Six people are running for the Board of Education election in March. Candidates for the 1st Board Area are, top row, from left: Financial Services Educator Beatriz Mendoza and Board Member Jorge Valdez. The third trustee area is a contest between educator Nancy Watkins (top right image) and trustee Kenneth Williams (bottom left image). The fourth trustee area will feature Westminster School District Trustee David Johnson (bottom row, center) and OCBE Trustee Tim Shaw (bottom row, far right). (Photo provided by the candidate)
The role parents, artificial intelligence and charter schools play in Orange County education is at the top of the priority list for school board candidates.
Three seats on the Orange County Board of Education are up for grabs in the 2024 primary, with incumbents in each district running for re-election and facing challengers.
Related: Orange County Registrar's March 5, 2024 Primary Election Voter Guide
Running for Trustee 1 are financial services educator Beatriz Mendoza and Trustee Jorge Valdez. The third annual Trustee Area is a contest between educator Nancy Watkins and Trustee Kenneth Williams. And the fourth trustee area features Westminster School District Trustee David Johnson and OCBE Trustee Tim Shaw.
As provided in the California Education Code, the Board of Education approves budgets and real estate purchases for the Orange County Department of Education. It also serves as an appeals committee for expulsion, charter school applications, and interdistrict transfers. They have no say over any school district in the county, including curriculum.
But in addition to charter schools, OCBE also oversees some of the county's most vulnerable populations. Serves as a “district” for some special education and alternative programs in Orange County.
One of the biggest gulfs between the candidates, one of the hottest topics in California education, is the rights of parents, especially those who fear their child may be transgender. The right to decide when and how to notify parents in certain cases.
In districts with such policies, situations in which parental notification may be required include requesting the use of a different name or pronouns, or identifying a student's biological sex assigned at birth. These include requests to change gender programs (such as changes in athletic teams or facilities). ”
Orange Unified was the first Orange County school district to adopt this policy in early September, and Placentia-Yorba-Linda Unified quickly followed in October.
Find out where candidates stand on this and other issues, including post-pandemic recovery, charter schools, artificial intelligence, and more.
Administrator area 1
Valdez said parent involvement in the education of students is key to education in Orange County.
“I believe that parental choice is the most important thing Orange County families need to benefit their children,” Valdez said. “Orange County’s education system should have more options for parents to provide a variety of school options to meet the needs of their children.”
Mr. Valdez has been serving on the OCBE board since August 2022. Previously, he worked as a principal attorney at the law firm of Louis & Stettler in Orange.
Mendoza believes “there needs to be a conversation between children and parents, especially since the pandemic.”
“Parents need to be welcomed into the conversation, actively involved in their child's education, and more involved as partners,” Mendoza said.
Mendoza previously ran for Santa Ana Unified School District in 2016 and Santa Ana City Council in 2019, but lost in both elections.
She believes mental health needs to be made a greater priority in schools, especially in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our school districts are failing our students by not putting in place better safeguards and better resources for students, parents, and teachers to address the growing mental health disparities among our students. It’s disappointing,” Mendoza said.
Her proposal: “Increasing one-on-one instruction, having specialist teachers and staff, and a top-down focus on supporting student progress could help alleviate some of the effects of learning loss.” It will be helpful.”
Valdez said recovery after the pandemic requires “a focus on basic academic learning such as reading, writing, math and science.”
“We need to keep social issues out of schools,” Valdez said. “We need to make learning fun by leveraging technology to involve parents and create a relaxed and engaging learning environment.”
Administrator area 3
Incumbent Williams says parental rights are one of his top priorities.
“I am dedicated to protecting the rights of parents to direct their children's upbringing and to be informed about their children's health conditions in public schools,” Williams said. “I will always fight for parental rights, parental choice, and charter schools. I will always fight to protect the innocence of children from political brainwashing by woke leftist union policies.”
Watkins, who has been an educator in Orange County for more than 30 years and is director of the doctoral program in education at California State University, Fullerton, said a “collaborative approach” is needed when it comes to parental rights.
“Alongside the need to create a supportive and inclusive environment for all students, there is an opportunity to honor the rights and wishes of parents, which is valued,” Watkins said.
Conversations about artificial intelligence in schools are on the rise, both positive and negative.
“Artificial intelligence can be a valuable educational tool that enhances the teaching and learning process,” Watkins said. “Just as the mid-15th century printing press expanded access to knowledge and transformed the way information is disseminated and consumed, so too is AI reshaping the landscape of education and business.”
“But,” Watkins added. “Teachers are invaluable in creating inclusive, empathetic, and adaptive learning environments. AI has the potential to change the way we approach teaching, learning, and assessment, but The future lies in the synergy between AI technology and the valuable human contributions of educators.”
“AI is potentially very problematic,” Williams said.
“There needs to be significant oversight,” Williams said. “Social media already has a bad reputation and is often cited as a source of misinformation. Without oversight, AI will further spread false information.”
Mr. Williams began his career as an OCBE director in 1996 and is vying for his eighth term on the board. Williams is facing a recently filed civil lawsuit after getting into an altercation with another man in a Silverado last year. Both men were charged with assault and battery, but no criminal charges were filed.
Trustee Area 3 serves the cities of Brea, Yorba Linda, and Villa Park, as well as portions of Irvine, Fullerton, Orange, Anaheim, and La Habra.
Administrator area 4
In Trustee Area 4, both Shaw and Johnson are focused on strengthening Orange County's charter schools.
“Students should be given the educational options that give them the best opportunity to succeed,” Shaw said. “Giving Orange County families the ability to choose the school that best meets their children's needs will only improve the prospects of our students. Choices include traditional public schools, homeschools, and private schools. , charter schools, etc.
Mr Shaw was first elected as an OCBE member in 2020, but resigned in November 2021 following a legal challenge to holding two elected positions at the same time, and was re-elected just weeks later. Ta. Mr. Shaw previously served on the La Habra City Council for 13 years and also served as mayor.
Regarding politics in the classroom, Shaw said, “There should be no hidden agendas in our K-12 system.”
“Unnecessarily divisive politics should be kept out of the classroom,” Shaw said. “Rather, students should continue to focus on the basics and prepare for future participation in the workforce.”
Johnson said OCBE “needs to ensure that all charter schools are not just publicly funded private schools seeking financial rewards from school administrators and lifelong politicians.”
“Approval of charter petitions should be made under local control by locally elected trustees close to the community, not decided by a select few radicalized lifelong politicians.” said Johnson. “Local parents should have a voice and choice over the schools in their local community.”
Regarding parent involvement in schools, Mr Johnson said: “Rather than spending limited resources on a trumped-up crisis, we need to keep parent politics out of the classroom.”
“We must focus on student success and the needs of all parents to support their children,” Johnson said.
Shaw said parents and guardians of minor children “have a right to be informed about what is happening to their student at school.”
“The idea is to let parents know what's going on with their kids at school, not to keep it secret from them,” Shaw said.
Mr. Johnson was elected to the Westminster School District Board of Trustees in 2020. He works for an international consulting firm and serves on the Orange County School Board Organizing Committee.
Trustee Area 4 serves parts of Buena Park, Fullerton, La Habra, Garden Grove, Staunton, and Westminster.
The Registrar of Voters has already been mailing ballots to registered voters this week. The first voting centers will open on Feb. 24, and more will open as the March 5 election day approaches. For more information, visit ocvote.gov.
