Candidate Q&A: Steven McMurtrie 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. McMurtrie'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?

The biggest challenge for SUSD is the aging facilities. The school is one hundred years old. The portable classrooms have exceeded their life expectancy. SUSD does not have a plan to deal with the cost of updating and maintaining their facilities. SUSD does not have a qualified Facility Director to develop a plan to deal with this catastrophe in waiting. This includes the most egregious deficiency of all, that there is not any cafeteria/lunchroom at either Spreckels Elementary or Buena Vista Middle School. SUSD is now providing both breakfast and lunch to the students. Which they sit outdoors in the central valley coastal (cold, windy, foggy) climate and try to eat their breakfast or lunch.

The district is having difficulty in maintaining a viable student population. They already have quality teachers, educational materials, and the small class size of an average of 22 students per class. Which is extremely attractive. But they must also provide a quality facility that is a safe and healthy environment for work, learning, lunch, and play. SUSD is not prepared and operates blindly for what the future holds.

What qualifications do you bring to this position?

I am a retired Real Estate Broker. I have served as a director, an officer and as an executive director for many associations, boards and committees throughout the years. I am confident that I have the skills and experience to fulfilling my duties as a member of the Spreckels Union School District board. I have also started and build my own company as an independent entrepreneur and licensed contractor in California. Please review my resume on my website at stevenmcmurtrie.com.

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

I began attending every SUSD board meeting beginning in February 2022. It was winter in the Salinas Valley; I was really upset with what I was witnessing during lunch time at Spreckels Elementary. It was obvious to everyone that there was a need for a cafeteria for the kids. So, I decided to investigate it. I met with the Superintendent, the SUSD Board president and the CBO to discuss the issue at hand. But met a brick wall. I began to investigate the SUSD administration with the help of the staff and by reviewing all agendas and minutes of the SUSD board meetings beginning in 2012 through 2021. What I found was a very misguided and self-serving leadership. The SUSD Board of Governors seemed to just go along with whatever the Superintendent and CBO told them what to do. Only one of SUSD board members, Stephanie, was the only board member that questioned the staff.

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

I was a teacher of Commercial Real Estate for 5 years. But I am not an expert on this topic. However, I know that SUSD provided Summer School, after school tutoring programs, and one on one tutoring to any student that would like to utilize the services. There is a lot of activity at SUSD to try and help students catch up. I also know, because I talk with and see how teachers at SUSD have a real passion for helping students excel. They work additional hours after school

to teach these programs. Furthermore, these programs are valued, because we see the parents overwhelming participation to enroll their kids. They want to attend these programs so they can make up for any loss of learning. My grandkids have participated in after school reading programs.

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?

I came into the SUSD world later and only heard what was reported in the news. There were a few people who did speak at the SUSD board meeting that were terribly upset. I have seen that many people are not happy with the district on how they dealt with this issue. I was at the Board meeting when they were to report on their investigation of this mater. There were news media there. But the Superintendent just said that he would post the investigation on the SUSD

website that evening, and that the public could review it the next day.

The investigation took over a year to complete. It was also at the July meeting, when school was in summer recess, that they decided to release the report. It is obvious that they tried to hide the entire controversy. However, when I looked at the investigation the next day, I was shocked at how little there was to the report for a yearlong investigation. What a waste of money. I hope SUSD

learned a valuable lesson.

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?

Great questions: Two things come to mind immediately.

1. SUSD should post the student’s detailed curriculum. Curriculum is the central guide for all educators as to what is essential for teaching and learning, so that every student has access to rigorous academic experiences.

2. SUSD should encourage more parents and the community participating in the Board meetings. Very few if anyone attends. I am usually the only one there. SUSD does livestream the meetings. However, for anyone who speaks and expresses their concerns or questions the SUSD, the board and or the staff do not respond to them at all. They have the person’s contact information from the speaker form that they fill out. But there is not any follow up email from staff to acknowledge that they were there or that they addressed the board and finally absolutely no response at all to the persons concerns. No wonder no one attends SUSD meetings when they are ignored completely. This lack of response must stop.

The public speakers are parents and concerned residents who need to be heard and responded to in some form either at the time or later in an email. I would also like that the response be a part of the record and included in the SUSD meeting minutes. The best course for controversial topics is the need for open, honest, and respectful debate.

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

Another good question: I do work at Spreckels Elementary for the two-hour lunch time. I must  say that I do not know of any of this type of issue at Spreckels. I cannot say that it does not exist, I am just saying that I have not seen or experienced this at Spreckels. I cannot speak about Buena Vista Middle school because I am not there. I have not heard among teachers and staff about any issues.

However, if there are LGBTQ+ concerns about safety or anything else, it  should be managed by the combined efforts of the principal, the teacher, a counselor and with  the parents always involved. I would hope that if this type of concern exists, that the school  would reach out to the parents and community to communicate the problem and define a  solution. Again, I am not the expert, but SUSD must have experts available to direct the district in a viable resolution to this or any safety concern. A solution that is good for the students, parents, and school.

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

SUSD has a great community parent participation in the PTO volunteer program which support  many school programs and projects. 

I would encourage more parents and the community to participate in the Board meetings. Very few if anyone attends. When SUSD ignores the public speakers completely, it is no wonder no one attends SUSD meetings. This lack of response by SUSD must stop. The public speakers are  parents and concerned residents who need to be heard and responded to. I will do my best to  ensure that the public speakers are heard, respected, and responded to. I have been there and  do not like the way SUSD treats the public speakers. I pledge that the public speakers deserve and will receive a complete response from either the board or the Superintendent. 

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

SUSD has great teachers, staff, and excellent attractive class size (22 student avg.) The biggest challenge for SUSD is the aging facilities. The Spreckels Elementary is about 100 years old. The portable classrooms have exceeded their life expectancy. Both Spreckels Elementary and Buena Vista Schools look good from afar. But, when you look really close you can see that it has been a long time since there was any painting done, the cracks and decay are obvious. SUSD does not have a plan to deal with the cost of updating and maintaining their facilities. SUSD does not have a qualified Facility Director to develop a plan to deal with this catastrophe in waiting.

This includes the most egregious deficiency of all, that there is not a cafeteria/lunchroom at either Spreckels Elementary or Buena Vista Middle School. SUSD is now providing both breakfast and lunch to the students. Which they sit outdoors in the central valley coastal (cold, windy, foggy) climate and try to eat their breakfast or lunch. SUSD must provide a quality facility that has a safe and healthy environment for work, learning, lunch, and play. SUSD is not prepared and operates blindly for what the future holds.

“If you build it, they will come” - What all parents want; excellent teachers, smaller class size and a fantastic facility, provide that and the parents will bring their kids.

Who are you supporting for the other two seats?

I would like to pass on this question. Who ever is elected to serve on the SUSD board, they must all work cordially together for the benefit of the kids and the district.

Who is your proudest endorsement?

I am proud of all my endorsements equally.