Daily Breeze Questionaire

By Craig Anthony Parks

The following document contains the questions posed to each of the candidates by the Editorial Board of the Daily Breeze Newspaper and my response to those questions.

1. Although we may be familiar with your record of public service, please provide an overview of your background, including community involvement and professional experience. Also, what drives you to seek this post (or seek reelection to this post)? What important qualities do you have that other candidates in the race do not?

A little over two and a half years ago, I decided to become a resident of the community where I taught. I thought it would help me to become a better teacher if I lived in Lawndale. I believe it has. There are four qualities which will help me to do a good job as a board member. I am easily approachable. I am a careful listener. I ask thoughtful and often deeply probing questions. And I am a skillful and creative problem solver. These attributes when applied in conjunction with my already well established lines of communication and knowledge of who within the district knows what, will allow me to find answers and cut through bureaucracy more quickly and efficiently.

2. In recent years, we've seen a number of charter high schools form in the Centinela Valley area. Would you like to see more of these smaller schools established in the Lawndale district? Should Lawndale eventually become a unified district?

The premise behind charter schools is significant. The first of them came into existence to encourage innovation throughout the state and to improve education in general. That purpose remains valid today regardless of the level of success of any particular charter program. These institutions provide students and their parents with educational options they would not otherwise have. But no single idea, however promising or optimistic is ever the answer for every situation. With that in mind, it is important to know that the challenges faced by the high schools in Lawndale would not all magically disappear if Lawndale became unified rather than remaining an elementary district. The most immediate benefit would probably be greater confidence on the part of parents.

3. The city of Lawndale and the Lawndale School District recently partnered to build a community gym. Do you see additional opportunities for the city and the Lawndale School District to create similar partnerships?

Finding areas of city and school district shared interest has the potential to benefit all Lawndale citizens. I would like to see neighborhood arts centers housed on our middle school campuses which would operate both during and after school hours. A higher level of community involvement in our schools would be the result. With the upcoming addition of a second middle school, space would become readily available if planned for in advance. Courses in working with children through the arts could be offered at the centers and doing so would help to provide the district with a number of trained volunteers who could work in our schools. The arts can be a powerful tool in supporting and enhancing academic growth. For many students, the presence of or lack of arts programing can have a direct correlation with success or failure in school. Creating spaces where adult citizens, particularly seniors, mix with and work along side students could be a rewarding experience for everyone involved.

4. Some observers have expressed concern about the teachers union wielding too much influence in school board elections. Do you share this concern, or is it healthy for teachers to become more active in supporting candidates and expressing their views on local issues?

On both a personal and professional level, most teachers take great pains to keep their own political views out of the classroom. This self restraint is also extended to the larger educational community. The exception to this practice comes about when there are issues which directly effect students, schools or the teachers themselves. Viewed in this context, it would seem unreasonable or perhaps even irresponsible for teachers to remain silent or do nothing when they genuinely feel that one or two of the candidates seem to understand particular matters more clearly or have the best interest of students at heart. Having said that, I would also like to add that the process of giving an endorsement should never be taken lightly or done out of habit. There might be times when no endorsement is given at all. That could be an important statement, too.

5. Enrollments seem to be leveling off or decreasing in the Hawthorne, Lawndale and Lennox school districts. What challenges or opportunities do you think this trend offers for the Lawndale district?

Leveling off or even decreasing overall student population could be beneficial in some ways. Research has shown that students in smaller schools often perform better and find their experience of school to more fulfilling and nurturing. Certain expenses however, which are financed by district wide funding based on total population figures would, with a decrease, take a larger proportion of the fiscal resources of the school district. Particular programs such as special education, which already cost far more than federal and state funding provide for, would then take an even larger part of the district's general operating fund. That in turn would reduce funding for other programs if the lost revenue could not be made up for in some other way. A decrease in enrollment could be both better and worse for our students.

6. How would you assess the district's efforts to improve standardized test scores in recent years and what ideas do you have to continue the progress that has been made?

Ideally, well designed tests can inform our practice and make our efforts to teach more effective, but that's not what was happening prior to last year. The earlier state tests were not well aligned with curriculum frameworks. This meant that students were frequently tested on material which was not being taught throughout the year. The situation has improved, but the pressure to perform on these high stakes exams take a heavy toll on students and teachers alike. Very often the efforts to prepare for testing are so intense that they become mind numbing and in the end counterproductive. Striving to improve scores is essential, but questioning the developmental appropriateness and long term effects of such testing at ever younger ages is also imperative.

7. Please discuss any other issue that your campaign is highlighting.

It is likely that we will have to deal with the lingering effects of our very serious budget crisis for some time to come. It seems that a great deal of general life experience making difficult decisions combined with a detailed understanding of specialized educational issues would be of critical importance. In addition to that, any measure of individual resourcefulness must be balanced with the ability to work well as part of a team. I think what sets me apart most from other people is the effort put forth to understand the thinking of another rather than automatically argue when I find that I disagree with someone on a particular matter. I don't assume that my fellow contenders lack this inclination, but it is a rather rare quality. If I discover that one of the other candidates possess all of these characteristics, they will definitely have my vote.

Thank you for this opportunity to make my thoughts known. Sincerely, Craig Parks