Jodie Williams, an attorney and a current Encinitas Union School District board member, is running for the Area 2 seat on the San Dieguito Union High School District board of trustees. The San Diego Union-Tribune asked all the candidates running for school board in districts around San Diego County about their policies, plans and priorities. Here’s what Williams told us about hers. Jodie Williams (Courtesy of Jodie Williams) Why are you running for school board? What makes you a good candidate? I am running for the San Dieguito Union High School District (SDUHSD) School Board to ensure that our students receive the high-quality education they deserve. As a current trustee on the Encinitas Union School District Board, I have a proven track record of effective governance, which was recognized by the California School Board Association with the first-ever Golden Gavel Award. As an attorney and a mother with a vested interest in our district’s success, I understand the complexities of our educational system and am committed to fostering an inclusive, supportive environment that prioritizes students’ learning and academic achievement over politics. What is the most important issue currently facing your school district? The most pressing issue facing SDUHSD is the need for stable, effective leadership that facilitates continuity throughout our entire district and enables students to perform their best. We need to ensure our schools remain places where every student feels safe, respected and empowered to succeed. I am committed to fostering a collaborative environment that retains top educational talent and makes decisions transparently and equitably with the students’ best interest always at the forefront of every decision. What are the top three specific things you would seek to accomplish on the school board? Ensure educational excellence: Prioritize state-recognized standards and evidence-based teaching practices, and retain top-tier educators to provide every student with the best possible education. Promote effective governance: Maintain a focused and transparent school board that keeps its attention on governance issues, ensuring decisions are made with the best interest of the students and the community in mind. Foster an inclusive environment: Create a welcoming and supportive environment for all families and students, ensuring everyone feels valued and empowered to achieve their full potential. What would your approach be to district budget planning and spending? What would you do if your district had a budget shortfall? I believe in a fiscally responsible approach to budget planning that prioritizes classroom needs. In the event of a budget shortfall, I would work collaboratively with other board members and stakeholders to review all expenditures, identify efficiencies and protect essential programs. I would also advocate for increased state funding to maintain our district’s financial health. How should your school district raise student academic achievement, and what would you do as a school board member to accomplish that? SDUHSD is an excellent school district with top educational talent. To ensure our students continue to perform at the highest academic caliber, I intend to work with district staff to ensure that our district offers competitive employment policies, retains our highly qualified educators, recruits smartly to fill gaps where they may exist and provides positive working environments within each of our school sites where our educators and students can thrive. Do you think anything currently offered in school curricula or libraries should be removed? If yes, what, and why? If no, why not? SDUHSD curricula and materials adhere to well-established and lawful state standards, and our entire district team is committed to following state standards, principles and guidance. While I personally believe in upholding the principles of academic freedom and providing students with a diverse range of materials to encourage critical thinking and foster a love of learning, I also firmly believe in following California educational standards and requirements when providing materials to our students. What do you think is driving student absenteeism in your district, and what would you as a school board member do to reduce it? Students are absent from schools for a variety of reasons, from physical illness or injury to caregiving to academic disengagement. Governance teams should focus on the cause for chronic absenteeism within the district, and whether those issues require attention at the school board level or can be resolved within each school site. We should encourage and empower our teachers and staff to consider the whole child and what factors may be impacting that child on a daily basis. As a governance team, we should encourage our entire community to take interest in our school sites and foster a sense of belonging. Do you think schools should notify parents if their child’s gender identity or presentation at school changes? Why or why not? California state law prohibits educators within public school districts from disclosing a child’s gender identity or sexual orientation without the child’s consent. That consent is critical. While we hope that children are unequivocally supported at home, we know that is not always the case. For some students, their school campus becomes the safe place where they can be their full selves without fear or reservation. Sometimes, an educator or school staff member becomes the trusted adult with whom a child can navigate these complex issues. Removing child consent puts our schools and educators at risk of losing that child’s trust and could further deepen a child’s perceived isolation. We hope and want parents to be a part of a child’s journey through gender identity and/or sexual orientation, but within SDUHSD, that means having the child’s consent to do so.