PUSD Candidates Discuss School Closures, Charter Schools, Other Issues

The candidates for one of the two contested Pasadena Unified school board seats debated educational and financial issues at an open forum Wednesday night.

Current board member Tom Selinske is being opposed by local architect Gaylaird Christopher and local educator Sean Baggett for Pasadena Unified Seat 6.  The election is on March 8.

The issues raised by audience members at the forum ranged from overall education philosophy to the performance of Superintendent Edwin Diaz.  Much of the discussion centered on introducing new educational programs to the district and ideas for improving performance of the schools.

Relatively little was said about the two Altadena schools scheduled to be closed and what steps might be needed to deal with anticipated budget deficits in the next few years.

One candidate from the Pasadena Unified Seat 4 race, Gene Stevenson, also showed up to speak, but because his opponent, Kimberly Kenne, was not present, the moderator of the debate only allowed him to offer opening and closing statements. 

Incumbent board member Renatta Cooper is also on the ballot for Seat 2, but there is nobody challenging her on the ballot. Cooper was invited to the forum, but did not attend.

There was often very little depth to the discussion of issues as each candidate was allowed just one minute to respond to questions and did not get a chance to directly respond to any of the comments made by their opponents.

Below are some of the topics that were discussed and some of the responses offered by candidates.

Charter schools

The candidates were asked in several questions about their opinions on the effectiveness of charter schools.

Selinske -Selinske came across as something of a charter school skeptic as he mentioned several times that the schools don't show higher performance on average than public schools.  When asked about whether charter schools in general are a good idea, his answer was "it depends." 

Christopher - He described himself as a supporter of charter schools, but said that the district should have more of a role in running them.

"Instead of complaining, or trying to revoke the charter, why don't we create our own charter schools," Christoper said at the forum.

Baggett- Baggett suggested that he is only supportive of direct-funded charter schools where charters are granted from the state rather than some other agency.  That way teachers are still required to have teaching credentials.

School closures

Though the scheduled was mentioned only briefly, there was a little bit of discussion of related topics.

Selinske - Selinske did not mention the closures directly, but he was one of the five board members to support the closures.  He said he wants to keep budget cuts "out of the classroom," but said the closure of the schools was largely due to low attendance at the schools- he mentioned the district's "excess capacity" for students.

Christopher - Christopher mentioned he believes the closures hurt the district's ability to attract parents who are sending their kids to private school rather than public school.  His campaign literature states that he is in favor of reopening closed schools.

Baggett - Baggett didn't specifically address the closures but discussed declining enrollment as a serious problem for the district several times.

Performance of Superintendent Edwin Diaz

Selinske - Selinske made reference to the improved test scores over the last five years in PUSD but ran out of time before getting more into depth about Diaz's accomplishments.  He closed by referring to Diaz's performance as "outstanding."

Christopher - Christopher noted the improvement in test scores, but said that district officials often don't follow through on suggestions from parents or with volunteers looking to help out the district.  He ran out of time before he was able to elaborate.

Baggett - Baggett also praised Diaz for his success in improving test scores but said that more improvement is needed.

Talking Point

Each candidate had a specific talking point or two they returned to throughout the night.

Selinske - Selinske touted his experience, mentioning several times that unlike the other candidates he has 15 years as a volunteer/board member in the school district.

Christopher - Christopher pitched a plan to convert unused schools into vocational or special skills class, mentioning the idea of having a culinary training school several times.  He said the district should do more to get students internships and help them find other career training options.

Baggett - Baggett mentioned several times that the school should have a merit-based high school where students would have to take an entrance exam to get in.  The school would offer more electives and Advanced Placement courses.