Slate politics

Six candidates are vying for three open seats on the five-member Chico Unified School District Board of Trustees. Two of them, Chico State University professors Andrea Lerner Thompson and Kathy Kaiser, are incumbents, each having served one term. The third seat is that of Rick Rees, who after serving two terms has decided not to seek re-election.

Longtime and now-retired school-district employee and former union President Eileen Robinson and a three-man slate, Erik Lyon, Dean Stefanides and Sean Worthington, make up the rest of the field.

Lyon, a marriage and family therapist who contracts with the school district as counselor; Stefanides, manager of the Oroville Holiday Inn; and Worthington, a Butte College computer-science instructor, have campaigned as a slate and erected blue hand-painted signs in high-profile spots across town. They list their names above the slogan, “Putting Kids First.” The slate has received the endorsement of the Butte County Republican Party.

Andrea Lerner Thompson

Why are you running?

I was somewhat uncertain about running for another term largely because of the time commitment away from my family. Yet I received many letters and calls from people—many of whom I did not know—asking me to reconsider and run again. The common comment was their perception that I had brought a different voice to the board, that I had exhibited a willingness to ask tough questions, and I tended often not to go along with the consensus.

What are the biggest challenges?

Certainly budget issues continue to be at the forefront. The educational playing field has shifted dramatically across the country, the state and our district. We are dealing with falling enrollment, increased competition from charter schools and declining state budgets. We must cut costs at all levels, end deficit spending and maintain healthy reserves.

Charter schools, good or bad for the district?

I think charter schools are great, with an exception. Charter schools are not the answer to everything, but I believe in choice. I think it’s part of our democratic way. Kids come in all different shapes and sizes. I have two, and they are as different as night and day. What works for one might not work for the other. So if a charter school presents more choices for parents for their kids’ environment, I think it’s good.

Eileen Robinson

Why are you running?

I think I can help. I have so many years of experience at the district level as a volunteer, committee member, employee, parent, and now grandparent of a granddaughter who is living with me. I’m retired, so I have the time and the experience with labor relations and negotiating contracts.

What are the biggest challenges?

Getting the deficit-spending issue to a level where we are not continuing to lose programs.

Charter schools, good or bad for the district?

The problem with charter schools is, when a child leaves the district for a charter school, all of the funding, $6,000, goes away from the district, which still has the remaining expenses of doing business. It’s watering down the funding base that’s left. It’s not a two-tiered cultural system; it’s a two-tiered financial-support system.

I have visited the charter schools, and I see some very sound things happening there, and I’m not sure if they are being duplicated by the district. But still, the charter movement pulls money away from the rest of the kids in the district. And not everyone has access to charter schools.

On the flip side, I can understand the frustration parents feel. The district can do a better job of listening about the format in which education is delivered.

Kathy Kaiser

Why are you running?

I am running again because my kid, who is a senior at Peasant Valley, and my three grandchildren, who are in seventh, ninth and first grade in the district, asked me to. That, and I feel it would be impossible for someone to come on board and deal with the situation that we have and really get up to speed in time to save our district.

What are the biggest challenges?

The biggest challenge is fiscal, and it is critical. I hope that people perceive that we have increased accountability and transparency and that that hard work gets recognized.

Charter schools, good or bad for the district?

There are some charter schools that are outstanding. There are others that are potentially a threat, either to the quality of education we can offer or simply because they are taking the easiest-to-teach students away from the district and leaving behind the most expensive kids.

So there is no black-and-white answer on that. It’s really a question of the purpose of the charter and its investment in the community.

Sean Worthington

Why are you running?

I am running for a lot of different reasons, but one reason I want to get involved is because of the technology. I teach computer science at Butte College, and I’m very much into the tech scene. I’ve even worked as an interim chief technology officer for a local dot-com company, and one thing I’ve noticed is that we have jobs in the tech field that are going un-filled. My wife is a medical doctor, and we also see some growth in there. So what I would like to do is try to get more opportunities for students to learn about technology and medical science.

What are the biggest challenges?

Labor relations is the biggest challenge. We have a group of teachers that say one thing, and we have an active sitting board that says another thing. They are in the process of fact-finding, and as a board member I’ll have to look at the facts and decide what’s real and who’s right and what action to take.

Charter schools, good or bad for the district?

I think charter schools are very good because they provide some needed competition, and that gets our public schools kind of in the competitive spirit, and so yeah, they are good. Better schools are going to make for a better Chico, and for our economy’s sake we need to think about technology.

Dean Stefanides

Why are you running?

I’m an average Joe. I’ve been complaining about the school district, especially after what happened this year with my son’s schedule. He goes to [Pleasant Valley High School], and as a junior he didn’t get the classes he needs to graduate—they were cancelled. Every year it’s something else; sports get cancelled. That, and I’m part of my community.

What are the biggest challenges?

The budget. We spend more money than we have. We need to fix that. And we need to create a peaceful environment so they can do the job. I’m the only candidate on the board with a business background. I can go over the budget with a fine-toothed comb and look to save money. I would also give better access to parents. Now parents and public comment [at district meetings] are given in the middle of the night. The district has lost touch with parents; they have no voice any more.

Charter schools, good or bad for the district?

Charter schools are good. Parents need choices. They’ve lost trust in the district and are pulling their kids out of the district schools and not only [sending them] to charters, but home schooling as well.

Erik Lyon

Why are you running?

I’m running because I’ve seen some of the problems. I work within the district as a marriage and family therapist, and I’ve decided that rather than complaining I need to actually try to do something. We’ve heard about a potential state takeover, and it worries me. That is a bad thing to happen to everybody: the community, the students, the teachers.

What are the biggest challenges?

One is the budget crisis. The other is—and I sort of get this sense from the teachers and the community that I’ve talked to—there is this lack of trust between the district and the teachers. We really need to work on re-establishing the trust with the teachers, the community and the parents. The fact that parents and community members aren’t heard until the end of a school board meeting shows some of that disconnect.

Charter schools, good or bad for the district?

I think they can be good and they can be bad. Obviously they can take money away from the school district. Inspire is an exception because it is part of the district. At the same time I find it’s good because I feel that competition and choice is best. Different things fit different kids. I really like the public school system because you have a lot of those options. You have athletics, you have extra-curricular stuff, auto shop, wood shop, those things that unfortunately we’re losing. I think that is one of the assets that the public schools have over the charter schools.