Voters will get to choose this November who will fill two seats on the Palo Alto Unified School District's five-member governing board. With incumbent Ken Dauber not running for reelection, the race is between incumbent Shounak Dharap and three challengers: Ingrid Campos, Nicole Chiu-Wang and Shana Segal. The chosen candidates will join Todd Collins, a private equity investor; Jennifer DiBrienza, an educator; and Jesse Ladomirak, a parent.
Throughout much of 2020 and 2021, the district's focus was largely on responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. As with districts around the country, questions of how to handle remote learning and the eventual reopening of schools dominated conversations, accompanied by considerable angst.
In recent months, the board has returned to a number of ongoing issues, including how to address gaps in student achievement and better meet the mental health needs of students and staff. Here's what you need to know about the candidates and where they stand on four key issues.
Comments
Registered user
Old Palo Alto
on Oct 7, 2022 at 9:17 am
Registered user
on Oct 7, 2022 at 9:17 am
[Portion removed.]
To quote *directly from [Ingrid Campos'] own website*: "What parent desires to expose their child to the deviant lifestyle that embodies LGBTQ? LGBTQ is a sexual preference lifestyle, not an individual's character."
If you want a Board of Education member who is openly hostile to a substantial portion of our community because of sexual orientation, then I guess she's your gal. But while you're considering your vote, please also consider doing a little research into what other political movements we might be familiar with that were happy to sling the term "deviant" around in attacks on ideas they didn't like. Your research might take you back to the 1930s. Please do let us know what you find.
Registered user
College Terrace
on Oct 7, 2022 at 10:26 am
Registered user
on Oct 7, 2022 at 10:26 am
[Post removed.]
Registered user
Professorville
on Oct 7, 2022 at 11:19 am
Registered user
on Oct 7, 2022 at 11:19 am
I don't think a candidate talking about a "deviant" lifestyle is a serious contender - just a distraction for most.
I am interested in what Chiu-Wang means by "wants to look beyond just Standardized tests to consider "entire child" when assessing progress". I don't think teachers in PAUSD rely on standardized tests to assess students in their classrooms. Standardized tests are state mandated tests that students have to take and teachers do not consider them in class grades. If a school looks at those scores, they will do so along with grades and teacher assessments.
In K-5, we do not have letter grades. The assessments do look at SEL factors in their assessment. In 6-12, we have moved to standards based grading with detailed rubrics and a focus on improvement over the course of the semester, with homework, projects and effort being factored into the rubric.
So the words do not really mean a great deal in the actual assessments taking place in our schools. Knowing what is happening in the schools is important in a school board candidate for setting goals, assessing programs, and making budget decisions. Experience with schools matters!
After four years on the school board, Mr. Dharap's answers do not show the understanding of a person who actually knows what is happening at the school and classroom level. In fact, his and Ms. Chui-Wang's words are very similar in their approach and vagueness - lovely ideas that under the surface do not mean much in terms of real action.
Registered user
Barron Park
on Oct 7, 2022 at 10:14 pm
Registered user
on Oct 7, 2022 at 10:14 pm
I'm very impressed with the neutrality of PA Weekly representatives Bill, Zoe, Jocelyn, and Adam in the process of interviewing the candidates (I've only watched two so far but will finish them soon). I feel like they are really listening and doing a good job of not judging before all the information is in. Thank you.
Registered user
Gunn High School
on Oct 8, 2022 at 9:26 pm
Registered user
on Oct 8, 2022 at 9:26 pm
I can't agree with Mr. Ferdinand's comment about the neutrality of the PA Weekly representatives. Having just returned from abroad, I picked up the print version to read "School Matters" and was troubled by Ms. Morgan's bias against Ingrid Campos.
As one obvious omission, she does not mention that Ms. Campos is the only candidate with many years of experience mothering (or fathering) children in the Palo Alto School System. Clearly, Ms. Campos views are not popular with some in Palo Alto, a largely woke community, but Ms. Morgan lards her article with "what she describes" and "what she calls", puts phrases such as "traditional family value" in parentheses, and brings in outside comments on unrelated topics. Almost nowhere in the article are the other candidates statements treated this way.
Ms. Morgan is to be congratulated for covering the school board and elections to the board, and she is entitled to her bias. However, I trust readers will note the differing treatment of the candidates as they read the article.
As for Ms. Chiu-Wang and Mr. Dharap, I spent most of my career listening to the lawyer-speak in the PA Weekly article (and using it myself), tossing out stock words and, in this case, virtue signaling. We have to listen, but the question is: What is the point and how does it speak to the daily experience here of students and parents?
If you have a child in PAUSD, a basically excellent school district, what is happening to them now. Did you know for example, that all 3rd through 12th graders will be subject a Social and Emotional survey this month, but the questions are not being disclosed to the parents? Why not? And what will the survey be used for? What is the viewpoint of the surveyors?
If you currently have a child in PAUSD, Campos is the only candidate with the courage to bring diversity of thought to the board. In my view, she (representing parents) and Shana Segal (representing teachers) are the only viable candidates.
Registered user
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Oct 13, 2022 at 9:21 am
Registered user
on Oct 13, 2022 at 9:21 am
Both the lawyers sound like they are on the same camp and totally ignorant about the struggles of education in this district. It’s very interesting that 2 people who do not have kids in the schools are using PAUSD as a launching pad for their political careers.
Just because you are of a certain ethnicity doesn’t make you a qualified candidate at all!!
And then to add to it when you make a statement that we have certain sections of the community that ‘like pressure’ shows your ignorance completely. Just because you look like a certain color doesn’t mean that you understand the struggles or reasons of action of that community
Very sad to see candidates with no real skin in the game, only groomed to play it receive so much support