Responding to Your Questions and Concerns

By Alfredo Chorro

This paper summarizes Alfredo Chorro's responses to questions the members of ICAN sent to all of the Redwood City school board candidates.

I don't have an answer to this question yet. Donna Baranski-Walker recently brought this issue to my attention. I'll start by contacting Craig Baker at the district's office. My hunch is that ELL students have less test-taking skills than do the English speaking ones. It feels as if we are equating limited English to limited intelligence, doesn't it?

2. What do you think should be the focus of the school board over the next two years -- i.e., what do you think it it most important for it to accomplish?

1. Improve the QUALITY of education, which will improve test scores. I will get parents to participate more actively in the education of our kids. I will convince teachers and parents that, even though the tests might appear to be biased and "meaningless," the reality is that our kids' test results are extremely crucial for their future.

2. I will ask my colleagues on the board to tackle the teacher hiring and desertion problem our district faces. We need to offer better working conditions to our teachers. In the meantime, I will work with teachers and administrators on ways for parents to ensure that their kids are getting their academic needs met. We need a way to let our teachers show that they are accountable for their work. I also believe that our community is ready to pitch in to help solve this problem. A father in our district is already actively working on getting high tech companies -- which are suffering from similar human resource problems -- to help us provide "incentives" to lure good teachers into our district. A group of parents in Cupertino have formed a group to demand more funding from the state. I want to encourage parents to do the same in our town. Cupertino is similar to Redwood City in that the $$/student they receive from the state is very low compared to nearby districts.

3. I will improve communications between all the different school communities and the district's office. I bring a bi-cultural background, knowledge of conflict resolution, and consensus-building skills to the board.

4. The district is going to be building and improving most of the school facilities during the next 2 years. We must make sure that these improvements are made while guaranteeing absolute safety for our children. We should strive to minimize disruptions to our kids, the teachers, and school neighbors. I will also make the plans, blueprints, mockups, and budgets more available to our community.

3. What should RWSD goals be over next two years?

1. Improve Test Scores.

2. Retain and attract excellent teachers and administrators.

3. Finish construction of our schools.

4. Improve communications with the ALL the members of our community.

4. Do you think that the school board is setting policy for the school district or are the paid professionals primarily doing so (is the board a leader or a follower)? Is this the way it should be? What is the appropriate balance?

I'd prefer not to speculate about how the decision making process is currently working within the school district. However, if we need to pursue this issue in more depth, a relevant tool is the decision making process I used during my tenure a member of the board at the Peace and Justice Center. Here is a shortened and adapted version:

1. Gather and study as much information as possible related to the issue. To do this, request reports from the executive director and paid professional staff, contact other unpaid professionals, and listen to members of the community who are well-informed about the issue at hand.

2. Communicate the results of the study and LISTEN to ALL interested parties that would be affected by the decision.

3. Make a decision.

4. Try as hard as possible to build consensus around the decision with the other members of the board.

5. If consensus is not possible, bring issue to a vote.

6. INFORM ALL interested parties of the decision or the outcome of the vote.

7. Ask the superintendent and or the district staff to implement the decision.

8. Monitor the implementation of the decision and bring it back up to the board and the community if necessary.

5. We are concerned with community relations with the school district. Do you have any suggestions for improving these? How can community members feel their concerns are listened to and that they are not just talked at or having information presented to them?

I plan to ask my colleagues on the board to organize and attend a board training class. I will require that representatives of all site council are also invited. I believe this will be a good beginning. Because I have been one of those frustrated parents that have felt that my concerns are not listened to, I am determined to serve as an effective bridge between the community and the board.

6. We all know that the current superintendent has a great reputation for bringing money to the school district. Are there other qualifications that are important for a superintendent? How about things like personnel retention (certificated, classified and administrative) or community relations? How do you feel the current superintendent is performing in those areas?

I believe that the money is important, but it is certainly not the only criteria use to evaluate the performance of a School Superintendent. I expect the superintendent to be an expert in the ART OF TEACHING and have a solid understanding of ADMINISTRATION. I also expect him/her to effectively carry out the policies agreed upon by the board and be responsive to the needs of the community.

7. Under what circumstances would you consider removing a superintendent from his responsibilities?

Show of incompetence. Inability to perform his or her duties as stipulated in his/her contract. Failure to show good progress in accomplishing the goals of the district for two consecutive years.

8. What is your opinion of Prop. 187 (regarding health care)? It was passed by the voters but is now held up in court. Would you support it? What do you see as the boundaries between the educational system and INS?

No, I will not support it. I believe implementation of Prop. 187 would cause irreparable damage to our community and, more importantly, to the children of our immigrant neighbors. Our agricultural and service sector depend on the availability of cheap labor provided by "illegal" immigrants. As a conscious "legal" immigrant, I believe it is my duty to provide equal opportunities to ALL our kids in the community. I will strongly oppose any attempt by the INS to make our school district an instrument for implementation of an unjust law.

9. Over the past five to seven years, many parents in the district have gone along with district decisions (such as expanding elementary schools to include middle schools and the creation of new programs such as Spanish Immersion and MIT) only to see them reversed, or changed, without regard to the affect this may have on students and families. Are there any guarantees that once a decision is made and agreed upon by the community, it will not be reversed without community input?

I will do my best to prevent this from happening. I agree that decisions appear to have been made (or reversed) without taking into account community input.

10. High demand for younger children was a reason given for closing the Orion middle school. Why are the kindergarten and 1st grade classes short by six students? And why was a middle school student turned away this fall with the explanation that the Orion middle school was full when the enrollment is only 47?

I was not aware of this problem. I'll ask the district for an explanation.

11. As an elected member of the school board, what would you do to instill confidence in our community that the board will act professionally and care about all the children's educational needs within our district?

I do sincerely care about all the children's educational needs within our district. I will gain your confidence by immediately starting to tackle the issues I have outlined during my campaign. I will make sure that information is distributed in an effective way, and I will LISTEN to what the community have to say.

12. Many parents are concerned about the high rate of turnover in teachers in the district. If elected, what steps would you implement to ensure teacher retention?

Please see the answer to question 2 above, where I address this, and other pressing, concerns.