Emily “Lily” Schworm is running for the short-term Area 3 seat on the Cajon Valley Union School District board of trustees. She’s currently an appointed member of the board. 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 Schworm told us about hers. Why are you running for school board? What makes you a good candidate? I am running for school board to finish the term I was appointed to because I bring unique skills and experiences to the board that no other board member or candidate possesses. Emily “Lily” Schworm (Next To Me Studios) As an invested parent, I homeschool my four daughters (ages 5-14) because I am passionate about education and passing on my family’s values, proving my commitment to support families in their quest to find the right fit for their education needs. I am also an experienced teacher who taught for five years at Lexington Elementary here in CVUSD before deciding to stay home with my girls. Finally, I am a committed community volunteer with over two decades invested in youth and family outreach and mentorship through Foothills Christian Church as well as with after-school clubs, teen centers and other youth events in the community. Truly, I embody the passion, experience and dedication needed for the job. What is the most important issue currently facing your school district? The most important issue facing Cajon Valley is transparency and accountability to our stakeholders. While our district and community have risen to the challenge of external edicts from Sacramento with the creation of our sex-ed curriculum and our recent passage of a parents’ bill of rights, we need to improve our commitment to our families across the board.  Often our excellence in these areas is inhibited by internal division within the board and district, as well as a sense of entitlement. Although I view our differing ideas and strategies as an asset, our board, district and community members need to grow in our mutual respect of one another as civic leaders. No matter how we are treated, our respectful response and persistence in humbly admitting our wrongs, while pursuing a course correction, shows that we lead our students by example. What are the top three specific things you would seek to accomplish on the school board? Prioritize values-based leadership that supports student academic achievement and character development Pursue efficiency, transparency and accountability in academics, finances and overall management Promote an atmosphere of mutual respect that seeks out community input and partnership What would your approach be to district budget planning and spending? What would you do if your district had a budget shortfall? My approach to district budget planning and spending is to focus on our goal of education while increasing transparency and accountability towards the community. As a culture, we can often slip into a mentality of consumerism, wanting everything that is “advanced” and available, including many modern conveniences and appearances. However, if our district were to evaluate expenditures through a more conservative lens, we could provide more enriching experiences and options in core subjects for our younger students and more technical training and opportunities for our older students. In addition, this focused approach would allow us to fund capital improvements without a bond. If our district were to experience a budget shortfall, I would encourage community input in evaluating and cutting expenditures, guaranteeing that our staff have what they need for the purpose of education while earning enough to be personally financially independent in our community.  How should your school district raise student academic achievement, and what would you do as a school board member to accomplish that? The diversity of our students includes some factors that can cause low test scores when compared with other districts of different demographics, but I believe we should assess data and set goals based on the growth of our own students in both language and core subjects. That said, our academic approach could be more efficient, transparent and accountable. Communicating a unified vision based in experience with the curricula, programs and outcomes, as well as evaluating purchase and personnel requests with this perspective in mind, would help ensure that this mission is successful. Of particular interest to me is the over-dependence on individual technology in the classroom as a replacement for teaching and assessments traditionally provided by teachers. I would like to integrate the most worthy of these modern technology offerings as extracurricular options rather than replacing instructional time with them. Do you think anything currently offered in school curricula or libraries should be removed? If yes, what, and why? If no, why not? It is my opinion that curricula and library books that seek to expose students to LGBTQ+ relationships and other mature topics are not appropriate for public schools. While I personally respect individual rights and encourage students to do so as well, we do not serve the students by supplanting parental influence in controversial arenas. Parents hold the primary authority and responsibility in their children’s lives, and it only brings confusion and isolation when schools confront students with values that may be in opposition to those of their families. It is the job of our schools to support our students and their families rather than divide them. Cajon Valley’s “#YouBelongCV” campaign is a great example of developing a school culture of mutual respect. What do you think is driving student absenteeism in your district, and what would you as a school board member do to reduce it? There are multiple factors driving absenteeism in Cajon Valley. I honestly believe the primary factor is that many of our close-knit families prioritize family needs over school attendance, which I actually think is the sign of a thriving community, rather than a problem to be fixed. We should keep in mind that these are the moments of character development: sacrifice, service and leadership. I think a secondary reason for absenteeism is the reality of urban life, which can include late nights and many people sharing a relatively small amount of space. This factor is beyond our control, and with the exception of encouraging students and families to find paths toward sufficient rest and preparation, little can be done. Rather than focus on the money we are losing, we should be making missed lessons and work more readily available for those who might choose to utilize them. Do you think schools should notify parents if their child’s gender identity or presentation at school changes? Why or why not? I believe schools should notify parents if their child’s gender identity or presentation at school changes because the primary authority and responsibility for a child’s well-being lies with the parents. I have signed and fully support the parental bill of rights. As a parent, I hope to be respected enough to have that right defended, and as a teacher, I know how pivotal those parent-child relationships are to a child’s overall success. This is not an issue of abuse or violence, as every district employee is a mandated reporter of suspected abuse. This is also not an issue that divides parents and teachers, but one that unites us as we help each child maintain healthy relationships with those most important to them.