CAJON VALLEY SCHOOL BOARD RACE: THREE SEATS ARE UP, BUT ONLY TWO WILL BE ON BALLOT – AND ONE HAS ONLY A WRITE-IN CANDIDATE QUALIFIED

By Robin N. Kendall

Photo: Board President Tamara Otero, the only candidate who returned ECM’s questionnaire of five candidates running in three districts.

October 27, 2022 (El Cajon) -- This election year, voters in the Cajon Valley Union School District may or may not see candidates on the ballot for school board trustees, depending on which area they live in. Unlike school districts with “at large” trustees, this big district is divided into five areas, with a balanced number of residents in each area. Trustees represent the area they live in and serve terms of four years. To ensure stability, not all seats are up for reelection the same year. In the last election (2020), trustees for areas 4 and 5 were chosen.

This year, candidates could file to run in areas 1, 2 and 3. However, only areas 1 and 2 will be on the ballot, since the incumbent in area 3 is running unopposed. Oddly, area 2 has only a write-in candidate who qualified late due to an incumbent not filing for reelection, while area 1 has two candidates. East County Magazine sent questionnaires to all candidates, but only one, Tamara Otero, responded.  Her answers, along with additional details on each district, are published below.

The CVUSD Governing Board includes five elected members who provide policy and financial oversight. Current board members are Jo Alegria, Tamara Otero (president), James P. Miller, Jr. (vice president), Jill Barto and Karen Clark-Mejia (clerk). The Superintendent is Dr. David Miyashiro. There are 29 schools in the district, which serves approximately 16,000 students in grades K through 8 in El Cajon and Rancho San Diego.

According to the Superintendent’s Office, “Currently the Cajon Valley School District pays $544.91 per month with a $25/mo. auto allowance available to Board Members. They are also able to join our benefits plan at the employee rate, if they choose to do so. The amounts are set by each district, not the state. They also have the option to increase the stipend each year, which is usually done.”

To find out which Cajon Valley School District areas you are in, visit the website https://www.cajonvalley.net/Page/16724

Cajon Valley Board Meeting documents are available at https://go.boarddocs.com/ca/cvusd/Board.nsf/vpublic?open

Area 1 : Voters in Area 1 should see two names on the ballot. One will be Anthony Carnevale, a parent and businessman, and the other is Tamara Otero, the current/incumbent board member. See below for Ms. Otero’s answers to ECM’s questions.

Area 1 includes the most easterly schools in El Cajon including Hall, Crest, Rios and Blossom Valley Elementary Schools, and Los Coches Creek Middle School.

Area 2: In Area 2, the current board member Jill D. Barto is not running for reelection. Jolyana Jirjees qualified late for the ballot and voters can write in her name. Area 2 is the most northern part of El Cajon and includes Flying Hills, Magnolia and Madison Elementary Schools, and Montgomery Middle School.

Area 3: In Area 3 there will be no election as there were no challengers and trustee Jo Alegria will remain in office. Area 3 is in central El Cajon and includes Johnson, Narance and Lexington Elementary Schools, and Cajon Valley Middle School.

Q and A

Tamara Otero

Cajon Valley School Board President

1.  Please describe your qualifications in the form of a brief biography, and why you decided to run for school board in this district.

I have spent over 25 years in the service of the children of Cajon Valley. All four of my children are graduates of this school district. I started as a classroom and parent volunteer and later ran for the Board. I have been elected to the School Board to serve for the last 12 years. I believe that my work isn’t finished here. I see new opportunities for our students that didn’t exist when I started and I also see new challenges. Our student and families deserve trusted leadership. Our schools were the only ones to remain open during COVID because of trusted leadership. All of our students now have access to authentic, research developed career education planning starting in kindergarten.  This was started during my tenure. In May of 2020 with a pandemic bringing uncertainty, I held 27 Town Hall meetings to listen to parents and gather feedback. Feedback that was used to develop protocols around returning to school that summer. That is dedicated leadership. I visit classrooms and schools and talk to students, families, and staff because I truly care about East County. I have the time to be 100% committed to Cajon Valley Union School District. That is committed leadership. I am a well-respected citizen of this area and my servant leadership is well known. I believe in public education and I believe it can better.

2.  How are the students in your district doing academically?  Coming out of the pandemic, how can we best help students make up for any learning losses, and build improvements in achievement testing?

I think the students of CVUSD are still working hard to grow within each of their own capacities.  The pandemic was certainly a setback to all students across the US but I do believe that be returning to classrooms in the Fall of 2020 the students of CVUSD had an advantage.  We have been working for years to measure GROWTH versus one test a year that could easily be taken on a bad day.  We look at the data provided by taking multiple tests throughout the year and our students do show growth!  I think that the best way for the nation to address learning loss and build improvements is to provide learning opportunities beyond the classroom.  We are doing that in Cajon Valley with our before and after school programs.  These programs provide learning support as well as extracurricular activities that many of our families cannot afford.  These supports are all free and provided to any families that need them.  Achievement testing is a poor way to measure growth in a child or a in district.  A once-a-year test given at the end of the year without ample time to build on positive reinforcements for students is a poor measure of growth.  Results aren’t delivered until students have moved into the next grade making it difficult to address correctly any deficits.  We thoroughly believe in the whole child approach our kids need to learn kindness and empathy along with math and science. 

3.  Do you have any criticism of the way the district handled its responses to COVID (remote learning vs. in person, masking, vaccines, campus shutdowns, social distancing, etc.) – have policies been too strict, not strict enough, or about right?

Difficult decisions were made during a time of an unknown.  School districts chose to handle COVID very differently from how Cajon Valley chose to support students and families.  We were the only district in Southern California to completely reopen the Summer of 2020.  We provided a summer learning program and used that experience to direct our administration to return to school in the Fall of 2020.  Because of the work we did over the summer to establish protocols we were granted one of the first waivers from the state to return to school.  Much of the social distancing, masking, testing etc. has now been determined to be unnecessary but there were no protocols at that time so we were forced to follow County Health guidelines in order to keep our doors open.  I have no criticism in the way that our district handled this situation.  I have criticism in the way the state handled the situation making it difficult for districts to return with constantly changing rules.

4.  What more might be done in the district to protect students and teachers from gun violence, given the rise in school shootings nationwide?

Several years ago, in response to safety concerns this Board directed the Superintendent to hire two safety companies to examine our procedures and do an inventory of our schools’ safety structures.  We spent the money for necessary improvements to better secure our campuses.  Beyond that we have hired retired law enforcement who can legally carry and conceal.  We also have hosted multiple trainings with El Cajon PD, Sheriffs Dept and the Swat team along with our safety personnel to practice drills on campus so that law enforcement is better acquainted with our campus layouts and our staff are better informed and prepared for active shooter protocols.  I think our response has been good.  However, there is no way to be completely confident.  We must continue to improve in order to plan for the unthinkable.

5.  Which programs would be funding priorities for you?

The continuation of Expanded Learning Opportunities is a funding priority.  We have established a comprehensive before and after school program that is free for our families and it would be awful to see that funding disappear.  We also need funding to support infrastructure.  Many of our schools are old and need to be improved.  There hasn’t been available funding for school facility improvements in our district for many years.  Our community deserves to have updated facilities.

6.  Regarding civility and divisiveness, how would you set an example for students and others in contentious discussions during school board meetings?

I have been the Board President for 8 of my 12 years on the Board.  I have worked hard to lead by example in this area.  I always allow each member to speak their truth and try to stop contentious argumentative banter.  This hasn’t been easy in the last several years but I firmly believe that this is a profession that must lead with professionalism.  We are board members both behind the Dias and in the grocery store and I have stressed that often. For many years this was a Governing Board that worked together in unity and it’s my hope that will be reestablished after this election.

7.  What are your views on the teaching of critical race theory, teaching history/civics, banning books, or other hot button issues raised in some other districts?

Social media and other platforms have created a storm of concern over these topics.  We teach history and civics in CVUSD.  I am not aware of any CRT being taught in CVUSD or a curriculum in our schools that supports that. At the Cajon Valley USD central offices, we maintain a District Librarian who is responsible for content in our libraries. There is a vetting system in place for all new books that come into the district. Honestly, I don’t know of any time when banning books from schools and libraries is appropriate.

If the books have previously been vetted before put into circulation, then it seems counterproductive and overly reactive to pull them. Parenting is key to what our children absorb. In my opinion the available content on a cell phone is far more dangerous to young minds than a book you may find in a school library.

8.  Are there any other issues you’re concerned about, such as teacher shortages, or other information you’d like our readers to know about the district or your candidacy?

Teacher shortages are a concern across the US.  We have been fortunate because people want to work for CVUSD and we haven’t fully experienced the teacher shortage like many of our neighbors have; however, we are experiencing a work force shortage.  Many of our classified jobs like bus drivers, office staff, child nutrition, and classroom support staff have multiple vacancies.  We are working hard to create awareness and hire local east county. 

There are so so many things that sets Cajon Valley Union School District apart from the rest and makes it special. We have adopted a blended learning model so that students are taught in rotations and groups rather than in traditional rows. We are using technology with fidelity. Our WOW (World of Work) curriculum has received national attention as a solution. Our TEDx event was the first of its kind in the nation. Our Family and Community Engagement department is at the forefront of this work and is leading the initiative in the state. We literally receive hundreds of visitors every year from around the nation to tour and view our programs. Our administration is asked to speak at education conferences around the nation and share our practices with other districts and states. Entire state education departments have adopted our programs for their value. We have been given awards in most of our departments and were considered one of the best places to work by the UT a couple of years ago, and were given the Golden Watchdog by San Diego Taxpayers last year. And yet... there is an indifference and lack of awareness in East County for the work we are doing every day. Not entirely, but it’s there and I wonder what we can do to better educate and inform our residents that live here of our wonderful programs and the efforts made to improve the future by providing better education opportunities for the students of today. I love this work, this is my passion, and if elected I will continue to work tirelessly for ALL the children of Cajon Valley Union School District.

9.  Do you have endorsements and/or a webpage you’d like to share?

I am well respected in my community and among my peers on the board.  I am known for being hard working and completely committed to the Cajon Valley Union School District.  I am not running as a springboard to further any political career; I simply love children and believe in public education.

I am endorsed by: Jo Alegria, CVUSD Board; Karen Mejia, CVUSD Board; Andrew Hayes, Lakeside Board; Bill Wells, Mayor; Supervisor Joel Anderson; East County Lincoln Club; Citizens for a Better East County; Cajon Valley Teachers Union; Cajon Valley Classified Union; and a host of friends and school board members around the county who have known my dedication to public education.