Berta's Response to the

                                       NSEA/NESPA Northshore School Board Candidate Questionnaire                                                                           

 

 1.      Please provide at least three reasons why you are running for School Board—your three highest priorities to maintain or to make changes in Northshore.

 

• Continue to maintain high educational standards, supporting all our students, and providing our staff with the tools and support they need to do their jobs to the exemplary level for which Northshore is known.   This involves working with the legislature to FULLY FUND EDUCATION! 

 

•  Work to attract and retain quality employees through fair, equitable, and competitive compensation. 

 

•  Improve the organizational Climate and Culture throughout the school district, starting with the School Board.  

 

• Continue the work of improving our understanding and appreciation of Cultural Diversity: pursuing School Board and staff training opportunities, and working with community organizations, such as Northshore Council PTSA, to open up similar trainings for our community members, as desired.

 

 

 

2.      Please describe your personal experience and involvement with the public schools in the past that qualify you to be a School Board member.

 

I have been a member of the Northshore community for fifty years.  I attended Northshore schools - IHS, Westhill, CPJH, and BHS.  And yes, you read that right.   The year I started Kindergarten there was an overcrowding situation which required Northshore to send Westhill’s kindergartners to IHS.   As you can see, finding room for our precious kindergartners has been an ongoing issue.  

 

I worked as a Paraprofessional for Northshore for several years, leaving only when it became clear that, as a new parent needing to pay for daycare, I could no longer afford to continue as a Paraprofessional.   It was a heartbreaking decision; one that I did not make lightly.   I fully understand the challenges facing our Paraprofessionals. 

 

My husband (also an NSD employee) and I chose to raise our children in Northshore.  Our grandchildren attend Moorlands and Frank Love.   I have served as a school and classroom volunteer, and a PTA leader; working to support our teachers and staff, while advocating at the local, council, and state levels on a variety of educational issues.  

 

I have been involved with the Washington State School Safety Advisory Committee, serving as the State PTA’s liaison to the committee.  I developed a legislative issue proposal, as well as the Washington State PTA’s current Emergency Preparedness Resolution.   

 

 

3.      What do you see as the positive and negative aspects of collective bargaining in Northshore and in schools generally in Washington State?

 

PRO:  Collective Bargaining provides a strong, unified voice for each employee group.  It allows the employees to unite with a clear focus, as they present their concerns and needs to the District.    It encourages consistency and fairness in employment practices, policies, and compensation.   The rights of both employees and employers are protected through the Collective Bargaining agreement. 

 

CON:  In our district we have 14 employee groups, but they are not all treated equally.   Each employee group negotiates separately with the District, resulting in the perception that there are “winners and losers” in the negotiation game.  For example, some employee groups have seen raises despite the lack of state funded COLAs, while others have gone years without receiving a raise.   This results in a lack of equity and a sense that some of our employee groups are undervalued by the district.  It further results in an “us versus them” mentality between employee groups. 

 

 

 4.      Should standardized test scores be used in teacher evaluation?  

 

I have never supported High Stakes testing.   I fought against the WASL from its inception in our state, and continue to stand against the high stakes tests which have replaced it.   Standardized tests fail to provide an accurate representation of student achievement, and should not be used to determine said achievement.   As such tests do not accurately reflect student achievement; they will not accurately reflect a teacher’s strength and weaknesses.   When we use an inaccurate level to construct a building, we end up with a crooked building.   The same is true when building a robust educational system and an effective teacher evaluation process.  

 

 

 5.      What are your views on “merit pay” for teachers?  Please answer with specifics describing what “merit pay” means in your answer.

 

Although “merit pay” sounds great in theory, I fear that it would too easily be abused, and could result in the alienation of those teachers who, while working hard to improve student learning, are not of the chosen few to receive special compensation for their efforts.     The idea of pay-for-performance runs counter to the expectation that all of our educators are to be proficient in their chosen profession.    What exactly would be the parameters set to determine which teachers should receive a raise based on “merit?”  Would it be standardized test scores, which are an inaccurate measure of student achievement?   Would teacher evaluations be the deciding factor, in which case we must ask if the evaluation itself is subjective or objective?   I fear a slippery slope upon which “merit pay” becomes a way to reward popularity, and not true excellence, which often can’t be measured in concrete ways.  

 

 

 6.      Should seniority amongst teachers who teach particular subjects or grade levels be the primary factor in layoff and recall order?  Why or why not?  What role, if any, should evaluations play in layoff decisions?

 

 

We must continue to utilize seniority when determining layoffs and recall.   I fear the inclination to misuse “layoffs” as a method of removing “undesirable” staff should we use evaluations, and not seniority, as a factor.   We have a procedure in place for addressing employment issues outside of the layoff process.   Perhaps that system needs improvement, but it must not be replaced by resorting to evaluations based layoffs. 

 

 

7.      As a Board member, would you continue to collect all of the local levy funds allowable under state law?

 

The District must demonstrate a need and have a clear plan to utilize those funds for supporting and improving programs and services.    As the State is consistently underfunding education, it is fairly easy to demonstrate that need.  I have faith that there will come a day wherein the State will meet its obligation to fully fund education.  At that time, the need to collect the maximum local levy funds allowable under state law may not be so clear.   We aren’t there yet.   Let’s revisit this issue on that happy day when the State steps up to do its job.  

 

 

 8.      Under what circumstances would it be appropriate for the District to use some of its undesignated and unreserved Operating Budget reserves?

 

I believe strongly in protecting the undesignated and unreserved funds in our Operating Budget.  Those funds must be preserved for emergencies.  We must resist the temptation to dip into those funds in an effort to make up for state funding shortfalls.    Spending down the undesignated or unreserved fund balance is not the way to manage the educational funding crisis in our state.

 

 

9.      Northshore’s Educational Support Professionals are the Paraprofessionals who assist the teachers in educating our students who are in special ed classes, split grade levels, mainstreamed special ed students, and LAP and ELL students.  As a Board member, what is your commitment to improve the compensation of Northshore’s Educational Support Professionals?

 

 

As a former Paraprofessional, I completely understand the struggles facing our educational support professionals.   I believe we need to restructure the pay scale for our paraprofessionals.  We also need to begin creating more full-time positions for our paras.   This must be a gradual move.  I am not comfortable with laying off numerous employees in order to give their hours to other employees.   We must, for the benefit of all, come up with a plan that minimizes the negative impact (layoffs) to our employees, while creating a fairer and more equitable system; one which helps our employees, and provides the support our students need and deserve.  

 

 

10.   Are Washington’s schools adequately funded?  If not, what will you do as a School Board member to address this?

 

Of course our schools are not adequately funded – not even close!   As a School Board member I will continue to advocate for FULLY FUNDED EDUCATION; bringing my concerns to our legislators, and working to educate our community on the issue.    We must move our legislators to comply with the court’s decision in the McCleary case.

 

 

11.   Do you support or oppose the creation of charter schools in Northshore, or generally?  Why?

 

Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) has been researching charter schools, but that research only goes back 6 years.    Charter Schools count for less than 10% of public schools in the nation.   While research has shown some gains for certain demographics, it remains too early for us to fully understand the impact, either positive or negative, that charter schools may have on all children.   I believe far more research and longitudinal studies are needed before we should consider adding a charter school to Northshore.

 

 

12.   From whom do you seek advice (or will you seek advice) on matters related to public education?

 

I believe it is the duty of each School Board member to remain informed on educational issues.  I will listen to those in the education community, as well as other experts in the various related fields.  I am a proponent of informed decision making, and will do my utmost to personally study the issues in order to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the needs of our District, its staff, and, most importantly, our students. 

 

 

13.   To what extent is class size a significant factor in providing a quality education?  What are reasonable class sizes in your opinion?

 

31 students.  That was the number of 6th graders crowded into my son’s classroom.  Each student had approximately an 18” by 18” space at their shared table.    My son has Attention Deficit Disorder.   Can you imagine the difficulty he had staying focused and in his own little space?  Yes, of course you can, because you’ve no doubt had to work with students under similar conditions.   His teacher was overworked and overwrought.    For all her efforts, she did as much crowd control as she did instruction.   I firmly believe that overcrowding negatively impacted the quality of my son’s education, as well as having a negative impact on his emotional wellbeing.   

 

A great deal of studying has been done on the issue of class size and its impact on education.   The state has set new class size formulas, yet, funding to implement those changes is either non-existent, or simply falls extremely short of the goals.  

 

Simply adding an extra educator (teacher or para) to my son’s classroom would not have provided adequate relief or support to the students, let alone the teacher.  The same is true of addressing the problem through overload pay.   In order to truly have a meaningful impact on student learning, actual class sizes must be reduced.  To do that, we must build more class rooms (and not simply more portable cities…”cottages”).   This is an infrastructure problem, and by extension, a funding dilemma.

 

 

14.   What do you see as Northshore’s role in educating students who face the problems of poverty, family problems, and/or who do not yet speak English?  Is the District adequately supporting these students?  If not, what changes would you make?

 

 

We have a paramount duty to educate ALL students, regardless of their individual situations.   The District must increase the educational, emotional, and physical support offered to our most vulnerable student populations.   I would like to see more programs and services made available to these children and their families.   I know that teachers at Crystal Springs Elementary reach out to students and their families; spending time with these families and meeting with them in their homes.   I think we need to grow that model of involvement (and provide proper compensation to our staff for their efforts).  I would like to see Northshore School District partner more closely with community groups to provide an increased level of support to those students and families. 

 

 

 

15.   Given that the School Board has the final authority to accept or reject the recommendations for curricular materials (books, etc.) made by the District’s Curriculum Materials Adoption Committee, what criteria, standards, or considerations do you (or will you, if elected) use to make such a decision?

 

As I have previously stated, I believe in informed decision making.   I will make every effort to actually view the curriculum being considered, and listen to the suggestions and recommendations of the CMAC.  I will do my due diligence to research the proposed curriculum and ask pertinent questions to gain deeper understanding of the curriculum and recommendations of the CMAC.