CUTA Questionnaire

By Andrea Lerner (Lerner) Thompson

Chico Unified Teachers Association Questionnaire

Name: Andrea Lerner Thompson

1. Please explain your background and experience relating to public education. I am a product of public education; I attended grades 1-12 in public schools in & around Boston, MA. I grew up in tenement housing in a single parent family. Yet the education I received in the public schools was outstanding. I went on to earn a BA in American Studies from Reed College, an MA from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in Comparative American Literatures from the University of Arizona.

I have taught at a number of schools including Pima Community College (Tucson, AZ), Oregon State University (Corvallis OR), University of Arizona and CSU, Chico. At the Univ. of Arizona I participated in the Med Start Program where students from rural American Indian communities attended a summer program at the University in health care related studies. Many of those students had never left their reservation before, and many of them chose to enroll at Arizona upon their high school graduation. I received my Ph.D. in 1991, and a month later I began teaching as Assistant Professor of American literature and American Indian Studies at CSU, Chico. I was promoted to Associate Professor in 1996 and Full professor in 2002. In that time I taught, mentored students, worked on minority student retention, and received grants to work in Northern California Native American communities.

In 2002 I decided that as much as I loved being in the classroom, I wanted to try to have a larger voice in the shaping the university curriculum and community. I also felt we needed more women in university administration. I was appointed Interim Director of CSUC University Honors Programs in 2002 and appointed Director in 2003. In my capacity as Program Director (2002-2007), I served students from virtually every major and dept. who wished to participate in the program (about 600+) students. I hired and evaluated faculty from across the campus, and worked with Deans, the Provost and the President to create innovative classes and experimental pedagogies. We worked as well on an in-service component to the program that enabled our students to partner with community mentors and with at risk youth in the community.

In 2006 I was given the opportunity to Serve on the Board of Education for CUSD. While I had been involved in public education for most of my life, these last four years have been indeed eye-opening.

2. Why are you running for the School Board?

Perhaps the simple answer would be that the two things I hold most precious in the world, my two sons, are students in CUSD. My son Alex is a senior at Chico High this year, and his brother, Noah, is a sophomore at PVHS. The boys have been in CUSD since kindergarten. I believe it is a good thing to have parents of current CUSD students serve on the Board. The policies, challenges and issues in our school district are not merely professional concerns for me; instead, they affect and impact my family on a daily basis.

I am running for reelection because I feel that I have gained a fair amount of insight into CUSD, its strengths and well as areas that could use improvement. While we have very real budget problems, to me these are made much more difficult by the climate that exists in the district. It is probably overly optimistic to suggest that any problem can be resolved by people who share mutual respect, transparent operations, and the willingness to work as a team for the good of all involved parties--students, teachers, staff, parents, etc. Yes, that might be a bit optimistic, but it is absolutely true that in a climate of suspicion, where lack of respect and an unwillingness to hear opposing points of view reign, almost no problem can be solved--at least not solved in a way that allows all of us to move forward together.

For four years I have tried to change the climate in our district. Very often I have been outvoted. But I remain as resolved as ever, bolder now perhaps, to advocating for a climate of transparency, partnership, and respect.

3. What strengths would you bring to the CUSD School Board?

I am an independent thinker. I will not go along with ideas, actions, or proposals that seem motivated by a single point of view. I take seriously my charge as an elected official that I oversee the District's responsibility to provide strong academic programs, hire and retain excellent teachers, & practice fiscal solvency. Finally, I feel in the last four years I have demonstrated a willingness to be a good listener and to support opportunities for the respectful and open exchange of ideas. As a board member, I try to maintain the same values I bring to my teaching--an open exchange of ideas, a climate of mutual respect, a willingness to be available and helpful.

I have years of experience in education. I have taught, mentored, created curriculum, , and I have experience in assessment and evaluation. In my work on campus, I have reviewed and evaluated staff and managed budgets.

Another strength I bring is an interest in innovation and experimentation. All of us who teach know that change is a part of school life: each year new students arrive in our classroom, and it is critical that we continue to explore new methods of teaching as well as new curricula and new tools to supplement our tried and true professional practices. Yet while I embrace innovation, I am suspicious of some of the sweeping trends that seem to blow through American schools. It seems as if every few years school districts are urged to follow the latest fad in education. A lot of it ends up being just common sense and best practices we all engage in already without the fancy acronyms. To be fair some of these "trends" bring us new ideas and useful innovation; at other times they seem to absorb resources that could be better spent in the classroom.

4. What experience do you have in understanding and/or overseeing budgets?

I suppose the main experience in that arena is having served on the CUSD Board for the last four years. The budget process was initially overwhelming--especially being aware of all the legal restrictions, categories, etc. I feel too often Board members respond to complexities by assuming that the district are the experts and that they will make all the appropriate decisions. While that might be the case, I have come to see that without careful examination and asking questions, a Board member cannot really fulfill their duty to provide oversight.

I am also fortunate to be married to a man who ran a local business for many years. I know about the conflicting tensions--the need to retain and reward great employees as well as the necessity of adjusting to shifts in the local and state economy. There are no easy answers.

5. What would be your budget priorities? (For example, electives, fine arts, music, Vocational Education, technology, staff salaries, facilities)

It would be difficult for anyone to point to the list above and deny the importance of any item. Yet the painful reality of budgetary decisions forces us to select priorities and work first toward reaching them. Although it may sound simplistic, I think the most important ingredients in the educational equation are motivated students and teachers who are willing to work passionately, patiently and exuberantly with them. In order to do this, teachers must feel adequately and appropriately compensated. As a teacher myself, I know how many hours are spent weekends, evenings, and throughout the summer "vacation" in preparing for our students' weekly needs. As a CUSD parent, I know it is not uncommon to drive by any of our schools on a Sunday afternoon and see the parking lot half full as teachers prepare classes, grade materials, or even mentor their students. The school district must indicate in its budgeting that we stand behind our teachers and see their role in the classroom as a crucial ingredient in education. Yet, to be bruisingly honest, I cannot stand by and allow salary needs of the general fund to fundamentally usurp the quality of education. To do so would simply drive all capable students to alternate schools, and with fewer and fewer students, we could not afford to retain teachers. There has to be a delicate balance, a give and take. And this is why so much of my attention returns again and again to matters of climate and trust. These are frightening times in public education; things will not go on as usual; changes will need to be made. And I believe no one in the district will feel untouched by these difficulties. But no one group should be made to shoulder the excessive burden. And all of us must feel that in our sacrifices we are preserving what is most important, and that we believe and trust in the process of decision making. I am sure many of us will not be happy--students, teachers etc. But I pledge to work toward an atmosphere where we all understand the decisions and feel treated as respected partners.

Following salary issues, I think making our facilities safe, clean environments that are conducive to learning is key. As a parent, I have had the opportunity to visit many of the schools, and I would say that far too many have inadequate facilities. Throughout the district we have overcrowded classrooms, musty portables, dirty carpets and classrooms, inadequate facilities for students to eat lunch, and schools that look as if the delayed maintenance has been delayed for several decades.

6. Are you familiar with Chico Unified Teachers' Association and what do you think is CUTA's role in education?

In my view, CUTA's role is to advocate for teachers in the Chico Unified School District. If we are to have a high quality of education, we must be able to recruit and retain excellent teachers. Just as the California Teachers' Assoc. works to advocate for teachers across the state, CUTA works to keep teachers informed about their contractual rights, to advocate for them with the School Board and the District. CUTA also alerts teachers about pending legislation, about state and local school budgetary discussions and invites teachers to bring their voice to these discussions. Aside from active teachers, CUTA advocates on behalf of retired teachers to keep their benefits from being compromised.

CUTA does not simply advocate for our teachers. In advocating for them, it also advocates for our students, for our schools & for the community.

7. What do you see as the most important issues in our district other than the budget?

There are a number of important issues confronting the district. While some may say the main concern is budgetary or others might point to facilities or declining enrollment, for me what is most pressing is a climate of exclusivity and a perceived lack of respect for so many of the stakeholders in public education. I want to be clear that I am not holding the District Administration to blame here. It is the right and duty of the Board of Education to insure that information is freely exchanged, that all stakeholders are welcomed into discussions, and that leadership moves forward in a way that is transparent and open to conflicting opinions. This Board of Education, like some that preceded it, has not moved in these directions. In fact, I would hazard that many Board members would strongly disagree with these values. To me, that is a big part of the problem.

I am also troubled by the apparent lack of a vision in the central administration. What do we want our schools to emphasize? Although test scores are an important tool, are there other methods to be used to assess the schools? What kind of education do we wish students to receive in this district? What are our priorities? Do we believe in neighborhood schools or in magnet programs? Like so many other large organizations, I feel that the administration gets side-tracked by the day to day or weekly pressing demands and tries to repair them as they arise. What emerges then is a piecemeal approach to a large institution. I think this community needs a set of focused discussions to set our priorities in order and to make changes as needed toward a focused direction.

There are those in the district who would fault our troubles on Charters. I do not see it that way. Many parents select educational settings for their children where they feel that their voices are heard, where teachers seem supported by administration and where they are made to feel as valued partners. Our district could do a better job of making people feel confident and valued. Moreover, this apparent lack of transparency and open communication between all of the stakeholders: parents, students, teachers, administration and Board members-- too often this results in a top-down approach where policy and decisions are made at the highest levels and then "applied" to the staff. In my view, when possible, decision making should take place by those closest to the kids. While this cannot always be the case, I see a need for more site-based decision making.

8. What changes would you advocate and promote for CUSD?

I would like to see a new sense of partnership between our teachers, our site administration, our involved families, our Board and our administration. I would like to see a climate where dissenting opinions are welcomed for whatever insights they might provide, a climate where critics are not ostracized or worse. I would like to see Board meetings where parents and teachers turn out to share perspectives and insights and are encouraged to participate. I would like to see a Board who is sure that their mission is to work for the people and not to serve the administration.

Where possible, I would like to see more site-based decision making. Teachers and site administration have a firsthand understanding of the problems, and often have a better sense of what will work to attain their goals. This can result in fewer delays, less red-tape and bureaucracy.

We need better long range planning. It is unconscionable that one year we close schools and the following year we experience a crisis in primary grades with not enough classrooms. We need a policy of looking forward with determined vision. Instead of reacting to each year's new crises, we need to lay groundwork to shape our progress.

We need to send a strong signal to teachers that we believe in them and support them. We need to free them from bureaucratic busywork and allow them to do what they do best. We need to be reminded that the most important elements in education are the teachers and the students. The rest of the framework should be in place to serve them and not the other way around.

9. Are you familiar with No Child Left Behind and its impact, both positive and negative, to Chico Schools?

I am familiar with No Child Left Behind, and I have followed with considerable interest the ways in which what seemed a good idea has had some very disturbing consequences. The positive side of NCLB has brought some additional Title one monies into districts; its focus on students who need the most help and who come from poor backgrounds is a good thing. Additionally, letting parents know they have choices in where they send their kids to school is also, in principle, good.

The darker side has become obvious. Many critics of NCLB point out that the Bill has never been fully funded, and consequently, it results in a major drain of district resources. Although we would believe parents have a right to send their children to good schools, the act would seem to arbitrarily decide--based solely on test scores--if a school is succeeding or failing. Schools that are having trouble tend to get punished rather than helped. Finally, there seems to be a notion that if we take a struggling child out of an "underperforming school," and place him/her into a "performing school" somehow magically the child will excel. I am not convinced of that... Moving kids doesn't really fix the problem. Finally, schools in higher socio economic areas tend to score higher than other schools and this creates its own complex set of concerns.

10. What do you see as the school board's role and responsibility regarding the CUSD administration?

The Board of Directors is elected by the voters, and thus, their responsibility is to act on behalf of the community. They do not work for the district administration; rather, they advocate for the students, families and community members. In my view, it is right and proper they see their role as questioning the District about its practices and procedures. I do not suggest this should be adversarial; it is simply that the Board represents the people and must act on their behalf to make sure that the District is doing its best to create exemplary learning environments. Too often there is a sense in CUSD that to question is tantamount to disrespect. But respectfulness need not prohibit asking questions, or having frank exchanges about policy. If it was all up to the District staff, we wouldn't need a school board.

11. What do you think could or should be done to improve relations between the school board, school staff, students and parents?

We need a greater transparency and openness to begin with. I would continue to advocate for the restoration of the public comment section to the beginning of school Board meetings. This would encourage community participation. To expect parents of young children to sit through budget reports and other business until late at night is not realistic.

Board and District leadership also need to do better at responding to community members. They might establish a parent's advisory group, and a school advisory group to discuss issues with the Board. The district must work to dismantle a perceived sense of a `closed door policy' wherein answers are not readily available and when communication is often not responded to, and where questions are greeted as criticism. This should not be the case. The District personnel and the board need to remember that the community trusts them with their most precious resource, their children. If their voices are not welcomed into the mix, then those parents will take their children elsewhere, as so many have recently done.

I would like to see the format change in our Board meetings. I think we should have real discussions on topics that engage the community; our Board workshops should look more like workshops where the Board doesn't need to sit "at the head of the class." The Board needs to model a climate of openness and interest in what teachers, students, staff and parents have to say. That doesn't mean these groups will always agree with the Board's decisions. But they should never go away feeling unheard.

I think Board members should try to deepen their relationships with sites and not only be around to award a prize or be in a photo op. They should get to know the extraordinary things happening at each site and find ways to advocate to fill the pressing needs of our schools.

12. What organizations have already endorsed your candidacy, and from which organizations are you planning to seek endorsement.

So far I have been endorsed by the local chapter of CSEA. I look forward to additional endorsements.