The Morgan Hill Times gave each school board candidate a slate
of eight questions. Here are the answers from Brenda Cayme.
The Morgan Hill Times gave each school board candidate a slate of eight questions. Here are the answers from Brenda Cayme.
- What prompted you to run?
The children are the priority in this school district and in listening to many parents and staff; I have seen a downturn in this district’s educational system and the morale of this community. I want to make a positive change which would directly benefit the children in this district. It began when my daughter started kindergarten 3 years ago and she had to change classroom/teacher after 3 weeks into school. She was scared enough just starting school and now it was yet another change after becoming comfortable with the teacher and had made some friends. My husband and I were in the principal’s office at least 4 times in 6 weeks. Today, I have a 1st and 3rd grader and my desire to be a part of the movement to improve our schools and make a positive change for all of our children is even stronger.
- The 2012 school year is forecasted to be the worst in terms of the size of the budget deficit, which is projected at $12 million. Do you have any ideas on how the school district can save money?
Performance-based salaries:
Staff will be more vested if their salaries are based on performance. In listening to parents, there are both the good and the not so good staff. For the “not so good staff,” their performance would improve if it is linked to their salaries and likewise the good staff needs to be rewarded.
Involve the community:
As the economy continues to be unstable along with employment, let’s involve the community. Many people are willing to volunteer at the schools. Some examples are correctly papers, making copies, assist in the classroom to help an individual student read, and there is so much more. Anything that can help the teachers so that they can maximize their teaching time in the classrooms would benefit both the students and teachers. Let’s ask the teachers and I’m sure they would welcome the help. One hour a week or one hour a month would go a long way in helping the school system continue so that there are no more cuts in programs which directly affect the students.
Review the budget closely and ask the following questions:
Consider where the monies resulted in benefiting the students, was it evaluable, was the result a positive change.
Evaluate the programs which did not result in a benefit to the students.
Discuss with staff what worked and what did not work in the past.
- What three priorities would you like to accomplish while on the board?
Closing the Achievement Gap
Improving the schools to meet state academic standards and ensure we have no PI schools remaining in this district.
Fostering an environment of respect among the students and all adults involved with the students. Teachers, parents and administration must all work together and lead our children by example.
- How will you pay for any programs or services you want to retain or add?
Assess the staff as to who maybe qualified to fulfill more than 1 role? Assess the budget in detail and look at costs which are not essential or do not directly benefit the students. As a basic principle, do not spend more money than what has been allocated in the budget.
- What are your ideas to close the achievement gap?
It’s simple and basic. All students need to complete their homework. A student learns by doing homework. Can the community help with helping students complete their homework (tutoring 1 hour after school, 2-3 times per week). This addresses the lower performing students; but, let’s also challenge the high performing students. As all students’ scores rise, the achievement gap narrows.
Beyond the basic and simple we need to form an advisory committee to take a look at the high performing schools within the district; determine what they are doing right and duplicate it in our underperforming PI schools.
- Explain your understanding of the school board’s role?
The organization/reporting system is as follows:
Teachers – Principal – Superintendent – School Board
The board has a role in decision making for approximately 10-12 % of the district’s budget. The school board must be the voice of the people in the community. Also, reference the Morgan Hill Unified School District, Board of Education, Board Policy Manual for additional details of the roles and responsibilities of a board member. I am also a realist and understand that changes cannot be made overnight or by a single individual; but, I would encourage change that would benefit and immediately be seen at the student/teacher level.
- What are the top challenges facing the district?
Improve leadership from the top to bottom levels in the district so that the 4 remaining elementary schools, not under program improvement, continue to perform to state standards. For the 4 remaining schools currently under program improvement, changes should occur immediately once a school is given notice that it is under program improvement. History in this district is that change does not occur until a school has been under program improvement for 4-5 years. This is not acceptable especially if you consider five years affects the majority of a student’s elementary school education. NO CHILD SHOULD HAVE TO SPEND THE MAJORITY OF THEIR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL EDUCATION IN AN UNDER-PERFORMING PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT SCHOOL!
- In light of the Cinco de Mayo incident at LOHS, what steps would you take, if any, to improve race relations? What policy revisions should be made prior to May 5, 2012?
Evaluate and assess the circumstances which lead to that situation. Were there signs that should have been seen by staff and if not, can the staff be trained to see those signs which led to the volatile situation. Talk about what happened to the students and staff. Develop and implement curriculum that fosters racial unity and sensitivity for students and staff that can be presented to students annually during their advisory period. Learn from what happened and how do we prevent it from happening again.
