The following information is copied from the information that the candidates themselves submitted for VOTE411.org. All candidates were invited to submit their biographical information and to answer our questions.
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Position 1
Rhonda Abernathy has not responded yet.
Donna Barber has not responded yet. However, she has a statement on page M-33 of the Multnomah County Voters’ Pamphlet. She is a current member of the school board.
Viktor Georgiyev has not responded yet. However, he has a statement on page M-33 of the Multnomah County Voters’ Pamphlet.
Position 2
Stephanie D Stephens has not responded yet. However, she has a statement on page M-34 of the Multnomah County Voters’ Pamphlet. She is a current member of the school board.
Position 3
Jane Guajardo-Hays has not responded yet. However, she has a statement on page M-35 of the Multnomah County Voters’ Pamphlet.
Hoa Nguyen, School Attendance Coach. In addition to responding to our questions, she has a statement on page M-35 of the Multnomah County Voters’ Pamphlet. She also was interviewed for our Video Voters’ Guide.
Deian Salazar, Community Organizer. In addition to responding to our questions, he has a statement on page M-34 of the Multnomah County Voters’ Pamphlet. He also was interviewed for our Video Voters’ Guide.
Portland, OR 97230
Questions
1. Even before COVID and the transition to online learning, school districts struggled with disparities in academic achievement. Educators fear even greater gaps upon their return to classrooms. What strategies will you consider to address these increased disparities?
Jane Guajardo-Hays has not responded yet.
Hoa Nguyen: I currently work for Portland Public Schools as a School Attendance Coach, which focuses on chronic absenteeism which is often linked to homelessness, mental health, and discipline. This past year I have worked with schools across SE and NE Portland to address the impact of COVID. The strategies I have used in my work was to create School Engagement teams that focuses on data related to attendance and engagement and putting race, income, and equity as the lens. Coordinate community partnerships that supports the basic needs of families outside the classroom and focusing on Social Emotional Learning in the classroom. SPED students, early learning and transition grades (8th and 12th) struggled the most in virtual learning. Creating focused supports on specific areas and creating outreach to communities of colors will be a start in shifting school systems to use more diverse perspectives to connect with their communities.
Deian Salazar: End Standardize Testing, Restructuring Homework, and allow more Teacher Flexibility in curriculum. We need a educational agenda that takes into account every student’s unique abilities and needs, every one of them has a complicated life and strengths. We must treat them with dignity. As a person with a disability and person of color, I know how it feels to be treated with condescension and neglect. We must change the culture and bring big structural changes to our educational agenda. Hiring more BIPOC Staff is just one part of it. I would directly listen to the students and parents as I know how bright our students are having been one myself. Funding for more linguistically diverse programs are needed as is more mental health professionals in Schools. We need to stop the stigma and provide every student’s the healthcare they need to succeed and the support of the community
2. COVID has shown us the importance of family support in facilitating students’ education. How will you build on this understanding to increase the role of parents in decision making and promote parental involvement in schools?
Jane Guajardo-Hays has not responded yet.
Hoa Nguyen: In my work with chronic absenteeism, the interventions that has the best outcome usually involves building relationships with parents and families. We need to acknowledge parents as the expert in their children and develop a holistic approach when it comes to supporting students. We need to build a better system that involve parents, especially immigrant and refugee, communities of color, multi-general working class families. There is a cultural barrier on many levels that doesn’t involve specific groups of parents. For example, school conferences is a system that I have seen time and time again that hasn’t changed to meet the needs of the families and not every parent shows up. We need to develop a process that engages with every parent throughout the year that focuses on relationships and community building.
Deian Salazar: I would personally allow the student council and their parents open contact and facilitate the expansion and reform of student government to facilitate the representation of the needs of our diverse community. Proper representation is a key, as everyone deserves a voice. I would also host many events to allow school staff and students to communicate with me directly about the struggles they face and how to fix them.
3. What is the impact of the pandemic on school budgets and spending priorities? How do you propose meeting these new challenges?
Jane Guajardo-Hays has not responded yet.
Hoa Nguyen: It has been difficult for school boards, many districts are faced to make difficult budgeting decisions with uncertainty in the future around funding. Majority of the school funding comes from state and local resources, and the loss of jobs and stay at home order impacted those resources. Virtual learning has been challenging on many levels, but it has put forth technology as a new learning tool. There are students who have thrived in virtual learning where they may have struggled with in school learning due to anxiety and vice versa. Having to fulfill remote learning needs and internet accessibility could be a budget that school districts need to consider. To meet these new challenges we need to push for more legislation that prioritizes safety and investing money into public education. School boards need to prioritize values that centers community voices, worker safety, and lean into community partnerships.
Deian Salazar: David Douglas already has a upcoming challenge in the financial field due to the racist nature of how school funding is allocated. Refugees and immigrant communities are not taken into consideration when crafting the formula for school budgets in Washington and Salem. We need to aggressively fight to keep our spending high and allocate it where it is most needed. Fighting budget cuts to critical and beloved programs and classes is a priority. We must not back down and we must fight for the needs of our students.