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: Anna Coriddi-Meza
Current job title: Certificated substitute teacher
Incumbent: No
Other political positions held: None
City where you reside: Corona
Campaign website or social media: www.anna4cnusd.com, https://www.facebook.com/coriddimezacnusd2024/
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?
The school district can best meet the needs of all students by intentionally collaborating with parents to ensure inclusivity in all areas that affect their children’s academic needs. Eleven years ago, California replaced its 40-year-old K-12 finance system with the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), and a critical component requires school districts to engage parents when creating the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP). The objective of LCAP is to meet the needs of our most vulnerable students in a manner that supports all students. Unfortunately, parent engagement in CNUSD appears to be limited to the revenue generated by our most vulnerable students. The “”requirement”” fails to meet the standard of collaboration reserved for CNUSD administrators and employees in discretionary areas, such as policies and curriculum. Too often, parent engagement is treated as an afterthought — a box checked at the end of the process but ignored throughout the process. To meet the needs of all students, parents need to be included at the table where policies are designed; otherwise, district policies will fall short of their objective by failing to secure the parental support needed to execute them successfully.
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?
Corona-Norco Unified School District does not have a transgender notification policy. Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), parents can access all their children’s education records and seek to amend them when necessary. Federal rights under FERPA are transferred from parents to students when students turn 18. Parents need to be involved in all aspects of their child’s education journey, especially as it relates to physical, emotional, and mental health. If CNUSD considers any policy to expand parental involvement in their child’s education, it must be balanced with a parent’s right to be informed and a student’s right to be safe.
What is the biggest issue the school district faces, and how would you address it?
The biggest issue Corona-Norco Unified School District faces (and CNUSD is not alone) is the achievement gap that has persisted for decades in our country. A diverse community comes with diverse needs, yet too much emphasis is placed on race/ethnicity. Strategic efforts to close the achievement gap must address the most significant contributing factor, poverty, which is pervasive throughout all cultural backgrounds. Through its Parent Center, CNUSD has done a great job of providing the necessary resources to meet the needs of families. Still, CNUSD is a geographically large district, and not enough parents know about the center. The programs they offer could be made more accessible through mobile services. Additionally, the programs could be augmented with parent collaboration. Many parents want to help their children succeed but struggle due to their own academic experiences during childhood. Through recruitment and training, partnerships with organizations, like PTA, may deliver parent education programs with relatable and approachable volunteers. Parents are their children’s first teachers; efforts to close the achievement gap must include parent education because the whole family benefits when parents are empowered with the knowledge they need to help their children.
Why would you make a good leader, and how would you represent the diverse communities within the school district?
I would be a good leader because I am committed to advancing policies that reflect the values of our diverse community. My parent involvement has spanned over 25 consecutive years in CNUSD, and my experience in general and special education classrooms provides me with the dual perspective needed to foster the partnership between home and school that students need to succeed. To that end, I have invested in my community by facilitating parent engagement academies at local school sites. I have seen the difference these academies make for the participating families, and I am committed to supporting educators by strengthening parental involvement. As a good leader, I will do more than lend my voice to others; I will empower others to use their own. That is how I serve my community, and that is how I will continue to serve.
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