2 seats face challengers in Placer Union High School District election

As Election Day grows near, local voters have two Placer Union High School Board of Trustee seats to decide on the November ballot. The high school district board of trustees is made up of five members who each represent a different area. Despite candidates representing and living in a specific geographical area, voters elect the members of the board at-large, whether the candidates represent their district or not. In Trustee Area 1, which represents Colfax and Foresthill, appointed incumbent Rob Hitchcock faces parent Casey Jeffreys. Hitchcock was appointed to this seat in 2021 after longtime board member Lynn MacDonald passed away during her term. The winner would serve the remainder of MacDonald's term, through 2024. In Trustee Area 2, incumbent and longtime board member Maureen "Mo" Ward faces parent Jessica Spaid. The Auburn Journal continues its candidate coverage to the 2022 election with a multi-part series that allows candidates from multiple races to address key questions and their views on those topics in their words. In this edition, the Auburn Journal features questions and answers from the Placer Union High School District Board of Trustee candidates. These are their answers: Trustee Area 1 – Colfax and Foresthill (2-year term) Rob Hitchcock Occupation: PUHSD Board Trustee - Area 1, Appointed July 27, 2021; retired educator Experience with Placer Union: Hired in 1991 - Served as Science Teacher, Coach, Athletic Director, Assistant Principal, Coordinator of Educational Services, Director of Child Welfare & Attendance, Principal of Alternative Education, Instructor for Placer School for Adults, Interim Assistant Principal and most importantly, Parent of three graduates of the Placer Union High School District. Website/Contact: hitchcockward2022.com/puhsd2022@gmail.com What specific characteristics do you bring to the Placer Union High School District? As a father, educator and coach with over 30 years of service in our District, I have witnessed the needs, strengths, and differences in each of our schools. As a board member, I bring that knowledge and experience to the table with the goal of creating educational programs and opportunities to support all of our students. As the Coordinator of Educational Services, I had the privilege of stewarding in such programs as dual enrollment where our students can earn college credits while taking high school courses, leading the development of our Maidu Virtual Charter Academy, as well as sharing in the redesign of our continuation program at Confluence High School. Expanding educational opportunities for all of our students is imperative. What is your biggest priority if elected to serve on the Placer Union High School Board of Trustees? To continue to grow more educational options for our students. We are in the planning stages of some amazing opportunities in the Career Technical Education (CTE) world that are very exciting and I would love to continue to work with our current board of trustees to see these advances through. Whether it is dual enrollment with our community college partners, independent study through our Maidu Virtual Charter Academy, or our internship options through our alternative education sites at Confluence, I think we are really making a difference in our students' lives and our overall community. Do you feel it is important for the board to have a current parent perspective? Why or why not? As a parent, staff member and board trustee, I have always felt that parent voice and involvement is imperative in supporting our students, schools and programs. That said, to have board members who have a long term vision beyond their own child's current experiences, is crucial. I have learned a great deal from the perspective of our current board members who have had children and grandchildren share in the educational wealth of our high schools. They truly have the vision and fiscal discipline to keep our district safe and grow our programs for even more success, beyond their personal needs or single-issue desires. Our schools are strong because of our board's collective vision, experience and partnerships with parents and the communities. What are the biggest challenges facing Placer Union schools and how do you plan to address them as a trustee? The last several years have been particularly difficult, especially for schools. Being one of the first districts in the state to return our students to in-person learning, our student body has experienced less learning-loss than most districts in the state as is reflected in our strong test scores. Because of our resilient and persistent programs we were only one of ten or so districts in the state that saw growth in our test scores. It has been very refreshing to return our students to a state of normalcy, where student activities and athletics can be central to our campus cultures. As a trustee, supporting areas such as school safety, academic achievement, mental health concerns, and school connectedness will continue to be the focus for me. Our Board has long been committed to and will continue to prioritize creating a safe and engaging learning environment for all students to find success after high school. Casey Jeffreys Occupation: Small Business Owner Experience with Placer Union: High school parent Contact/Website: n/a What specific characteristics do you bring to the Placer Union High School District? The main characteristic I feel I bring to the Placer High School District is the perspective of a parent and an outsider of the administration. Because I have one child recently out of the district and one still currently in the district, I have a good understanding of not only the current needs students face, but I also understand challenges that can and do arise from a parental viewpoint. What is your biggest priority if elected to serve on the Placer Union High School Board of Trustees? My biggest priority if elected to office is to be the voice of the parents and students of the district. I have never been a part of a school board administration and I feel it is time that parents have more of a voice in their child's education, or at least feel as though they have a say or a vote in the matter. I want parents to feel as though they are part of the equation. It's time we all work together in what is actually best for the children and their education. Do you feel it is important for the board to have a current parent perspective? Why or why not? I believe it is vitally important that we the parents of children in the district have a voice in decisions being made about our child's education. What are the biggest challenges facing Placer Union schools and how do you plan to address them as a trustee? I think one of the biggest challenges facing Placer Schools is the encroachment of the radical socialist agenda by the indoctrination of our children and/or the encouragement of focusing more on social issues rather than basic reading and arithmetic. We need to get our children back to loving themselves and loving learning. Trustee Area 2 – North Auburn Maureen "Mo" Ward Occupation: PUHSD board trustee - Area 2, small business owner in Auburn Experience with Placer Union: Graduate, parent, board trustee for 24 Years Website/Contact: hitchcockward2022.com/mowardmail@yahoo.com What specific characteristics do you bring to the Placer Union High School District? Having served on the Board since 1998, I bring consistency, strong leadership, and a vision of quality education for all students. I am a life-long resident of Placer County, graduated from Del Oro High School and have raised my family here. During these years, I have participated in every aspect of our school and community partnerships which has given me the knowledge and experience to create programs and opportunities for our students to succeed. I'm very proud of the work of this school board as we have accomplished many great things. As a trustee, I will continue to provide a quality education to every child; provide safe and welcoming schools, excellent learning environments and equal access to education for all; listen to parents; be a good steward of public funds (e.g., competitive salaries, high staff retention, balanced three-year projected budgets); and model a positive and professional leadership style. What is your biggest priority if elected to serve on the Placer Union High School Board of Trustees? To provide a safe learning environment. This entails a positive, inclusive and supportive culture and campus for all students and staff. I aim to continue emphasizing the social, emotional, physical and mental well-being PUHSD provides, while offering many educational opportunities. While our district has achieved an excellent college acceptance rate, I recognize a pathway to college isn't for everyone. I would like to continue building our high schools' Career Technical Education (CTE) Pathways. In my tenure, we've developed curriculum in 12 of the 15 industry sectors, many leading to industry certification, trade schools or junior college programs. Do you feel it is important for the board to have a current parent perspective? Why or why not? The schools in our district have been successful in academics, athletics, and activities because of the people of our communities - students, staff and parents. Each of these groups' role is imperative in enhancing culture, establishing open lines of communication, and creating programs that meet the needs of all students. Our board members are elected "at-large", meaning we live in a certain geographic area but are voted on by all our communities and must represent and be aware of the uniqueness of each school and its community. If re-elected, I will continue to attend multiple events across the schools, engaging and learning with their parents, students and communities, and promoting their perspectives. What are the biggest challenges facing Placer Union schools and how do you plan to address them as a trustee? School board members hold their position as trustees for the interests of our high school students, parents, school employees, taxpayers, and the community. The last couple of years disrupted all our lives, but I'm very proud of how we stepped up to those challenges. We are stronger today than ever due to our staff's innovation and creativity. Staff, parents and community are the lifeblood of our schools. These connections have been foundational to all our successes and will continue to be a high priority. Mental health is one area I increasingly recognize as a challenge for our students and our communities. We have established great foundational programming in this area–requested by students–and as a trustee, I am eager to expand and advance these programs to create a welcoming and nurturing learning environment for all of our students and families. Jessica Spaid Occupation: Mother & Homemaker, Small Business Owner, and Professional Musician Experience with Placer Union: Longtime resident of PUHSD with students attending schools within the district since 2012, and my husband is Placer's Head Women's Wrestling Coach Website/Contact: www.jessicaspaid.com and jessica@spaidco.com Spaid for School Board 2022 - Jessica FPPC# 1453243 What specific characteristics do you bring to the Placer Union High School District? As a longtime Placer County resident with a family of eight, two students currently attending within Placer Union High School District, a local small business owner, school choir accompanist and private voice and piano teacher, youth sports team mom, and a law enforcement family, I have invested my life into this community and district. I am also a special education mother, and former School Site Council Representative, and Parent Teacher Committee Board Member. I am an experienced student advocate. I also attend every board meeting to stay informed and regularly address the board on topics that are important for our community and look forward to a seat at the table to better advocate for our children. What is your biggest priority if elected to serve on the Placer Union High School Board of Trustees? Students' needs must be the first and main focus for our district. Our students are currently achieving only 42 percent proficiency in mathematics but are spending time learning about social equity. I am running for Trustee Area 2 representing Placer High. At Placer our students' proficiency in mathematics is shockingly low at 24 percent and ELA is 52 percent. My opponent's sign slogan is "Keep Our High Schools Strong." Do those scores reflect strong schools? California is ranked 50th nationally in literacy and it's time to get our priorities straight. We need to keep our kids engaged and fulfilled with outstanding in-person learning, increase parent and community involvement, and focus on preemptive school safety, drug awareness, and mental health - with parents as our partners. It's time to increase transparency and rebuild trust with our students, families, teachers, and community who are still struggling from the impacts of the lockdowns. Do you feel it is important for the board to have a current parent perspective? Why or why not? Who is going to be more vested in our children than a parent? Who do you trust more to make decisions for them? New visions and ideas from a parent's perspective who understands the current struggles of our youth and families is critical. None of our current board members have a child attending within our district. A school board without a parent is following its own agenda and not the community's and it is time to fix that. What are the biggest challenges facing Placer Union schools and how do you plan to address them as a trustee? Without a doubt the biggest challenges facing PUHSD's schools are the educational delays imposed upon the students by the board capitulating to the state on the Covid lockdowns, and masking requirements that have put so many socially behind and below grade level. We can't undo the past but we can make the future better by refocusing on academics, supporting special education and learning loss opportunities, eliminating special interest influence in the classroom, incentivizing and encouraging excellent teachers, and bringing parents back into the equation.