Julia Lacey is recommended by NSEA, NESPA, and NEOPA.1. If you have children, where did/do your children go to school? Any specific program(s)? What is your opinion of their education, and the school(s)/programs? If you do not have children, which school(s)/program(s) would you wish to send them to, and why? I have two children in the Northshore School District who are completing their third year at Canyon Creek Elementary. Next year, Connor will be a sixth grader and Braedon a fourth grader. Both are in regular education classrooms and neither requires additional help or special services. They have both participated in academic clubs and elementary sports.
We have experienced amazing teachers at our neighborhood school. Our school administrator makes great efforts to communicate with the parent community and supports his staff. There are many programs offered by teachers for students before, during, and after school. The only concern I had this year was with the class sizes which were as high as 31 in the fifth grade.
2. What are the three most important issues facing the Northshore School District in the coming 2-3 years? Please explain why you selected these, and, briefly, how you would address them if elected. I believe that the number one issue facing Northshore School District is the lack of funding. Without adequate funding, it is difficult to address any of the other issues we face. Until the state is able to come up with a consistent way to fully fund the programs and class sizes needed for districts and teachers to successfully meet the needs of students, I do not see a resolution to this issue. I will continue to work with legislators to express my concerns over education funding and encourage others to do the same. As a board member, I am interested in joining forces with other districts in hopes of creating a louder, more influential voice. Locally, I would work to remain fiscally responsible while staying focused on meeting the needs of our students.
The second most important issue we face is with community. Currently, there is a lack of trust by the community toward the current board and a resulting feeling that they are not working to meet their needs, often appearing too eager to support the administration. I feel the lack of trust stems from a breakdown in communication. People do not receive information from the board and are only allowed to speak in a tightly controlled forum. A more open flow of information would go a long way in softening the overall feelings toward the school board. Next year when the board becomes paperless, it will be difficult for them to use the “technology” excuse as the reason nothing is displayed via projection. Once on the board, I will work to add visual information to meetings so that those that have taken the time to come will know what is going on. I will also remain very accessible to the community so that their voices can reach the board.
Finally, curriculum is a major issue for our district because it is expensive and requires a lot of effort to select. As a school board member, I would work to continue the development of a procedure for determining the best curriculum to pilot, a process of collecting input from teachers and community members, and for teacher support while implementing the new materials.
3. What are the most critical issues facing teachers and other staff in Northshore today? I feel that the most critical issue facing Northshore teachers and staff is job security. The district is dealing with two huge issues that greatly affect job security, budget cuts and school closures. The cuts to the budget have limited or cut support programs, displacing specialty teachers and support staff as their jobs are eliminated or reassigned. The elimination of these support positions also means that a greater burden will be placed on remaining support staff and classroom teachers as they are forced to “pick up the slack.” The district will also lose great teachers that are holding non-continuing contracts that will not be renewed for next year.
Adding to the feelings of instability is the inevitable closure of a school in the district. The disruption to the community as those teachers and staff fortunate to still have jobs are scattered throughout the district, is immeasurable. And though a school closure is all but certain, there is still no word as to which school it will be so it is an uncertain future faced as staff and teachers wrap up the school year.
4. Whom do you look to for advice and information related to public education and NSD issues? And if elected, whom will you look to? I admit that there is a lot I still don’t know about being a school board member but I am becoming more prepared every day. I am already scheduled to attend training sessions for school board candidates and school board meetings in other districts because I want to see and learn how other district’s boards operate. Even once elected, I will make efforts to stay connected outside of the district in order to know what is happening elsewhere. It is very easy to lose perspective when you sit in one place too long. I have begun studying the policy and procedure for our board so as to understand the position and be prepared once elected. I am also reading articles, talking to educators, and following blogs in order to learn everything I can about the current issues in education. As much as there is to learn from reading, I still find the best information comes from people.
The way that I am preparing myself for the school board is the same way I will function as a board member. I will continue to learn everything I can about the issues affecting our district. I was recently reading a manual produced by the Washington State School Directors’ Association entitled, Serving on Your Local School Board: A Guide to Effective Leadership that when defining the role wrote that “the board serves as education’s key advocate on behalf of students and their schools in the community.” I take very seriously a board member’s responsibility to the community, consequently once elected that is where I would go for much of my information. Whom that community was comprised of, would depend on the issue. For example, I could not imagine voting on new curriculum without talking to teachers that had been part of the pilot. If we were looking at a school closure, I would want to go into the school so I could meet those involved to fully understand the impact. An individual school board member has no individual power so I understand how imperative it is that I am able to work with the other board members, the superintendent and district employees; and the associations that represent the district community.
5. What are your views regarding how NSD has budgeted during the past several years—the process and the result? Please include your views regarding how NSD has projected its Ending Fund Balance in the past years, and the amount that NSD has set aside in its “reserves”. The district has done a great job in budgeting and although they were initially concerned about revenues going down, they have not. Like others, I do question the discrepancy between the general fund balance and the actual balance of over $2 million dollars on the March statement. This is alarming for people to see and does require an explanation, especially considering it came at the same time the board released a list of budget items they recommended be cut.
I feel that the school district has been more conservative than necessary in regards to its reserves. If I had been on the board, I would have tried to sway them to dip deeper in order to buy time for programs like LASER or the reduction of class size while other cost saving options were explored.
6. What is the appropriate role of the School Board in the selection of instructional materials? What are the appropriate roles of teachers, other educators, and parents/community members? If you have any concerns with specific materials or subject areas, please summarize them briefly. I would like to see teachers more involved in the selection of which curriculums are chosen to pilot. I am unclear about who selects the curriculum that is to be piloted though I know it is based on what OSPI recommends based on how it aligns with standards but at what point is someone looking at the price, supplements, training, teacher support, materials, teachability and narrowing the choice down to two.
Through my readings, I have learned that state law requires each district to have an instructional materials committee that recommends instructional materials to the board, which they can then accept or reject. I feel it is the responsibility of the superintendent and the board to assure the right people are on this committee so that the recommendations are valid. Though this committee should be comprised of mostly administrators and educators, I feel there should also be community representation. Another part of this community piece, is that teachers, parents, students, etc. should be able to share their feelings on the curriculum with the committee before recommendations are made to the board.
The role of the board is to make sure a procedure is in place for selection, evaluation, feedback, and approval. I have no personal concerns about current curriculum; however, I do have concerns that the teachers that are piloting potential curriculum do not complete a more formal evaluation of the materials and that there are times when curriculum is considered without ever being placed in classroom teachers’ hands. It also concerns me that there is not a period of time when members of the community are given an opportunity to comment before a recommendation is mad to the board.
7. What specific solutions do you advocate for inadequate State revenue, and the resulting inadequate State funding of our schools? It is a “good politician” that promises better schools, no cuts to programs, and no cost increase to constituents. A lot of years of “good politics” have left us in our current situation with lofty dreams of top notch education for our children but with the reality that limited funding means that most schools in Washington struggle to provide adequate education. To generate more state income, I am a proponent of a state income tax because I think it is fairer way to distribute the financial burden than our current sales tax which spreads the burden evenly even though salaries vary greatly. From what I have learned thus far, I would also support the state privatizing liquor stores and allocating the taxes collected from the sales for education.
There are close to 1,500 school board directors representing 295 school districts that educate over one million students. There is power in numbers and if organizations worked together with a common goal of getting public education fully funded in our state, a strong message could be sent to the legislators in Olympia and Washington D.C.
8. What are your views on the current compensation (pay and benefits) paid to NSD certificated staff, to NESPA members (paraprofessionals, nurses, etc) and NEOPA members (office staff). What is your opinion on so called “merit” pay? I have not had an opportunity to talk to teachers and support staff in the district so know little about the overall feeling of the current contract. I did check the WEA website and noted that, according to the posted certified pay scales, Northshore salaries are a bit higher and that the contract is up for re-negotiation in 2011. Once on the board, I would approach this issue as I would any other by gathering as much information as necessary in order to make the best decisions before stating a position and voting on a new contract.
My mentor teacher once told me that teaching is hard because everyone has been to school so thinks they know how it should be done. I believe that this is what is at the heart of the public cries for Teacher Merit pay. To many it is simple, reward the good ones and get rid of the bad ones. Of course with this statement, two obvious concerns arise; who determines what is good and what is bad; and, how is it determined? Measuring and evaluating teachers is a little like catching and comparing snowflakes: tough to collect and even tougher to rate. Teachers do not produce a uniformed product that can be put through quality control. They produce people, every one of them different. It is possible to assess student performance and improvement and there are ways to evaluate teacher quality through things like portfolio or observation. The irony is that to create an ideal environment for assessing students and teachers, you often destroy what makes it a good learning environment. I do feel that teachers should be rewarded monetarily for going above and beyond through additional training, higher education, or certification such as National Boards. They should also be encouraged to stay current as the profession evolves through courses and training at the district level and within the community.
9. What do you think is appropriate content for life, health, and sex education courses? School districts have a responsibility to educate students and an important part of this is the study of health and human development. It would be negligent for schools to leave sexual development out of the health curriculum. Sex education should be part of an age-appropriate curriculum that includes medically accurate information presented, as other curriculum is, as factual information. Just as students are taught the importance of brushing their teeth and eating right to prevent disease and stay healthy, schools should educate students about safe sex habits for the same reasons. It is my understanding that parents are given the option of “opting out” of this curriculum if they prefer to teach it to their child at home, thus protecting their personal rights to not have their child exposed to sex education.
10. What is the appropriate role of prayer in public schools? I support our state’s constitution which is clear on the appropriate role of prayer in school stating: sectarian control or influence in the public schools is prohibited. Government cannot limit someone from freely exercising their religion –it cannot control someone’s thoughts as they bow their head to pray before a meal - but it can limit the use of a school as a forum to encourage other students to participate in their religious practice.
As a school board member, I anticipate that I will be forced at some point to act upon a situation where citizen concerns about staying true to their religious principles bump up against curriculum or school procedure. When this does occur, I will determine how to best measure the individual rights of everyone involved, not just those expressing their concerns. After listening and gathering all of the information, I would apply the same Lemon Test that the courts use when challenged to determine if a proposed program or policy is considered constitutionally acceptable.
11. At times, the staff Associations will have views on major issues that differ from those of top level administrators or the Superintendent. What will you do when this occurs? Whenever there are different views on a major issue, it is important to have an open discourse to determine where the views become separate and to work toward a resolution. In regards to employee relations, staying informed and connected, not just around contract negotiations, would go a long way in facilitating the process when it was time.
I firmly believe that one of the functions of the board is to serve as part of a check and balance system for the greater good of the district. It is to work productively with the other parts, administration, staff associations, etc. but not to the extent that it loses objectivity. I would have no problem “calling someone on the carpet” if I were concerned about something and be receptive to anyone else’s concerns. The board is ultimately accountable to the community who trusts them to make sure everything is as it should be.
12. What are your views on charter schools? I do not support charter schools that serve private interests while taking state funds from public education. However, I do support the idea of alternative forms of education that operate under the public school model. Where I taught in Colorado, our PACE and dual language programs would be considered charter schools if they comprised the whole school. I like the idea of giving students, teachers, administrators, and parents the option to explore other ways to educate kids. I don’t have an agenda to bring charter schools to Northshore, it is just something I support as a viable education option.
13. What is your view of the major “Education Reform” bill—HB2261—that passed into law this last Legislative Session? When this year’s legislative session begun, I had high hopes for education. I visited Olympia for the PTA Focus Day, visited with legislators, and brought my enthusiasm back to my school as the temporary legislative chair. But as the session continued, it become harder and harder to stay enthused about what was happening. By the end, we were expected to be excited about legislators’ acknowledgment that education is important and a promise to give it some attention in the future. The teachers that I have spoken with do not trust the legislators and expect more unfunded mandates.
The one exciting thing that did come from this legislative session was how connected so many people were as they rallied around education. A lot of people who have not thought twice about the legislative process were writing letters, making phone calls, and talking about the issues. Anytime you can get people in Olympia fighting for something, it’s not all bad. I am optimistic that people will stay connected and not become complacent. Of course the irony is that while legislators were signing HB2261, they were taking away I728 funds allocated to support smaller class sizes and professional development for teachers.
