forums and other campaign efforts, the four candidates provided answers this week to a series of written questions from DanvilleSanRamon aimed at further illuminating their positions on top issues facing the district.
- SRVUSD is facing ongoing budget challenges, which have manifested in budget cuts during the past school year and a commitment to reduce spending by an additional $16.5 million in the 2025-26 school year. How should district leadership contend with this problem, and what specific changes would you advocate for if elected?
Laura Bratt (Area 3 candidate): Myself and the current Board put into place a Budget Steering Committee, which includes Board members, school site and district administration, labor partners, staff, parents, caregivers, and students. This committee is working hard to look through our current expenditures and see where cuts can be made. Their recommendations will then be brought to the full board, where we will discuss the best course of action.
In preparation for our Board discussion, I, as an individual Trustee, will also review the current and future expenditures to see where cuts can be made. I will spend time listening and learning from our students, parents, caregivers, and staff to gather their perspectives and insight around budget priorities and possible cuts. And I will bring the information I gather into the discussion we, as a full board, will have during our public meeting. Ultimately, we must ensure that our limited budget reflects our values, which we have outlined in our Strategic Directions. We must keep our cuts as far away from the students as possible. We have an exceptional staff and we will need to lean further into their expertise as we make necessary cuts to resources, materials, and contracted supports.
I will also continue to advocate for a much-needed increase in State funding to fully fund public education, including special education programs.
Sukriti Sehgal (Area 3 candidate): I will ensure the cuts that are needed are made away from the classroom. We cannot compromise on the top deliverable of schools which is education, followed by co-curricular activities and the teachers that make it all happen. We will need to look through the spending with a fine tooth comb, look for duplications that exist in the system and get creative with solutions.
On a separate note, I would want to use this as an opportunity, to be far-sighted, and build elasticity into the system, so we can endure increases and decreases in enrollment and resulting funding changes, with minimal effect on our functioning.
Shelley Clark (Area 2 candidate): Budget challenges are not new to SRVUSD. We continue to be one of the lowest funded districts in the State. Our funding is determined by the State under the LCFF (Local Control Funding Formula), and when the State is in a deficit, the funding for schools suffer the consequences. We have convened a Budget Committee comprised of myself and Trustee VanZee, along with staff, administration, parents and students to go over the current budget at a deep level to determine what cuts can be made without affecting the classroom. That process is going on now. What I would like to see change is the base grant for LCFF increased so that we would get sufficient funding to provide the kind of education our students deserve and I will continue to advocate for that. We struggle to attract and retain good teachers because other districts around us have more funding therefore can pay more.
Karin Shumway (Area 2 candidate): We now have to cut $24M+ for this next school year. There are millions of dollars annually spent on consultants and while some of them are likely beneficial for staff and professional development, others might be more wants than needs. I would look at contracted services the district has and open many of them up for an RFP process to ensure that we have the most cost effective contracts in place. I would also love to look at our revenue generating avenues such as making sure we are charging market rates for facility use fees – and look at additional ways to get community based groups to utilize our facilities when not being used by the students.
2. What are your thoughts on new Superintendent CJ Cammack and his work in the district over his first few months on board, as well as the board of education’s relationship with the superintendent’s office overall?
Bratt: In welcoming Superintendent Cammack back to SRVUSD, it is clear that he has a deep-rooted connection to our staff, school sites, and community partners. He has been able to hit the ground running, making informed and timely decisions. As the Board President, leading the recruitment and hiring of our new superintendent, it was clear that he was the best choice to fill Dr. Malloy’s seat. Three months in, he is proving us right. Superintendent Cammack brings steadfast leadership to the District as we enter our next phase in the implementation and accountability around our Strategic Directions. With his leadership, we will face the shifts in funding head on and continue to work hard to make our exemplary schools even better.
Sehgal: I have only met him once so far, but came away feeling that he has a very good understanding of the system. You can see he cares about taking responsibility and correcting any issues. Most importantly for me, I have seen a willingness in him to look for solutions rather than coming up with excuses. If elected, I would say there is only one way for the board and the superintendent’s office to work, and that is, seamlessly.
Clark: Superintendent Cammack has done a great job of stepping into the role of superintendent. He has a strong working relationship with all the board members, is respected by the staff who work with him, and is a very effective communicator. He was with our district before as an assistant superintendent, so he knows our district and he fit in seamlessly. I feel fortunate that he decided to come back to SRVUSD.
Shumway: I have really been impressed with CJ so far. He came into our district in a less than desirable state, but he has handled these difficult situations with transparency and accountability. This has impressed me because he was not part of the equation getting us into these issues. He seems to handle controversial matters with common sense and he is respectful of the board members and allows the board to do the work they need to do without interjecting his own initiatives. He has so far shown that he is respectful in his conduct and communications, and I appreciate the transparency.
3. How will you look to work with SRVUSD teachers individually and the San Ramon Valley Education Association collectively to achieve shared goals for students and the district? Are there any topic areas in which you would want to push back against the teachers’ union?
Bratt: As a Board member, I have built relationships with individual teachers as well as all three of our unions, including SRVEA, so that together, we can work collaboratively, with trust and transparency, to do what is in the best interest of our students and the community with the limited funding that our District receives.Â
I meet with our educators individually and in their school site, grade level, and subject matter teams, to gather and learn from their perspectives and insights about the student experience in the classroom, as well as gain an understanding of the areas where they, as our District employees, need support.
Over 97% of our SRVUSD certificated staff make up the membership of the San Ramon Valley Education Association. SRVEA membership teaches our kids, they care for our kids, they make sure our kids are safe and supported in our schools, and they fill our kids minds with a love of learning. They are professional adults, many with graduate degrees, all with huge hearts. Their Education Association allows them to come together and collectively bargain for a wage reflective of their experience and expertise as well as better working conditions in an industry that is so often seen as a labor of love.
There have been and will continue to be times when we disagree. Leading with a mindset of collaboration and problem solving, rather than one of push back and adversarial assumptions, is in the best interest of all involved, and most importantly, our students.
Sehgal: It is my belief as a leader, that any organization works the best when the people who make the organization are happy, engaged and energized. I will support and encourage teachers’ growth and development so they are well prepared to teach our children.
I am supportive of the unions as they protect the rights of the teachers and protect them from any unfair practices. Along with rights come responsibilities. We must all be clear on what the expectations and responsibilities are. The one job of educating students and doing it in a safe and respectful environment cannot be compromised. If situations arise where children are unsafe or there are other unacceptable issues, I would expect all parties to come together to swiftly address the situation.
Clark: I interact with teachers individually all the time. I spend the majority of my time visiting school sites and talking with staff about the challenges and victories they have. We have a bargaining unit that handles negotiations, but the board definitely sets the tone and the approach that our bargaining team utilize. Since Laura and I have been on the board, the board as a whole has a very strong working relationship with our teachers union (SRVEA). We have been able to come together for the good of our students and make plans that benefit them greatly.
Shumway: Both are equally important groups and individuals that I want to work with and form good working relationships with. SRVEA fills an important role for teachers such as collective bargaining and they provide other benefits as well. I also think it is important to understand that even though most of our teachers are part of SRVEA they have their individual experiences, values, beliefs, and needs that we need to take into consideration. I know it will be incredibly important to engage SRVEA as well as individual teachers to best inform my opinion and decisions as a trustee.
4. How do you assess the district’s record on the mental health and physical wellbeing of students? What more can be done to better support students in these areas?
Bratt: The district uses the California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) and screeners to help assess our students’ well-being. This data is then compared to state and national trends in order to provide context and assess the District’s record. As a Trustee, I review this data as well as take the time to meet with students and their parents and caregivers to learn directly from them about their experiences, perspectives and needs. It is important for me to understand how concerns may be disproportionate within certain affinity groups or grade-levels; what is positively and negatively impacting student well-being and the climate in our schools; and where we should make systemic changes in order to better provide the support needed.
Creating authentic inclusion for each and every one of our students so they can have a true sense of belonging is a way we can better support social-emotional well-being, mental health, and physical safety. We must continue to put systems in place to help build a more diverse curriculum so our students can see themselves and those around them in the subjects they study. We must educate our entire community about the impact of bias and marginalization on a person’s mental health and well-being. And we must provide the tools needed for all of our students to be allies for and empathize with those who may be different from them.
Sehgal: When you have a student’s doctors, cardiologists and coaches sit the student down for a 15-minute lecture on how to deal with stress on hearing that the student is headed to Dougherty Valley High School, you know we have a problem! Our current solutions of setting up wellness centers and having counselors available, are all well intended, but are missing the ground reality. Students feel uncomfortable walking over to get help. We need to initiate the conversation and reach out to the students rather than expecting the students to reach out for help.
We must dig deep and do a root cause analysis to understand what is causing stress and fix these issues. The biggest of these is students feeling unprepared for high school because of weak foundational education.
Clark: It has become very apparent, especially since COVID, that the mental health of our students is something that is important to their learning and needs our attention and resources. We now have wellness centers in all our high schools staffed with social workers to assist the students who need help. I advocated for a peer counseling program to be added to our high schools. It launched at Monte Vista and Cal High this year. Students are trained to help other students who are struggling. They are under the supervision of a teacher, so if issues come up that they are not equipped to deal with, they have an adult to go to. Sometimes students are more apt to talk to a peer, rather than an adult. We put counselors in all our elementary schools, because we realized the need at that level also. Discovery Counseling Center provides counseling services to our students also. About 6,000 took advantage of those services last year. If we had more resources, I would definitely use them to offer even more supports, but with our budget situation, that is not feasible at this time.
Shumway: This is something that our district seems to have at the forefront of their mind which I appreciate. The well being of all of our students is very important to me. I think we continue the great work that our district has invested in. I am excited to engage with the students, families, and teachers as we draft our individual policy regarding cell phone use on campuses. I would also like to see the district do more education on proper social media and screen time usage with our students, so they can learn how to be safer consumers of social media in this digital age we live in.
5. The school board and the district can be heavily impacted by decisions and debates at the state and national levels, with some legislative examples including LGBTQIA student safety, parental notification of gender identity, removing books and/or preventing the removal of books, ethnic studies requirements, AI regulations, social media protections, and school funding. What is one piece of state legislation you’ve been following closely for how it will impact education in the district? What is your position on that legislation, and why do you consider it an important topic?
Bratt: SB114, the Education Omnibus School Budget Trailer Bill that Governor Newsom signed into law in July of 2023, included K-2 universal screening for reading difficulties, including risk of dyslexia. This is an important and hard won step in providing timely and effective early intervention for our youngest learners. I believe that this bill, which includes $25M in ongoing Prop 98 funding, will have a positive and direct impact on student success throughout their educational journey. We know that if we can provide intervention support early in a child’s education, they are able to find success at an earlier age, enjoy school, and are more equipped to learn and thrive in their educational environment. I am also hopeful that this will decrease the percentage of students who, without early intervention, need IEPs in later grades.
Sehgal: One topic that I am hearing from almost every parent on is the recent law passed prohibiting school districts from requiring educators to inform parents about a pronouns or name change without a student’s consent. I understand the good intention behind this, which is to protect children from any consequent violence or negative repercussion at home. However, this law assumes that a majority of the parents will hurt the child versus accepting the child. I don’t believe that is true. While every area may have different points of view, I can say confidently, that in our area, parents will be able to have the right conversations with the child. This law is making the parents feel like they are being forced out of their own child’s life. At the same time, imagine how much stress and fear it would cause the child, to have to hide this from the parents. While this is no longer up for debate as we must respect the law, I would encourage all parents to have these discussions gently with their children at home, so there are no surprises later.
Clark: There are actually two pieces of legislation that I have been following. The first one is the legislation regarding making personal finance a graduation requirement, which passed the legislature and was signed by Governor Newsom This is something that I have been advocating for since I took office. Many of our students graduate without having the real life skills to understand basic financial tenets or how credit cards or mortgages work or even how to reconcile a checkbook. I believe these are important skills to have when you leave high school.
The second piece of legislation is the requirement of districts to limit or ban cell phone use in schools. Before the legislation was even passed, I brought this up to the superintendent and executive cabinet because I feel that the distraction and mental health issues stemming from the use of social media are taking a huge toll on our youth. We started the discussion at our last board meeting to begin the process of collecting input from all stakeholders to help come up with a plan. This will need to be implemented by 2026. We hope to have a plan in place before that.
Shumway: Yes, there are codes and regulations that we need to follow that come from both state and federal levels. However, in my experience those laws and regulations tend to leave room for the local districts to create policy around those regulations that best reflect the choice of communities they’re serving. Bill 3216 (Phone Free School Act) about creating a policy for cell phone use on campuses by July 2026 is a perfect example of this. We need to work with staff, students, and families which gives us the opportunity to engage with all groups to create the best policy to benefit all of our students. What works well for another district might not work well for SRVUSD, so we need to create a policy that fills the requirements and meets the needs of our students.
