Area 1
Megan Allen
Megan4Schools.com
Parent
Political support:
Sacramento Police Officers Association and other groups
What makes you a qualified candidate for school board?
As an active parent of a child with special needs, I know the importance of being an advocate for all students and families. I have firsthand experience navigating our school system and know the challenges faced by parents, students and teachers.
Why are you running?
I care about the families in our community and want the children to receive the best education possible. As your Board Member, I will work together with the community to ensure all students can achieve academic success, promote safe and secure schools and build better relationships between the district and community.
What are your views on race and equity issues?
As a mother of a biracial child, I will ensure the district resources for learning will be distributed to all students in a fair, balanced and equitable manner. I want to include all stakeholders in decision making and problem solving.
Safety and mental health are another top priority for me. I will call for a complete review of school safety plans and advocate for increased funding for additional social workers and counselors. Our school community should be a safe and welcoming place where families, students and teachers can thrive.
How do you plan to address the achievement gap?
I want to ensure that every child is college and career ready through academic success and promote a curriculum that is rigorous and challenges our students to be creative. As a mother of a special needs student, I want to ensure children on individualized education plans are fully supported and have the resources necessary to succeed.
Noel Mora
Noel4Schools.org
Student personnel services
Political support:
Stonewall Democrats of Greater Sacramento and other groups
What makes you a qualified candidate for school board?
I have a combination of lived experience, professional experience, and community leadership that makes me qualified and prepared to be our next School Board trustee. I will be the first trustee to have graduated from our district. I currently work in higher education at Sacramento State. I first worked indirectly supporting students at one of our equity centers, and now I support community involvement for students.
I am also very involved in our neighborhood and have successfully recruited many other residents to partake in local involvement. I am the Vice President of the Natomas Community Association and I am on the boards of the YMCA Superior California and the Stonewall Foundation of Greater Sacramento. I am also a member of the City of Sacramento's Measure U Community Advisory Committee, where I represent youth-serving organizations.
Why are you running?
I am running for Natomas School Board to ensure that students, parents, teachers, and the communities that surround our schools are all served equitably and responsively. I plan to focus on student well-being and school safety, equitable support for improvements in literacy and math proficiency and strengthening our paths to college and career opportunities for students.
I plan to uphold high standards of representation during my tenure by being accessible, hearing differing perspectives, and more. I also plan to be the school board member that I once needed and that our students currently need.
What are your views on race and equity issues?
One of my priorities is equitable learning recovery, which means that we must acknowledge that different populations of students are going to need different types of support. This academic support is one factor that will bring us towards greater equity.
Other factors I would consider include reviewing disproportionate rates of suspension and other punitive measures for students of color, inclusivity of parent engagement at school meetings (availability and usage of language translation services), and the achievement of students, especially those of color, that also hold other identities (i.e. being disabled, special education, gender, or LGBTQ).
How do you plan to address the achievement gap?
I plan to work closely with our district staff and educators to stay informed of the data, solicit student stories to better outcomes and make sure that parents and guardians are able to be engaged in helping their students succeed.
To effectively address gaps in literacy and math proficiency, we must again acknowledge that support looks different across student populations. The new dual immersion school in our district is a great addition and will offer more targeted help for our English learners. We need similar resources and services that will assist our various populations of students more directly.
Area 4
Cindy Quiralte
Cindy4Natomas.org
Family engagement coordinator, parent
Political support:
Stonewall Democrats of Greater Sacramento and other groups
What makes you a qualified candidate for school board?
I bring demonstrated leadership and experience and first-hand experience leading statewide initiatives centering youth at the California Department of Education. I am also a member of the Education Justice Academy, which trains potential school board members to make effective decisions based on data and equity.
Why are you running?
I am passionate about public service and giving back to the community.
What are your views on race and equity issues?
I am intentionally focusing my platform on issues of equitable learning outcomes and family engagement to ensure all students are provided the necessary equity support needed to reach their fullest potential.
How do you plan to address the achievement gap?
I am planning on meeting with district and community members to better understand the current issues to help build a strong sense of unity to support students and families. I am intentionally looking at disparities that exist and targeting specific programs and interventions to ensure equitable learning outcomes for all students.
Monique Hokman
MoniqueHokman.com
Business owner, parent
Political support:
Sacramento Police Officers Association and other groups
What makes you a qualified candidate for school board?
The thing that makes me a qualified candidate for school board is my ability to listen and to problem solve. I have a family of five and the most difficult yet most important attributes to teach the kids are patience, empathy and compromise. It is my desire to help restore communication between our community and our board so that we might begin to implement these traits into our community once again.
I have lived in Natomas and have been an active member of our community for seven years. During this time, I have gotten to know much of our community through my kid's sports, church and from talking to other district parents. It is a benefit to our community to have someone represent them who is vested in this community.
Why are you running?
I’m running for Trustee Area 4 to ensure parents, students and families have a real voice on the board in combating learning disruption and implementing strategies that prepare students for college and diverse careers. I will also focus on closing the achievement gap and addressing the shortcomings that prevent students from performing well on standardized tests.
What are your views on race and equity issues?
Every child deserves a plan to help them succeed academically. The more support that we can provide to our educators, the more successful our children will be. I will increase communication between students, parents and board members and I will make sure we have diverse stakeholders. My goal is to come to the school board as a voice for our community, for our families and for our kids. I have no other political aspirations.
Many of our kids are struggling academically as well as emotionally and I believe that the best way to help them through these difficult times is to start working together. We need to teach our children, by example, that when we work together, rather than fighting each other, it brings healing back to our community. We need to start focusing on what is truly important, which is the education and well-being of our kids.
How do you plan to address the achievement gap?
Teachers need more support. We need to acknowledge that the pandemic was difficult for students and teachers. I will fight for more professional development for teachers to ensure that there are clear and available promotional paths for those wishing to advance.
Srishti Prabha is an education reporter and Report For America corps member in collaboration with CapRadio and The Sacramento Observer. Their focus is K-12 education in Sacramento’s Black communities.
