Candidate Q&A: Tom Jennings for MPUSD.

As part of the 2022 election season, the Weekly asked candidates for several offices to answer questions about some of the issues by email. For the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District board of trustees, three candidates are running unopposed: Bettye Lusk in Area 3, Maiaika Velazquez in Area 4, and Amanda Whitmire in Area 6.

For Area 2, there are three candidates: David Bacon, Tom Jennings (the incumbent) and Joseph Williams.

Bacon, Lusk and Velazquez did not respond to the Weekly's questions. Jennings' responses are below.

What do you think are the biggest challenges facing MPUSD in the next four years, and why are you the best candidate to address them?

Public schools across the state and region continue to face challenges such as pandemic recovery, declining enrollment, shrinking state and federal funding, and the increasing social and emotional needs of students and even staff.

Two significant issues that I believe we need to prioritize are declining enrollment and employee retention. Because of the high cost of living on the Peninsula, young families are moving out of the area and therefore enrollment (and funding) are declining. Similarly, teachers and staff have a hard time affording to live here.

As a veteran board member who has served and knows our community well, I am confident I am the strongest candidate to continue addressing the issues MPUSD will face. During my time on the Board, we have increased starting salaries by 28%. Additionally, due to declining enrollment, the Board made the difficult but necessary decision to close three schools. Though we have more work to do, my track record is one in which we have made difficult decisions to tackle our most pressing issues head on.

How often do you currently attend MPUSD board meetings, and how would you rate the current board’s performance?

I am fully committed as an MPUSD Board of Education member and have attended nearly every board meeting since (2013), when I was first elected to the Board. In the few instances that I have not been able to make it, I have been able to log in remotely and contribute to the meetings. Moreover, I have attended multiple school and community events, including back-to-school nights and open houses. Our Board of Education is a well-functioning governance team, and together we have set a strong direction for the school district and support our Superintendent.

How would you rate Superintendent PK Diffenbaugh’s performance, grade A-F?

One of the board decisions I am most proud of is the hiring of Superintendent PK Diffenbaugh in 2014. In the nine years he has been Superintendent, he has worked collaboratively with our Board of Education and carried out the vision and direction of the Board. He deserves an A+ for his commitment to students and the MPUSD community. His leadership and vision has put the district on solid footing and on a path toward our vision of becoming one of the finest public school systems in the country.

We have a long way to go but we have made significant progress. As a Board member, I understand my role is not to micromanage or push my individual agenda, but to set the vision and direction and then hold the superintendent and his team accountable for results.

What is your vision to help students make up for learning loss after pandemic closures?

As we continue our recovery from the global pandemic, one of the things I am incredibly proud of is the guidance and direction that we as a Board have provided to staff. The Board has invested approximately $4 million in funding to prioritize learning loss, as well as social and emotional support for our students. Such programs and services we have voted for and supported include increased tutoring in and after school, increased staffing in the classroom, as well as personnel such as mental health clinicians or family service specialists to further support students beyond academics.

What should MPUSD do about school resource officers going forward?

The board voted to end school resource officer funding and invest in our multi-tiered systems of support. I was against this decision based on my experience with the Marina Police Department and the positive impact I saw the SRO have on our community. While I am disappointed resource officers are not on campuses, the district has a good working relationship with our local law enforcement departments and if needed they will help at a moment's notice.

The current board certified an EIR for the stadium lights project at Dan Albert Stadium that is now being litigated. Is there anything you would have done differently on that project/process? For current board members: Is there anything you would say as advice to your peers on the Carmel Unified board who are about to face a similar decision?

I believe the board and the staff of MPUSD did all it could do to avoid the lawsuit that is currently being litigated. The attorney for the plaintiffs is one that has sued many public agencies before and currently. This is a great project that our students deserve and it is sad that a couple of folks in the community are trying to stop it. The district has made several concessions in an attempt to keep this project moving including limiting lights past 8pm to five nights a year, restricting field use to only MPUSD teams, restricting use of the fields on weekends, and limiting the use of the sound system.

Ultimately, while the vast majority of neighbors support the project and are satisfied with the concessions the district made, it only takes one person to file a lawsuit and unfortunately a small group of neighbors are putting their self interest in front of the needs of thousands of students.

As for advice for my peers in Carmel: put the needs of the students first, be transparent and work with the community in an attempt to avoid litigation but be prepared for it as it only takes one person to file a lawsuit that can hold up the project for years.

What should the board do to address declining enrollment in the district?

The Board of Education has done a solid job on addressing declining enrollment to date. We and our staff saw this coming a few years back, and have educated and engaged our community about the importance of attendance. We have focused on school quality and improving our communication about all the great things our schools offer such as music, arts, extra-curriculars, college courses while in high school, and Career Technical Education.

We also made the difficult decision to close three schools that were under enrolled. Often you see districts wait to take action until their financial situation is in crisis. We have been proactive and will continue to be proactive to ensure that we stay fiscally solvent. Ultimately, declining enrollment is a statewide issue and is particularly strong in high cost of living areas. We need to work collaboratively with our city partners to build affordable housing so that more young families can live on the Peninsula. This won’t happen overnight but has to be part of a long term strategy.

Who is your proudest endorsement?

I am humbled by the support I have received through the years as a Board of Education member serving the Marina community. In addition to support from colleagues on the MPUSD Board of Education, MPUSD partners closely with the city of Marina. I would say the endorsement that exemplifies the strong community partnership we have built under my leadership is that of Marina Mayor Bruce Delgado.