I picked up last week’s News Enterprise to read about our local news, and mixed in with news about charity drives, All-Star youth teams, heat advisories, the LA Fitness controversy, crime, and faith, I ran across the one written by Karen Russell, one of the three incumbents on the Los Alamitos Unified School District Board, writing on behalf of them all, about their intent to seek re-election in November.

I was shocked. Kinda. I just thought a combined 40 years on the Board for them would’ve been enough. Guess I was wrong.

Time to throw my hat in the proverbial ring.

I am seeking election for the Los Alamitos School District Board.

I read Russell’s article closely. In it she simply highlighted their “record.” Her rhetoric was more of the same: national awards, AP scores, modernization, ROP offerings, high standards, A-G completion rates, and safety initiatives. While all of these programs and successes are ones we celebrate throughout our communities, as they keep our kids engaged, inspired, and most importantly, safe, this “record” doesn’t address the issues about which our communities are growing more and more concerned. I ended the article wondering, “But what’s next?”
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We are desperately ready to hear discussions about and solutions to the traffic nightmares in Rossmoor. We want to hear honest debates about the inter-district transfers that make up over 30% of our student population. We want to understand where all the money goes, including those dollars raised for individual classrooms, programs, schools, the ever-present district-driven fundraising events and the ubiquitous LAEF -- and why we need another bond measure on the ballot again this election cycle. We want to see teaching practices move into the 21st century and educational equity for all students. We want to give our teachers a voice and hold  our administrators accountable for leading their teams with purpose and intent. We want transparency into the sports programs’ operating procedures. We want to discuss options for decreasing the sheer number of kids in our schools, so the schools can become more manageable. We want to see research on the value of summer homework.
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I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I do have lots of questions. Isn’t that all we really want? A member on the Board who is not afraid to raise the tough questions, hear from our communities, weigh the options, and make decisions in the best interest of us all?

I live in Rossmoor because when my husband and I began having kids we wanted to be part of a great school district. Los Alamitos was that district for us. We moved to this small community district before our kids even started school, and one of them is now at Oak and the other one is at the high school. Crazy how time flies.

This district has served us well, and I want to continue the good work, but I see room for improvement. And rather than rest on our laurels, I’d like to revisit what has made us great and return to a focus on that foundation. We haven’t been great in only the last 15 years; we’ve always been great -- and we’ve been great because we have always been a neighborhood, boutique district. We need, therefore, to continue to move forward, but not forget who we are.

Here’s to Curriculum. Equity. Safety. And a teacher on the board who is focused on why we’re in this business of education -- the kids.

Feel free to contact me via my website at cathylarson.com or via email at mrscathylarson@gmail.com. We are in this together, and it’s time we stand together.

Who’s with me? ​

Time and time again, all I see from the incumbents in this School Board race are press releases, responses submitted as a team, and rhetoric about what has been done in the past. I am not sure exactly how each feels about any one issue, haven’t been able to discern how one is any different from the other, and have a sense that they do only what the other endorses. Is that really what we want for the next four years in Los Alamitos Unified? A School Board that views the issues through exactly the same lens? A School Board so lock-step and ingrained that the status quo rules, whether working or not. A School Board where nothing new or innovative is introduced, brought to the cabinet, or used to challenge the accepted practices?

I appreciate all the current School Board has accomplished, as my own children have been the recipients of the progress. However I still see gaps, because my own children, unfortunately, have been the recipients of the status quo, as well. Regardless the rhetoric of success, don’t let the statistics blind the reality. We have work to do, and it makes me wonder: What have you done for me lately?

In the eighth grade, I had Mr. Howard for science. One of his bulletin boards was decorated with a turtle and this line: “Always wonder why.” I don’t know exactly why he chose a turtle to impart these impactful words, but the turtle did just that and continues to impact my life on a daily basis. 

What does this turtle from 30+ years ago mean for Los Alamitos Unified School District and my race for a School Board seat? It means I don’t claim to have all the answers or be the expert. What it means is I have lots of questions that need to be asked and deserve a discussion:

• Of the 10,000 students in our district, why are almost 35% of them inter-district transfers?
• What is the district doing to increase the rigor in the classroom?
• What is the plan for Common Core implementation in ELA, mathematics, and technical subjects?
• How is LAEF spending our money, and what percentage of our donations is spent on administrative salaries and fees?
• How is the Board involving the community in its decisions?
• Why do we continue to hire from within for cabinet-level positions, perpetuating the status quo without regard for innovation and fresh eyes?
• Are we ready for an on-campus shooting? Who is responsible for my children in an emergency? What is the district’s communication plan? 
• Even though “recruiting” in sports in not allowed, why do I keep hearing stories about how this is happening with our district sports’ teams?
• Are school uniforms something our district families want to discuss?
• Why are most of the emails I receive from the district and our district schools about fundraising and asking for money?
• Where does all the money go?
• How are our classrooms differentiating instruction for children of all academic achievement levels?
• What can be done about the traffic in Rossmoor immediately?
• Why did we hire 80 new employees for this school year when salaries are our district’s biggest expense?
• Why are we not doing more writing in the classroom?
• Why are we still graduating 44% of our students without having taken an AP course and 28% of our students not having completed A-G requirements?
  
• What are we doing about the challenges with maintaining the grass at Oak's field? How much money is spent with each fix?
• How are we supporting our local, community sports programs with field space and facilities?

I could go on and on ... but I won't. 

My platform since day one has been based on three key issues: Curriculum. Safety. Equity. I am immersed in these issues on a daily basis as a classroom teacher, and I see my role on the Board of Education in Los Alamitos as one of challenging what has been business as usual - questioning the status quo. Our district has had lots of success; however, it’s important to recognize and embrace its challenges and gaps so we can continue to build a great district that remembers we do it all for our kids.

Elect the same – expect the same.

Elect the new – and let the questions uncover our potential. 

This week our neighborhood newspaper, The News Enterprise, will be publishing responses from each of the school board candidates to the same three questions. In case you don't receive the paper, I want to make sure everyone has the opportunity to see where I stand. All I ask this year is that votes are cast and based in facts. Ask the tough questions, hear each candidates' answers, and make a decision based on the direction in which you'd like to see our board move. We haven't had an election for a school board seat since 2006, as no one has challenged the incumbents in the last three elections. 

With our district facing unprecedented changes the next four years - new funding formulas, new curriculum and new technology - we need a leader on the board who can take us into the future, rather than continuing to live in the past.

Listed below are The News Enterprise questions and my answers.

How would you describe an effective school board member?

An effective school board member must act responsibly within the law and in the best interest of all stake holders to ensure fiscal stability, academic fidelity, effective policy, and community involvement. Trustees must be available to all members of the community – those with and without children – to build a school that graduates responsible young adults who have learned to teach, give back, and contribute. Our board needs to reflect the needs of the community, while maintaining a balance between those needs and those of the student. School board members are called "Trustees" for a reason: they are being "trusted" with the future of the community – our most precious commodity – the children.  

What are you top priorities for the next four years?

Curriculum.
The academic growth of the district has been stagnant for the past five years, Common Core is not commonplace in all classrooms across all grade levels, writing has been forgotten, and almost 50% of our children are not participating in AP courses, because the achievement gap is insurmountable. Curriculum needs to be a top priority – and a teacher needs to lead the charge.

Safety. 
Alleviating traffic congestion in our neighborhoods needs to be a top priority of the next school board. Alongside easing the traffic woes, the next safety steps need to include training students in Bully Prevention and online e-reputation responsibility, reducing drug and alcohol abuse, and ensuring all students are safe in all dark corners of every campus. Additionally, research shows uniforms to be a great safety measure; therefore, an initiative in dress code reform K-12 needs to be discussed. 

Equity.   
I want to see inter-district transfer students, 35% of our district's current enrollment, dramatically decreased immediately, so our own in-district kids are given first, top priority for academics, arts, athletics and activities. I also want reform and transparency in all fundraising. I will also argue it's time all students – disenfranchised, EL, GATE – in LAUSD receive the same opportunities, regardless the school, leadership or classroom teacher. 

Do you have any specific changes you¹d like to make in the District?

I am a teacher, so my specialty is culture and curriculum. I will focus on what matters most for our kids: academics. Our district likes to celebrate the successes, but neglects to publicize its failures. My first academic change will be to increase the writing, depth and complexity in all courses, because there is no excuse for having only increased ELA proficiency 5% in the last six years. Additionally, our district needs to train all teachers and departments in the power of vertical alignment to ensure access to and success in AP courses, rather than accepting the fact that we are still graduating 44% of our students without an AP experience – one of the most significant measures of college success. Finally, we need to update our signature practices to embrace Common Core and 21st century education, especially since 28% of our students have not completed A-G college entrance requirements upon graduation, leaving them under-prepared for college and career opportunities. 

I have many more ideas for supporting kids, teachers and administrators, all while embracing what makes Los Al great. It's time to shake things up. 

In the words of Mark Twain, "Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason."

Vote informed!

Anyone ever had one of those Mondays when nothing seems to go right, behind every turn you feel blindsided, and wish you could just go back to bed and start the day all over? Welcome to my yesterday.

In the midst of this horrible, rotten day, I was frustrated by the world spinning around me. Once I got home and worked through the day with my husband, I realized the source of my frustration: a lack of communication.

• Decisions were made of which I had no input,
  
• changes were made that directly affected me without warning, unaware that those changes were going to be peppered throughout my entire day,
  
• meetings were cancelled and changed at the last minute,
  
• policy was being decided and defined behind closed doors, and
  
• all I wanted to do was teach kids to the best of my ability – and I felt as if I were being sabotaged.
  

This got me thinking … I wanted to fight back. I didn't want to understand or be tolerant or see the good in everyone. I wanted to fight, blame and complain.

I often find myself experiencing this same frustration with the communication coming from our school district. It isn’t just my day job that lacks efficiency and effectiveness with regard to communication; it exists in my personal and family life, as well. 

Emails from the district, articles written about our schools in local papers, events publicized around town, they all celebrate our district successes – and I love hearing the good news in a world full of bad – but when and where is the real work being done? When are policies being discussed? When are decisions about curriculum and student achievement being made? When is controversial law affecting students being debated before changes are being implemented on our campuses? How do the members of our community have chances to participate in talks about issues that directly affect them when their children have already graduated from the system? How can we ensure equity for all?

These are the issues that ultimately frustrate me and put me in a fighting mood, and I’m assuming these are the same issues that frustrate us all. I know there has to be a better way.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, board meetings are a public meeting and not a meeting for the public. So when does the public have the opportunity to have real discussion with the district leaders?

I would like to see:

• Community Forums started in our district to allow open communication and discussion
  
• More relevant communication with the community that discusses the tough issues and welcomes debate and input
  
• Invitations to information nights about educational law being mandated in the schools
  
• School News sections in all the local neighborhood papers written by school leadership to keep the entire community informed about more than just fundraisers and awards
  

Not every decision being made at the district level is going to make everyone happy. That’s the nature of public education and democracy, but I do know that I, personally, would be much less likely to fight against and more tolerant and supportive of the decisions being made and implemented if I were more informed. An understanding of the issues could make the difference for us all.

Our district has work to do, so let’s get down to business - and talk it out.