Cindy Lopez, a substitute teacher in the district and an executive assistant at the National City council, is running for a seat on the National 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 Lopez told us about hers. Why are you running for school board? What makes you a good candidate? As a bilingual elementary teacher, I know firsthand how decisions at the school board level impact students in the classroom. Because of this perspective, I believe I am a good candidate for the National School Board. Cindy Lopez (Courtesy Cindy Lopez) I’m running for school board because our students deserve to grow in their academics and to enjoy their learning and school experience. Our schools must provide opportunities for our students to succeed in learning and participate in arts, music, sports and other after-school clubs. We must also foster greater relationships with families to include them in the learning. What is the most important issue currently facing your school district? The most important issues are the low literacy and math scores. We must create high-achieving learning environments by equipping teachers and staff with the resources they need to be successful in teaching at each grade level. Families should also be informed of their students’ grade-level goals so that they know how to support them at home. What are the top three specific things you would seek to accomplish on the school board? Expand the dual-language program into other schoolsPartner with organizations to create community schools that provide resources to familiesRecruit and retain great teachers to expand arts, music, physical education and after-school recreational programs What would your approach be to district budget planning and spending? What would you do if your district had a budget shortfall? One approach is to identify the needs of the district. This would ensure that spending is aligned with priorities such as student outcomes, teacher support, infrastructure and safety. We must use data to track the effectiveness to ensure spending is being used to achieve student success. In order to address a budget shortfall, we should conduct a comprehensive review of current spending to identify areas where reductions can be made without compromising core services such as student learning and support services. How should your school district raise student academic achievement, and what would you do as a school board member to accomplish that? Improving student achievement requires a village approach by hiring great teachers from local programs, expanding literacy in the Spanish language and providing enrichment to curriculum to develop students’ talents and gifts. As a school board member, my goal is to foster schools where families, staff and partnered organizations are working together as a village to educate students of all needs, and provide a variety of enrichment opportunities while addressing gaps in basic needs. Do you think anything currently offered in school curricula or libraries should be removed? If yes, what, and why? If no, why not? As a current National City Library trustee, I can attest to the many great programs and resources our library offers to our students and community members. Our library offers after-school homework support, crafts and adult literacy classes. I do not believe any materials should be removed, but some books should not be available to small children. I believe our library already does a great job at this. What do you think is driving student absenteeism in your district, and what would you as a school board member do to reduce it? Various factors at home can keep students from going to school, such as lack of clean clothing, adequate sleep, reliable transportation, etc. It is imperative that we create an environment in our schools where families can seek resources and support so that they can feel prepared to send their children to school. Do you think schools should notify parents if their child’s gender identity or presentation at school changes? Why or why not? Yes, I do believe schools should notify parents, because parents are the caretakers of students. Schools and families should work together to support students.