Rocina Lizarraga, an incumbent board member, garden support specialist and community project coordinator on transportation, social equity and justice, is running for re-election to 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 Lizarraga told us about hers. Rocina Lizarraga (Courtesy Rocina Lizarraga) Why are you running for school board? What makes you a good candidate? I strongly believe that ALL children have the right to a high quality of education in the public schools, and also that together, with proper and transparent communication strategies, we can accomplish more for students’ success and better understanding the curriculum, learning style and IEP process. What is the most important issue currently facing your school district? As in many schools in my area, the quality of the food served is good, but we can do better — not a standard for all students. Food creates belonging, cultural identity, nutritional awareness and teamwork. What are the top three specific things you would seek to accomplish on the school board? Scratch cooking, awareness and awareness campaign and dual-immersion curriculum expansion. What would your approach be to district budget planning and spending? What would you do if your district had a budget shortfall? Transparency on expenditures and the engagement of the school families — also the investment of students’ support, as well as fair wages to school staff. We already face it. At the beginning of my term, first board meeting, we received a topic on the agenda with a recommendation of layoffs and teacher cuts, recommended by a consultant. I voted no, because it seems unfair to move forward without a proper task force to  (conduct) proper analysis and revision of those recommendations. We were able to have that task force in place, including parents, staff and two board members, and together we created a list of most improved recommendations. The deficit was reduced significantly, and teachers and staff were no longer at risk — including avoiding a school closure recommended by the consultant. How should your school district raise student academic achievement, and what would you do as a school board member to accomplish that? At the board meetings, we currently have board policy revisions, with the intent to update the policies that directly impact students’ success. We found that the equity policy and wellness policies were the most important that support their development while they are in school. Do you think anything currently offered in school curricula or libraries should be removed? If yes, what, and why? If no, why not? We supported safe reading experiences at the libraries. This means outdoor reading benches with plants or by the gardens that (enhance) the focus and comprehension successfully. What do you think is driving student absenteeism in your district, and what would you as a school board member do to reduce it? This topic is not isolated just to National School District — it is nationwide. Absenteeism is a problem that we take seriously, and we incorporate the attendance specialist directly in the conversations of the leadership team. These conversations explored the why or what, found the needs with the families directly and provided immediate support to the families, increasing the attendance rates per board recommendations. Do you think schools should notify parents if their child’s gender identity or presentation at school changes? Why or why not? These topics were affected by hesitance. As a board, we discussed the value and importance of student confidentiality and integrity, but student identity and confidence. We as trustees support collaboration in communicating this to the families, (and we recognize) the support that teachers need and the entire community to have acceptance and a safe environment (for students) to speak about their identity, which is crucial for their success. There were parents’ conversations, as we value their opinion on meetings, books at the library and one-on-one meetings directly with the parents, teachers and students.