Ahead of the November general election, the Southern California News Group compiled a list of questions to pose to the candidates who wish to represent you. You can find the full questionnaire below. Questionnaires may have been edited for spelling, grammar, length and, in some instances, to remove hate speech and offensive language.
MORE: Read all the candidate responses in our Voter Guide
Name: Allison Barclay
Current job title: President and CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of North County
Incumbent: Yes
Other political positions held: None
City where you reside: Temecula
Campaign website or social media: www.allison4tvusd.com, Instagram: allison4tvusd Facebook: Allison Barclay TVUSD School Board
How can the school district best meet the needs of all students, including those learning English, those who need mental health service, those in special education programs and those from low-income backgrounds?
TVUSD has long been a very successful and high-performing district. However, there are many students requiring additional services to ensure personal achievement and success. Behind every number is an individual student. Our goal must always be to educate each and every child to ensure they grow to be a successful and contributing member of our community. TVUSD is on a good trajectory to reach these students, but we need to continue to prioritize populations that are the most vulnerable. We recently created a new position through LCAP to target populations that continue to struggle. What we have done in the past clearly isn’t working, as we haven’t moved the needle in a significant way. I am hopeful through more customized plans for each site, we can direct the appropriate amount and intensity of resources towards those students that need it most and we can make true progress in this area. It is also imperative to continue to prioritize the mental health of all students. If students are not feeling mentally and emotionally healthy, they cannot learn. We need to increase our efforts to provide resources and real-time tools for kids and families to ensure their mental well-being.
Some school districts have adopted transgender notification policies to notify parents if a student says they are transgender. If your district has such a policy, do you support or oppose it? Why? If yours does not, would you support or oppose such rules? Why?
Last year our board enacted Board Policy 5020.1, which has drawn much criticism. The majority of the policy is redundant to existing Ed Code and addresses notifying parents of injuries, suicide attempts, etc. The portion that has recently been removed due to a determination by CDE addresses notifying parents if a student is requesting to be identified or treated as a gender other than that listed on their birth certificate, use a different legal name or access sex-segregated programs, such as athletics. I do not support keeping secrets from parents. Parents and educators must work in partnership to ensure the success of all students. However, each student should be treated as an individual. Clearly parents are the most important people in a student’s life, however there are situations where kids need additional guidance and support. We are very fortunate in TVUSD to have such caring and competent administrators to help kids and families navigate these delicate situations. In sum, I do not agree that requiring administrators to notify a parent in writing within three days is always the best choice. I believe in providing some flexibility, always with the goal of bringing parents into the conversation as soon as possible.
What is the biggest issue the school district faces, and how would you address it?
There are many pressing issues facing school districts today. Top of mind for TVUSD includes safety and security, ensuring academic achievement of all students, mental health and well being and creating a culture where all students feel welcomed and successful. The one issue that ties all these together is ensuring that we have the absolute best teachers and staff members at all levels. The job market is difficult these days and we continue to have many unfilled positions in TVUSD. It needs to be a top priority to seek out and recruit the best of the best for our kids. Without leaders at every level, we cannot address all of the other pressing issues that we face. We need to continually examine our pay scales and ensure we are as competitive as possible. We need to have good working relationships with our unions to ensure we are hearing the concerns of our employees and addressing those so that they will continue to work for us. We need to prioritize investing in our employees through training them to be successful in their current position and providing higher level training to those interested in moving up in our district.
Why would you make a good leader, and how would you represent the diverse communities within the school district?
As the CEO of a nonprofit youth-serving organization, I have made it my life’s work to advocate for kids and families, with an emphasis on diverse communities that are often overlooked. I strive to serve as an ally and reach out to those who feel disenfranchised or often ignored. I think listening is our greatest tool and while I have tried to ask questions and listen to our community, there is always much room for improvement. I have worked to connect with community members from all walks of life to hear their experiences and help create understanding. If I am given the opportunity to continue as a member of the governing board, I will work to expand relationships and improve conversations. A good leader is first a good listener so I will focus on listening to all points of view in our community in order to make good decisions for our kids and families. Not everyone is always going to agree and that’s OK. If we do our best to work together and collaborate with the success of all students at the forefront of our minds, we will achieve great things!
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