Howard, Raymond, Sachs Vie for CV School Board

Castro Valley voters have three choices to fill two seats for the District Board of Trustees next month. And while the effects of the COVID pandemic remain, those sitting on the Board next year will likely turn their gaze to improving student achievement, maximizing equity, and providing transparent budgeting.

On the ballot are incumbent Gary Howard, attorney and child advocate Sara Raymond, and former Chief Financial Officer of KIPP and former finance head of The Khan Academy Tina Sachs. All three candidates have the endorsements of community leaders, current CVUSD board members, and teachers.

 

Student Achievement

According to a California Department of Education report released this month, Castro Valley saw 68.4% of all its public school students meet or exceed English Language standards (nearly unchanged since 2019). Math scores, however, took a 5.5% dip to 57.7% this year, down from 63.2% in 2019.

Howard notes he spent his current tenure on the Board looking for ways to close the achievement gap with special concerns for groups who have traditionally scored lower.

"One exciting step has been to move to a standards-based grading system," Howard told the Forum. "Students are given credit for the standards that they have truly mastered (even if they have to make multiple attempts to show that) rather than simply given credit for attendance, homework, and so forth." 

Raymond says she is committed to providing multiple paths to success for all students. 

"We need to make sure that kids can access whatever honors/AP courses that they might need, but we also need to partner with organizations such as trade unions that can expose kids to career alternatives," she said. 

Sachs says she would look to help students in the historically under-resourced communities who she says are disproportionately less ready for college, the workforce, and life.

"I am committed to setting policies that eliminate biases and create measurable and achievable goals along with a budget that supports inclusive, multicultural school environments to reduce the opportunity gap while continuing to lift our students higher so that we are better serving all our students," Sachs said.

 

Equity Central to CVUSD's Strategic Plan

Outside of providing student resources, another challenge in Castro Valley schools is to make the faculty reflect the student population. Of the district's student population of 9,277, 28.9% are Asian, 23.9% are Hispanic or Latino, 21.4% are White, 14.6% identify as two or more races, 4.4% are African American, and 3.1% are Filipino.

"We are making progress with the teachers, but that will take a bit longer," Howard says. "For example, the teachers new to CVUSD this year are quite diverse. We need to continue that work."

Raymond adds that for her, equity is also about properly funding programs.

"Persistent underfunding of public schools makes it challenging to fulfill our mission to educate and provide support for students from historically marginalized communities such as students of color, English language learners, and special education students," Raymond said.

Sachs notes that California's rules for free and reduced lunches include students in middle to high-income brackets (75% in CV), which also skews the district's ability to provide wrap-around services (e.g., tutoring, extended day care, mental health) for socioeconomically disadvantaged youth. 

"Mandates, especially ones that are not fully funded, in federal and state funding result in equal versus equitable funding at the local level that ultimately limits a district’s ability to choose how to utilize their funding in an equitable and impactful manner which is proving to be a significant barrier towards equity."

 

Budget Breakdowns

More than 97% of the district's $129.1 million budget comes from State funding and yet, CVUSD receives the least funding per student of any district in Alameda County. As for spending, $102.4 million, or 84% goes to salaries and benefits (teachers, staff, and administrators) with the remaining $19.6 million (16%) being spent on everything else.

"We use a zero-based budget process. Each school prepares a request for what they need to conduct classes for the year," Howard said. "For specific purposes, we can ask the community for extra funding. Our Measure G raised $123 million for building and renovations. Castro Valley has never passed a parcel tax."

Raymond says she would ask for a formal budget committee with regular, public workshops to help the community better understand the nuances of CVUSD's budgeting priorities. 

"As I like to say, where we spend our money is how we set our priorities, and the community should have some say in that process," Raymond says.

Sachs said she would leverage her prior financial roles at two, multi-million dollar not-for-profits to lay out the process, measure what matters, break it down into simple elements, and build in community engagement.  

"To every extent possible, communicate, communicate, communicate," Sachs says. "We should share out the goals and budget regularly and consistently in a manner that is understandable."  

Election Day is November 8.

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