Jennifer Gonzalez/Photo provided
Spending discussions earlier this year said the district was at risk of running into a budget deficit as early as the 2025-26 school year. How can I avoid this?
Addressing school district budget deficits is a complex and ongoing process. We need a combination of short-term measures to address immediate problems and long-term plans to ensure financial stability. Successfully overcoming budget challenges requires collaboration between district leaders, staff, and the community. Avoiding deficits in the Summit School District is critical to maintaining quality education and financial stability. Here are some strategies I suggest to prevent deficits:
- Personnel costs, including teacher salaries and benefits, make up a significant portion of school district budgets. I will ensure competitive compensation and benefits to attract and retain quality educators. Track where your money is going and cut unnecessary expenses.
- Determine your most important needs and priorities. Consider educational outcomes, equity, and student well-being. Evaluate any special programs or initiatives that may be needed, such as special education, English as a second language, or vocational training. Ensure funding is allocated according to student instruction.
How do you plan to improve your students’ test scores?
First, you must ensure that your current curriculum aligns with the University of Colorado’s Academic Success Standards. It is important to prepare students for standardized tests. Schools can incorporate test-taking strategies and practice tests into their curriculum to help students understand the format and expectations of these assessments. We would like to find out where the children are having trouble and provide them with the support they need. I will work to motivate parents of children with school refusal issues to become more involved in their children’s lives and find appropriate help.
Do you support or oppose district equity policies that identify patterns of systemic inequality within the district and commit to supporting student and staff identity expression?
There are some equity policies that I support, and some that I don’t support. I believe in equity and ensuring that all students have access to resources and opportunities. Addressing issues related to socio-economic disparities, language barriers, and special needs is critical to achieving fair test scores. Our school district suffers from academic decline due to systemic inequity. I personally respect the expression of everyone, including students and staff, but I expect the district to respect the culture of parents as well.
What decisions have you made by the school district or board that you support and why?
I would also like to mention that the district supports the Latinx community by establishing a Latinx Parent Committee in 2022 and meeting monthly. Families can bring their problems to the table and find some solutions to their problems.
I noticed that the communication system has improved significantly. The district sends reminders in a variety of ways to keep parents informed about early school releases, activities, teacher conferences, and more.
What decision has the district or board made that you disagree with and why?
I learned about the district’s performance several months ago. We need to focus on getting our kids on track and providing them with all the resources and tools to succeed. It is essential that we all strive to increase the engagement of parents, staff, teachers, and students and make up for the time lost due to COVID-19.
Another issue is the Uniform Improvement Plan and special education programs. These were very complex and used jargon that seemed difficult to understand for parents, teachers, and other professionals involved in the system. There are no written, self-explanatory materials available to parents.
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