Monica Lee, a parent and former teacher, is running for a seat on the Encinitas Union 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 Lee told us about hers. Why are you running for school board? What makes you a good candidate? I am unique in that I am the only teacher running for school board at EUSD, and I am also a district parent. With over 17 years of teaching and three years teaching in the district, I have an unmatched understanding of the challenges our students, families, teachers and schools face. Monica Lee (Courtesy Monica Lee) I see multiple opportunities to improve our district with a focus on academics and a focus on bringing families back into the district. I want to help our district stem the flow of students away from public schools by increasing the number of teachers and focusing our time and budget on academics including reading, math, science, art, music and physical education. What is the most important issue currently facing your school district? By district numbers, our enrollment has dropped from 5342 in 2019 to 4444 in 2024. That is a loss of 898 students in just five years. Families are fleeing to private school, home schooling and other opportunities for education. We must refocus our attention on academics, increasing expenditure on teachers while reducing non-classroom expenditures, so that we can prove to families that public school is the best learning environment. Our teachers are the best-trained and most capable in the area; we need to give them opportunities to spend more time with each student teaching critical academic subjects. Smaller class sizes mean more learning opportunities for each student. What are the top three specific things you would seek to accomplish on the school board? Increase the number of teachers. This will reduce class sizes and improve the learning experience for every student. To do this, we will need to reduce expenditures on out-of-classroom costs. Reduce the number of administrators, non-teaching consultants and pull-outs for non-academic teacher trainings. Focus schools on academics. Academic performance is the number one measure of our performance as a district. I will work to keep letter grades and ensure academic excellence. Raise the bar on visual and performing arts and physical education in EUSD. As an art teacher myself, I value creativity, collaboration and play in education. These are the classes that enrich the lives of our students. Our district currently has a two-tier system for teachers, with our enrichment teachers at the bottom. I will work hard to support these programs while making ALL of our teachers feel equally valued. What would your approach be to district budget planning and spending? What would you do if your district had a budget shortfall? EUSD has seen a steady increase of over $15 million in budgets over the past five years. I am less concerned about a budget shortfall and more concerned about the fact that even with this steady increase in budget and decrease in number of students, we now have class sizes of over 30 students per class. We continue to add administrators and consultants, yet we are not putting enough time and money into our teachers and classrooms. Our board needs to take a hard look at district spending and put more time and attention into our classrooms so that we can prove to families and parents that EUSD is the best place for all kids to learn. How should your school district raise student academic achievement, and what would you do as a school board member to accomplish that? Our district needs to put fewer distractions in front of our students and teachers. There are too many extraneous discussions, seminars and meetings that take teachers out of the classroom. Our schools are distracted by discussions about topics that have nothing to do with core science, math, reading and the importance of mastering these skills. We must get our schools refocused on core educational activities. As a board member, I will examine our district budgets for teacher and classroom spending, I will take a close look at the amount of time teachers are pulled out of the classroom, and I will work with the board to eliminate unnecessary meetings. Do you think anything currently offered in school curricula or libraries should be removed? If yes, what, and why? If no, why not? Schools should be working with YOU, our families, to improve our curricula and make sure classrooms have access to information and tools that are needed to improve academic performance across subjects. We must get away from the distractions (often politically motivated these days) that we see far too often take time away from teaching and learning. Time spent arguing over banning books is time stolen from our teachers who need to focus on academics. Library materials should be age-appropriate and non-offensive to ALL of our families. Elementary-aged children should never be exposed to sexual material in school. What do you think is driving student absenteeism in your district, and what would you as a school board member do to reduce it? Absenteeism happens for many different reasons. Some students miss school and are late because of transportation issues. Some students chronically miss school because of anxiety or a dislike of school. Some students are struggling academically or socially. As a district, it is our job to figure out why specific students are missing school and build connections with those children and families who are struggling. Our community liaisons can offer support to families at each school site; I would fully support their outreach. School should be a place of joy, where students want to attend. We need to make sure all families feel welcomed into our schools. Do you think schools should notify parents if their child’s gender identity or presentation at school changes? Why or why not? We are an elementary school district, grades K-6. Our district has a policy that teachers are not allowed to tell parents about a child’s new gender identity without the express permission of the child. Meaning a child can transition to a new gender in elementary school without a parent being notified. This policy puts teachers in the uncomfortable position of being required to lie. This policy assumes the worst of parents who truly just want to help their children grow and learn. Teachers are already mandated reporters required to report any suspected abuse, yet this policy disallows teachers from using their own judgment. These divisive arguments over gender and exploration of sexuality in the school environment are an unfortunate distraction to a highly functioning school system. Anything that erodes trust between families and teachers is a threat to our schools and our children.