Jackie Reid
Santa Barbara Unified School Board
| Website: | jackiereid.org |
| Facebook: | facebook.com/Re-elect-Jackie-Reid-to-SB-School-Board-111070334067576 |
| Why are you running for office?: | When I first joined this board in 2016, it was because I was passionate about equity, and I saw the need with a new Superintendent and 3 new Board positions open at that time, to step forward to ensure that this would be sustained and moved deliberately and strategically forward. We are in that same position again, with 3 positions on the Board open and a new Superintendent. So, once again, I see the need and importance to remain on this Board for these same reasons. In the context of this challenging pandemic, it is crucial that the leadership of the District continue to have an experienced Board member like myself. I am also excited about our selection of the new Superintendent—but this is also a case where having an experienced Board member is essential in providing historical perspectives, understanding policies, the district budget, the systems of the district administration and teaching staff, and being a well-known public liaison to the community. Clearly, I am passionate that this district continues to thrive and flourish in both good times and more challenging times like we are in now. The three most important issues facing the School Board are: 1. Pandemic: Healthy and Safety/Rigorous teaching/learning: As we navigate this pandemic, it is crucial to ensure the health and safety of our students, teachers, and staff. I believe it is imperative to provide rigorous distance and in-person teaching and learning. 2. Equity/Access: As a past classroom teacher, I know the importance of strong early childhood programs to ensure a pathway to student achievement. I am an educational advocate for ALL students, and passionate about equity and access by centering on the needs of students of color, persons with disabilities, and those who are furthest from educational justice in our system. 3. Improve our academic and literacy skills: We must improve the academic and literacy skills of all our students across our district schools using data driven strategies and the whole child approach while maintaining fiscal responsibility and prioritizing our resources. My three top priorities in addressing these issues are: 1. Liaison for Parents/Community: I am committed to continue working rigorously on behalf of our students and teachers, and as a public liaison to families and the community. 2. Equity/Access--Close Opportunity Gap: Continue advocacy for all students to be career and/or college ready while providing equity/access for of students of color, persons with disabilities, and those who are furthest from educational justice in our system. Support early educational programs to provide strong pathway to achievement. 3. Fiscally responsible: Continue to monitor budget to ensure that we are fiscally sound. The success of this school district is directly linked to being able to integrate a fiscal budget with ethical practices to ensure "every child, every chance, every day. |
| What makes you qualified for the job?: | It is a time of great change in public education, and I am an incumbent with a proven track record, bringing experience and commitment to address the opportunity gap to ensure each student is prepared for career and/or college. I have served as Board President, Vice President which I currently am again, and Clerk—so I have been voted into leadership positions every year since being on this board. Not only have I served on this Board, but I have worked professionally in education for close to 30 years—and it truly has been and continues to be my passion. I believe my educational experience is an asset to this position. I hold an MA and PhD in Education from UCSB, and a MEd and Teaching Credential from Pepperdine. My life’s work has been to support students, teachers, and now women with opportunities to achieve and be successful in an inclusive and equitable way. I have been a past classroom teacher, developed my own educational consultancy to support inclusion and peer mediation practices, directed anti-bias work and professional development for the Santa Barbara/Tri-Counties Anti-Defamation League. I launched my own non-profit, Teachers for the Study of Educational Institutions, to develop equity driven/inclusive curricula that meets the FAIR ACT state mandate while providing professional support to teachers, and most recently directed the Teacher Education Program at Antioch University. I have also taught masters programs that support teachers’ development of their practice. Currently, I am coordinating the development and launch of the Women in Leadership Certificate Program (Level 1) for Santa Barbara City College, School of Extended Learning, to provide early to mid-career women opportunities to seek skills to gain new leadership roles in the workplace. I am also the National Director of the Women in Leadership Certificate Program (Level 2) at Antioch University Online, Distance and Extended Learning, which will also be launched in January 2021. This is considered a second level program that will provide early to mid-career level women opportunities to develop transformational leadership within the social change movement, based on pillars within the Social Justice framework--equity, inclusion and intersectionality. For all of these reasons, I believe my experience in the workplace and on the Board make me the best educational advocate for all students in my role as SB Unified School Board Trustee. |
| What are your two main priorities if you win?: | Safe, healthy reopening of our schools—and keeping our schools open for teaching and learning: My first priority to is to the safe and healthy and inclusive reopening of our schools so that our students, staff and community are protected. I believe it is important that we bring back face-to-face teaching and learning that is inclusive and equitable for all students. Returning to the classroom is the most optimum situation for all our students. I believe this pandemic can also shed light on ways we can improve our teaching and learning – I think it can provide opportunities for us to find new ways to better support our students with disabilities and ELD emergent learners. Improve our academic and literacy scores across district schools: I believe we also need to improve our academic and literacy scores for all students across our district schools. We want to ensure that all students have access to the support or scaffolding they need to improve and achieve to the best of their abilities. This means we need to do a deeper dive into using data driven strategies that support the whole child approach. We must look at the best practices of our schools that have successfully augmented their test scores so that we can help all students achieve no matter what school they attend. This work must be done within the equity framework ensuring that all students have the supports they need to achieve and become college and/or career ready. |
| How will you interact with other governments?: | As a public liaison to the district, I have developed strong relationships with our community leaders in Goleta and Santa Barbara. I will continue to work collaboratively with the local governments so that we can support all our students and families and ensure our students success to graduate and be ready for the world that is yet to be created. |
| What are your plans to help overcome COVID-19?: | I have publicly stated the importance of our community to wear masks, maintaining social distancing, and following the state and local public health official’s leadership. I will continue to model this behavior and promote our community to working to follow these important steps. The Governor’s new color system defines that as orange and the least risk is in the color gold. We need to be 2 weeks in a phase 2 to open schools. In terms of the SBUSD’s reopening of schools, the focus for next three weeks by the executive cabinet and principals will be: o implement small cohorts for students with the most acute learning needs, o conduct staff COVID 19 testing o phase in athletic programs o survey parents o assess safety protocols, readiness for the next phase, and staffing capacity. o take the lessons learned from the actions above and use these to continue to plan the feasibility of implementing the hybrid model once the county reaches the “orange” tier. The superintendent’s recommendation is that if all conditions are favorable, we open second semester and of course there could be a soft rollout as what’s been started with small cohorts/athletics. As we learn from the processes as they unfold, we will be able to move from each phase based on lessons learned coupled with county infection rates. |
| Which two issues are most important to you?: | I am committed to address the opportunity gap, and passionate about equity and access for students of color, persons with disabilities, and others who are often marginalized by the educational system. Learning about the community and cultures leads to learning about others in our communities and promotes inclusion. My passion has always been about equity and it is why I ran to be on the board in 2016 and this re-election I support student advocacy and it has been amazing to see the awareness that our students have about our society and locally in the community and the work they are doing to elicit change—these are issues that I support. I believe it is important to continue to listen to all of our students and strongly supported the demand of our Black youth and have pushed for follow-up action plans to meet those demands. Ensuring inclusive and culturally relevant pedagogy and supporting students with disabilities and our LGBTQ+ youth. Equity should also be the overarching lens from which we view all of our district practices. I was involved in the initial discussion of the creation of the culturally proficient framework to address equity: the areas of the framework consist of: School Climate, Family engagement, curriculum, educator hiring and retention, professional development and instruction and assessment. Community Liaison – with transparency In my role as SB Unified School Board Trustee, I continue to be committed to be a community public liaison so that we can support the needs of our parents, teachers, and students. As we face these unprecedented times, I want to be a strong voice for our community. |
Extended Interview with Jackie Reid
Santa Barbara Unified School District Candidate Forum
