Candidate Q&A: Michael B. Scott for Spreckels Union Elementary School District.

As part of the 2022 election season, the Weekly asked candidates for several offices to answer questions about some of the issues by email. There are five candidates for three seats on the board of the Spreckels Union Elementary School District: Frank Devine, Chris Hasegawa (an incumbent), Steve McMurtrie, Peter Odello and Michael B. Scott (an incumbent). All provided answers to the Weekly's questions except Odello, who did not respond. Scott's answers are below.

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

As of August 25, the Spreckels Union School District has 929 unique individuals enrolled at its two school sites. A core part of the District’s mission is to provide the best learning opportunities that empower each of these students to flourish both academically and socially-emotionally. The biggest challenge facing the SUSD is fulfilling this mission for each of its diverse students. There are many barriers to meeting this challenge in the current environment. The fallout from the pandemic still impacts the District from unfinished learning on the academic side to students’ social development on the other. Additionally, hiring teachers, bus drivers, and other positions due to the nationwide labor shortage continues to be a challenge to the District fulfilling its mission.  

As a member of the board since December 2018, I’ve gained the experience and understanding necessary to support and lead the District in meeting the challenges it faces. During my first term, I helped lead the District during the pandemic, River Fire evacuation, and the controversy after a Substack post that alleged two teachers stalked students.

What qualifications do you bring to this position?

I’ve been involved in education professionally for close to 30 years and I am a proud parent of a 10 year old in the District. I have been a CSUMB Mathematics Professor for 16 years and Department Chair for over 3 years. I have also provided professional development and training to pre-service and in-service K-12 teachers in teaching mathematics. This includes being on the leadership team of a partnership between CSUMB, Salinas City School District, and the Monterey County Office of Education where we provided teachers in the SCSD training on how to teach to the California Common Core State Standards in mathematics.

I believe my experience as a current board member, an education professional, and a parent of a student in the district give me the knowledge and perspective to help the district meet any challenges it faces in the coming years. 

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

I attend SUSD board meetings regularly. I rate the current board’s performance as effective. 

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

There are five effective evidence-based strategies for mitigating learning loss: use diagnostic assessments to identify gaps in skills and knowledge, create personalized learning plans to address the gaps in skills and knowledge, implement learning the plan, and measure student progress. The fifth strategy is a collaborative process involving the student, teachers, and parents using the above strategies. This would include intensive and targeted tutoring or supplemental instruction until the student meets grade-level expectations. The District had success using these strategies during its summer school program this year and was able to show students who participated in the program  had significant growth in both mathematics and language arts.

Last year, the district was caught in a controversy after a Substack post alleged that two teachers stalked students. How do you think the district and the board handled this?

This was a very challenging situation. I believe the district and the board did the best they could under the circumstances. Some people wanted to dismiss the two teachers right away and others felt that the teachers were not protected enough. The district did the right thing in setting up an independent investigation that provided the best evidence of what actually happened. Even though the two teachers were exonerated by the independent investigation, the board was unable to come up with a process where the teachers would be able to return their original positions. It is not clear to me that it would be possible given the circumstances. I believe the board as a whole learned a lot from this experience and will use this knowledge going forward. 

If elected, what will you do to help the parent community trust educators? What will you do to help educators trust that academic freedom will be supported even on topics that may be controversial?

The relationship between parents and teachers in the District is generally positive. Trustworthiness is dependent on several factors that include benevolence, reliability, competence, honesty, and openness. I would encourage the District to do what it has done in the past. Continue its ongoing efforts to get the parent community involved in planning and other aspects of decision making, continuously improving how it communicates to the parent community, and seek opportunities for parents and teachers to interact in a positive way. 

Academic freedom is essential to high-quality education. Teachers have different teaching styles and bring unique attributes to their classrooms. Currently, the District involves teachers in the curriculum adoption and implementation process. It is the District’s responsibility to ensure teachers understand the policies, curriculum, and teaching methods the District will support.

Given recent history in Spreckels, what will you do to help LGBTQ+ students feel safe in their school environment? What should district officials do?

The District has increased social-emotional support for its students by hiring two full-time counselors and wellness centers at both school sites. This includes increased support for LGBTQ+ students to feel safe. Additionally, the District’s Equity Committee is charged to improve the educational and social climates at both schools and has assumed an increased role to further the Districts’ efforts in supporting LGBTQ+ students.

What will you do to support public engagement in school district governance and ensure all voices are heard?

The District makes a strong effort to involve all stakeholder groups in the development of its plans and initiatives. For example, the District's Reopening Committee and Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) Stakeholder Committee involved parents and other members of the public in developing plans to address the learning loss and social-emotional concerns that resulted from the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic.

If elected, I would encourage the District to continue these efforts. Moreover, I would also encourage the board to seek more opportunities for dialogue with members of the District community.  

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

Declining enrollment of public schools has been an ongoing problem in California public schools previous to the Covid-19 pandemic.  The California Department of Finance projected a 9% decline in enrollment in the state and 17% decline in Monterey County between 2021 and 2031. The Public Policy Institute of California states that lower birth rates and migration from and within California are the main reasons for declining enrollments. The best the board can do is to fulfill its core mission of having its students reach their full potential to make its schools as attractive as possible to the community.

Who are you supporting for the other two seats?

I strongly support Dr. Chris Hasegawa. I have a great deal of respect for Dr. Hasegawa and his extensive experience in education.

Who is your proudest endorsement?

I am honored to be endorsed by the Spreckels Teachers Association along with Dr. Hasegawa as incumbent board members.