NOOZHAWK: What motivated you to run for the Santa Barbara School Districts Board of Education? Explain your decision process.
MONIQUE LIMÓN: My experience as a teacher, administrator and program manager over the past eight years has allowed me to develop a deep and complex understanding of public education. I am committed to continue enhancing educational and career opportunities for our community. My knowledge and understanding of our educational system brings a much needed perspective in student learning and achievement to the San Barbara school board and is what motivated me to run for school board.
NOOZHAWK: What unique experience or expertise do you have that will make a difference on the Santa Barbara school board?
ML: As someone who has been part of the Santa Barbara community for more than three decades, I bring a diverse range of experiences that include serving on a county commission and local nonprofit boards, and managing programs focused on student achievement and increasing parental involvement. It is important to have leaders who are not only qualified to make policy and fiscal decisions, but who have also worked directly with our schools and understand the impact these decisions will have on our students, both in and outside of the classroom. My work in education, our community, and my understanding of our local schools gives me a good combination of experiences that are needed for our school board.
NOOZHAWK: Public school funding in California is in a perpetual state of crisis. How is the Santa Barbara School Districts prepared to withstand continued budget pressures from the state? What can the district do to strengthen itself financially at the local level?
ML: There is no easy solution to the state’s budget situation and the negative impact it has had on education funding. There needs to be multiple approaches to dealing with the complexities of the budget situation to maintain the highest level of education in our Santa Barbara schools. We must approach the situation from different angles and 1) ensure that school districts and constituents work with elected officials in our state to prioritize education funding, 2) leverage and maximize incoming federal funding revenues that will save teacher and classroom staff jobs, and 3) continue to partner with our city, nonprofit organizations and local businesses that can invest in the success of our students, especially in supporting before and after-school programming.
NOOZHAWK: What do you see as the most pressing issue the Santa Barbara School Districts will face in the next five years?
ML: The dire situation of our economic challenges will continue to be a pressing issue for the school board in the coming years. The continuous funding cuts will be a problem with long-term impacts for our district. Finding creative solutions to keep cuts from the classroom will continue to be a challenge.
NOOZHAWK: Do you support Measures Q and R, the combined $110 million school bonds for the Santa Barbara elementary and secondary school districts? Why or why not?
ML: Yes. There is limited revenue in our district to make some of the much needed repairs and updates to our facilities and grounds. Some of these issues require immediate attention and the only way to keep our students in safe, clean and learning-conducive environments is to make the necessary repairs and updates.
NOOZHAWK: Assess the overall academic performance of both the Santa Barbara elementary and secondary districts. What are the specific strengths and specific weaknesses of each district. How would you improve them?
ML: As a candidate who lives in both the elementary and secondary school districts, the academic success of both districts is very important to me. Both districts have successful schools that show increases in Academic Performance Index (API) scores and student progress. Both districts also have schools working hard to increase academic performance. If elected to the school board, I will support academic success of all students in both districts through high standards in curricular and co-curricular programming to help students succeed. I will work with parents, teachers and administrators to help improve the quality of school programs.
NOOZHAWK: Earlier this year, Santa Barbara School Districts trustees authorized the merger of the GATE and Honors programs. Do you support the new arrangement? Why or why not?
ML: Yes, I support making quality and rigorous education for students more accessible. The change in the GATE label will continue to allow GATE- identified students the opportunity to be part of rigorous classes that prepare them for post-high school options while also allowing students who are prepared and qualified into these courses. High teacher expectations and rigorous instruction are important in our classrooms and prepare our students to pursue college. I will support policy changes that increase student accessibility to these courses and uphold quality instruction in our schools.
NOOZHAWK: Assess the Santa Barbara School Districts’ special-education and child-care programs. Are they serving these students and their families adequately? Why or why not?
ML: The special-education program has gone through numerous challenges in our school district for several years. In 2009, the Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) report was released, citing specific problems faced by the Santa Barbara School Districts’ Special Education Department. Among those, retaining qualified special-education administrators, creating written policies and procedures, and working with parents of special-education students in more collaborative ways were cited as part of our challenges. I believe that in order to tackle this problem the school district must create timelines and benchmarks with specific target goals that address the numerous recommendations given to our school district.
The districts’ child-care programs are limited in fulfilling the need for our constituents. As a district we will need to continue to search for ways to keep our child-care programs accessible to those who need the services. Our mission is to support all students and, as such, we will need to work with limited resources as well as collaborate with community and local agencies to work on filling the unmet need.
NOOZHAWK: Describe one new program that the Santa Barbara School Districts can pursue that will provide greater learning opportunities for all students, including English learners and special-education students. How will it help?
ML: A program that increases and supports the possibility for increased vertical articulation between elementary, junior high and high school teachers would provide greater learning opportunities for all students. The ability for teachers to discuss the prior and future strengths and needs of each student as they make the transition between grade levels is something that is proven to be helpful but especially hard to do given large student-teacher ratios. Vertical articulation builds on learning from the prior year and sets the foundation for the future academic year. A method of supporting structured and consistent information sharing can serve all students well but especially English learners and special-education students.
NOOZHAWK: What are the best — and fairest — ways to assess teacher performance?
ML: A teacher review process that is created collaboratively and ensures a comprehensive review related to teachers’ professional growth, skill development, school and student-learning outcomes. Evaluations are useful tools to help develop approaches to learning and teaching. The best evaluations focus on improving the quality and delivery of instruction while contributing to the professional development of educators.
NOOZHAWK: Is there too much emphasis on student test scores? What can the Santa Barbara School Districts do to broaden its assessments of academic achievement?
ML: The ability to measure outcomes is important, but test scores alone do not provide a comprehensive assessment of student learning. While standardized test scores have become a common metric to asses student achievement, we can work at the local level to asses qualitative student learning outcomes like motivation, creativity and participation, which are all factors that influence student learning and performance. It is important to find a balance between both qualitative and quantitative approaches of measuring outcomes.
NOOZHAWK: Is the Santa Barbara School Districts doing enough to provide its students with technology training? Name an initiative that it does well.
ML: The Santa Barbara School Districts is doing what can be done with the limited resources available for technology training but there is a need to increase technology training as well as upgrade technology. This is an area that requires additional support for students, staff and teachers. A program that bridges a gap in technology access and training is Computers for Families, which provides computers, Internet and training for students and families who might otherwise not have such access.
NOOZHAWK: If you could change one thing in the Santa Barbara School Districts, what would it be?
ML: Increase the number of students who successfully graduate from our schools and have post K-12 college and/or vocational opportunities. Regardless of the individual paths students pursue, our schools should provide the training and skills to create post K-12 college and career options.
NOOZHAWK: What is the Santa Barbara School Districts’ greatest asset?
ML: The students and educators. The students bring their energy and potential to the classroom and remind us of the potential we have in our community. The educators work day-in and day-out to help our students reach their highest potential.
NOOZHAWK: Which teacher has had the biggest impact on your children, or yourself? How?
ML: Several teachers in the Santa Barbara School Districts had a big impact on my life (as well as the life of other students in our community). Ms. D’Alfonso from Harding Elementary School held high expectations for all students in the classroom, including a second-grade English language learner like myself. Ms. Cox from Cleveland School cared about her students both in and out of the classroom and even after they graduated. These are two special teachers who have positively affected my education and I know first-hand they are among the many great teachers in our district who care about students both in and out of the classroom.
NOOZHAWK: How can voters learn more about your candidacy?
ML: Click here for my Web site. Or become a fan on Facebook: www.facebook.com/S.Monique.Limon.
NOOZHAWK: Would you support our plan to have the Noozhawk logo affixed to the tops of the mortarboards worn by the Class of 2011 at their high school commencements? If in official school colors, of course.
ML: High school commencement is a very personal experience and an academic milestone for students as their families. As such, I think that the students, parents and schools should have the ability to determine what is on the tops (if anything) of their mortarboards.
Click here for more information on Monique Limón’s campaign.
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» Click here for Loren Mason’s Noozhawk Q&A.