Who's running for the Elk Grove Unified School District Board in the November election?

Area 2

Michael Vargas

VargasForEGUSD.com

Attorney, adjunct professor

Political support:

Democratic Party of Sacramento County and other groups

What makes you a qualified candidate for school board?

I have been an educator for the better part of 13 years. I started my career working part time in a dual enrollment program at the University of Southern California helping high school students from Los Angeles Unified School District learn about college. This motivated me to get my master’s degree in education, where I focused on student development and higher education administration. I spent four years working in higher education, supporting students as they made the transition to college and then as they transitioned into the workforce. When I eventually graduated from law school, I began teaching higher education courses on startups, business, employment, and civil rights. 

Why are you running?

I am running for trustee on the Elk Grove Unified School District board because I want to help students and families get back on track after COVID-19. My first career was in education administration, where I specialized in student development, particularly in marginalized communities. I worked with students to help them manage the transition from high school to college and then the transition from college to the workforce. 

That experience is precisely what we need on the school board as we manage the transition back to school and start to address the long-term educational and social impacts of COVID-19. 

What are your views on race and equity issues?

The issue of equity is particularly important to me as a mixed-race LGBTQ person. I faced my share of discrimination and intolerance at all levels of education. My experience is just one, but it gives me an appreciation for the challenges faced by our students and families who come from under-resourced or marginalized communities. 

The district’s equity plan is still relatively new, and we need to be willing to monitor, tweak, and refine it to ensure that it is meeting the goals we set out, especially around disproportionality in discipline and academic achievement. I plan to make that a priority. 

I also want to promote and expand access to support programs for marginalized students, including supporting the Native American Education Program, expanding access to enrichment and extracurricular programs for homeless and immigrant students, and bolstering LGBTQ support programs. I also want to ensure that all of our district policies are LGBTQ-inclusive, a project I plan to pursue immediately upon taking office.

The district faces a number of persistent problems in the wake of COVID-19. The most pressing of these is the teacher shortage, which has now expanded into special education teachers, paraeducators and even bus drivers. We need to tackle this issue by addressing both recruitment and retention. We need professional development programs designed to keep our teachers, paraeducators, and staff in the district, and we need to pay competitive wages and benefits.

How are you planning to address the achievement gap?

There is no quick fix to the achievement gap, and it requires us to acknowledge that the roots of the problem are deeply intertwined with much bigger social challenges. However, schools can take a big step toward addressing the achievement gap by equalizing access to school programs and services. 

We know that the more time our students spend on campus, participating in school programs, the better their academic and developmental outcomes will be. We should ensure that all of our students, particularly those who may have limited financial resources, have the opportunity to participate in these programs, whether it is sports, band, theater, math league, or any other school program. 

We also need to do a better job of communicating with families. Family engagement is a critical component of academic success, so we need to create opportunities for families to actively participate in their student’s learning and achievement whether that is through governance appointments, booster clubs, or getting them out to school events. We need to more actively engage with parents.

Stephanie Spurlin

Retired nurse, parent

Political support:

No endorsements listed

What makes you a qualified candidate for school board?

I am a qualified candidate for school board because of my ability to listen and work well with others. I was a union representative and worked across the aisle to negotiate contracts and resolve conflicts. I also was a nurse advocate for patient care where I worked with our legal department as a nurse liaison reviewing nursing charts to make sure policy, procedure, and best practices for care were followed.

Why are you running?

To participate in the school system in the community where I live. School boards have a responsibility to reflect the values and vision of their community – All stakeholders deserve transparency and accountability.

What are your views on race and equity issues?

Parents and teachers must work together to ensure that no child is left behind. Teachers must use assessment tools in order to create learning pathways that will benefit each child’s learning needs. School boards must encourage and support positive learning environments for students and teachers. Inclusivity, equity and diversity are paramount for the success of all students regardless of race, ability, or gender.

How are you planning to address the achievement gap?

I will encourage student learning through open-forum platforms. An open-forum platform encourages student involvement. This type of learning allows students to demonstrate the importance of expressing their viewpoints through engagement. Peer-to-peer forums build character and confidence, thereby improving academic performance.

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.