School Board Candidate Interviews
Bill Gorback Interview:
Cindy Goldberg Interview:
Lisa Powell Interview:
Joelle Mancuso Interview:
Background Questions
- Please state your name/title, current occupation, and what position you are running for in this year’s school board election:
Joelle Mancuso, mother and college trustee, Conejo Valley Unified School District candidate Area 2.
2. Why are you running for school board?
How do you hope to represent your area’s concerns? I am running for school board to give parents and teachers a voice in our public schools
3. What is your experience prior to running for the school board?
Director of Training for a worldwide fitness company, business owner, volunteer for various Conejo Valley non profit organizations, previous volunteer for LVUSD Community Learning Center, an active member in the wider educational community in Conejo Valley, and currently a trustee of a college.
Election Basics
4. What are some goals/plans that you would like to accomplish if you win this election?
I would like to support the families in Conejo Valley by being responsive to their concerns. I’d like to create a more effective communication “bridge” by offering informal town hall-style meetings for my area. School board meetings have not been an effective way for parents to express their concerns. The current board rarely responds to public comments which has created high frustration in the community.
5. How do you think your experience will help you as a potential Trustee?
As a current trustee of a college, I’ve spent the last 12 years working effectively within my role, which requires specific communication skills; mainly listening and offering solutions that are workable for differing opinions.
6. How have you been keeping in touch with our community the past few weeks leading up to the election date?
I’ve been listening to the Area 2 community for the past few years, but more recently, the lionshare of my time has been spent walking Area 2, speaking to residents who are sharing their concerns regarding the district. Residents have been holding meet-and-greets in their private homes so that they can get to know me.
7. What are some things you would like to improve/change across our district/board?
As I said above, effective communication, a more balanced approach to introducing new programs/curriculum into the school district. The teachers often voice their opinions regarding their classroom practices and incoming curriculum, but their concerns have fallen on “deaf ears”. I believe our teachers deserve a more prominent voice regarding the materials they are required to present in their classrooms.
8. Talking about the budget, what would be your top priority for district spending? Do you believe that the district could better allocate its funds?
Our district is very top heavy and much of the excess funds are spent on adding administrative positions. I’d like to see more money reaching the classrooms; spending more on teacher needs. We have two years of academic “catch up” to solve and funding must be funneled into this area if we are going to help students succeed.
Equity and Inclusion
9. How do you plan on promoting equity and inclusion on our school sites?
Public education serves to provide equal opportunities and access for every enrolled student therefore, promoting this foundational pillar will be supported through oversight of policies and procedures throughout the district. All students should have equal access without barriers.
10. What are some issues that first got you involved with the school board?
A few years back, Superintendent McLaughlin consulted with me in regards to attracting families back into the district. Many had left the district to educate using outside charters and home education. The declining enrollment, coupled with the drop in academic scores made me question the leadership of our district and I took a two year “deep-dive” into the rhythms of the district; looking for weaknesses. I found many obvious problems that need to be addressed if the district desires improvements in their stewardship.
11. What do you think that the district is doing well in terms of equity and providing resources for all students to succeed?
They’ve succeeded in presenting online website content that attempts to show that they are following the range of equity programs and languaging.
12. Do you notice any areas of improvement?
Showing that you are “doing the equity ideology” and actually offering something of substance–something that helps students learn and teachers teach is an entirely different process. No matter what materials/opportunities are provided to a student, hard work and tenacity will always be an ingredient that is required to succeed.
13. What is your opinion on including LGBTQ+ and nonbinary gender topics into CVUSD’s sex ed curriculum?
A school board member is required to use the framework required by the Healthy Youth Act and provide a comprehensive sex education program at 7th and 9th grades. The current curriculum being used in our schools has been highly controversial because many teachers were not on board with the curriculum choice and the most radical curriculum was chosen irregardless of protestations. A board trustee acts as the community advocate for the families and citizens in Conejo Valley and must take great care in making decisions that support the culture in the community.
14. How should the district best support transgender students?
Meet them where they’re at, offer experienced counselors that can help them navigate a rather unsettling time of development and encourage family involvement and strategies for connection and understanding. I remember my own high school experience and how a mentor helped me process some rather challenging situations during my own life. Just having someone to listen to and to and help me reconnect with my parents was very helpful. As with any student going through life, trying to figure out where you “fit” and just wanting to “matter” while everyone else is trying to do the same thing, can be very difficult.
Mental Health
15. What are your thoughts on social and emotional learning in the classroom, also known as teaching self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, responsible decision-making?
This is a nuanced subject as many of these skills are culturally determined through a family’s personal values. As a Board Trustee, one must always consider where the school’s culture and the family culture intersects. The mental and emotional wellbeing of every student is important and any behavior in the classroom should not interrupt the education of another student. The Social Emotional Learning ideology that has been introduced into the classroom cannot be opted out of, therefore, great care must be taken in regards to the school taking over in what is typically a parenting role. The introduction of new, untested curriculum, such as SEL, will take away from the necessary time needed for teachers to address the learning losses from two years of “zoom school.”
Student voices
16. Why do you think CVUSD has faced declining enrollment for the past several years? How do you hope to combat that?
I think every district goes in cycles but our numbers have been very dramatic due to families moving out of the state. For those families who are not moving, many have chosen to leave the district due to the lack of transparency between what is happening in classrooms and parent knowledge. Parents are desiring education that focuses on the fundamentals of reading, writing, math, science, and history and are concerned that their children will not be equipped to be successful after graduation. They’ve moved to private schools or homeschooling for their educational needs.
17. What is your position on lowering the voting age?
I have a position on voting ignorance, but not a position on voting age. It seems that the role of voting as a citizen duty has been long forgotten. I’d like to see a more general change in how we all view the “role of the citizen” and take a more serious role in our local and state issues. It would be terrific to see more attendance at School Board and City Council meetings.
18. Do you have any plans to further boost the influence of student voices in our district? If so, what specifically do you plan to do?
I’d like to see more opportunities for students to be mentored by local leadership so that they can learn through experience. High School is a time for exploring interests and we have many industries in Conejo Valley that would like to work with our students, in hopes of attracting them to stay in the Thousand Oaks area to work and raise families. It would be wonderful to see more young people sticking around to help our community thrive.
Final
19. Why do you think you should win this year’s election?
I think the frustration among the families and citizens in my area has reached an all time high and they want to see change on the Board. “The people who’ve gotten us into this mess cannot get us out” is a common sentiment.
20. Are there any last words you would like to say or mention about you as a candidate? Anything for our readers to know more about you?
The Conejo Valley public schools were once what attracted me to Conejo Valley. I believe that revamping the Board by refocusing on students, teachers, and parents will be the way to getting the district back on track. We have a very diverse community and must take great care to rebuild trust and transparency between our families and district leadership.
Sophia deDomenico Interview:
Background Questions
- Please state your name/title, current occupation, and what position you are running for in this year’s school board election
My name is Sophia deDomenico and I am running for Conejo Valley School Trustee in Area 4. I am a business owner, wife, mom, former foster parent, former PTSA board member, and community volunteer.
2. Why are you running for school board? How do you hope to represent your area’s concerns?
I am running for school board because I love this community. Over the past 3 years I’ve watched as our students and teachers have struggled in many ways. Anxiety is at an all time high, we have the largest list of failing students our district has ever seen, our teachers are being pushed to the max without additional support, and our students most valuable ally, their families, are being pushed out of the equation. This has been done by a board that votes in everything on the agenda 5-0 without a discussion or question. Our teachers and parents have stood up and spoken out on behalf of students yet our board ignores them and votes without consideration towards their collective agenda. Our district serves a diverse population. To ensure the best outcomes for all students we need to get back to hearing a variety of concerns, discussing, and voting on behalf of the best agreed upon solutions.
3. What is your experience prior to running for the school board?
First and foremost I am a graduate of CVUSD! My husband and I specifically moved back to this area for the public schools because my educational experience was so great. My kids are elementary aged and prior to COVID I was on the PTSA board at our CVUSD school. I am a former foster parent in the county, I have vast experience working with different types of families and students. I am an active community volunteer, I have served on everything from starting a Mom’s group, to running a children’s department at a local religious institution, to working with the Boys and Girls club, running fundraising events for organizations like the CF Foundation and Gabriel’s house, a homeless shelter for women and children, to being a team parent on sports teams. Paired with my business background of not only operating my own businesses but the 11 years I spent in corporate America leading teams of diverse individuals towards collective goals I’d say I have a well suited background to meet the needs of our community.
Election Basics
4. What are some goals/plans that you would like to accomplish if you win this election?
I would like to get back to prioritizing our student’s needs above anything else. Right now our students are struggling both academically and emotionally. We need to collaborate with both their families and teachers to best serve all students. If we haven’t done our best to prepare students academically for their individual path forward after high school graduation, we’ve failed them. I would also like to push to have reasonable increased security measures on our school campuses. We live in a different world than when I was in school. Our students deserve a safe learning environment and our teacher/ staff a safe workplace.
5. How do you think your experience will help you as a potential Trustee?
I am the only minority candidate running for trustee. I am a first generation hispanic American and daughter to a father who came here as a teenager who didn’t speak English. I think if we are truly to prioritize an inclusive and diversified school environment than having the perspective from a person of color on the board is helpful. I am also a parent and former foster parent. Unlike the other trustees I have the benefit of having school aged children right now. This means I am constantly engaging with community members from many different viewpoints who have ties to students in our district.
6. How have you been keeping in touch with our community the past few weeks leading up to the election date?
I have been meeting with as many community members as possible to hear their perspective. I have met on multiple occasions with school site staff, teachers, parents, and students. My goal is to interact with as many people as possible. It is only through seeking to understand a variety of perspectives that we can best meet the needs of our community.
7. What are some things you would like to improve/change across our district/board?
One of my top priorities is school safety. We must prioritize better surveillance and protocols to ensure that violence doesn’t ever occur. There is money in the budget to do this yet the current board has never prioritized this.
I also want to help students and teachers close any learning gaps left by COVID campus closures. Our school staff did the best they could to provide our students with excellent education during the pandemic. Current testing shows that we still have some ground to make up. If we graduate students who are not academically prepared for their road after high school we’ve failed them. My goal is to support educators as they tackle this task, come up with creative programing that does not further bog down our educators but assists them in meeting our shared goals, and engage our student’s primary allies, each student’s family, to assist in this mission. We need to all be on the same page to help our students thrive.
8. Talking about the budget, what would be your top priority for district spending? Do you believe that the district could better allocate its funds?
While I think our district has done some things well I believe there are still many ways we can better utilize our resources. I would start with safety measures.
Equity and Inclusion
9. How do you plan on promoting equity and inclusion on our school sites?
We serve a diverse population at CVUSD. All students deserve to feel included in every way on our campuses and through our programs. As a minority myself I am a huge advocate of equality of opportunity. I want to work with schools to have a diverse representation on each school committee. While racial representation is important there are also other aspects we need to include, those from different socio-economic backgrounds for one example to make sure we are hearing from many sources to make the best decisions for our community.
10. What are some issues that first got you involved with the school board?
The biggest issue that got me involved in this race was our declining school enrollment. In talking to many different people it is clear that people are fleeing our public schools because they do not feel represented or heard. Our school board is not meeting the needs of our community. You can see this through our massive withdrawal rate while private schools and homeschool groups flourish with wait lists. It is the job of a school board trustee to fight for the collective. This requires engaging with community members, seeking to understand their unique perspectives, discussing agenda items, and working together with members of different viewpoints to make decisions to best meet our students’ needs. Right now our board votes a collective 5-0 to approve every agenda item without a discussion or question. If elected I hope to bring balance to the board by discussing perspectives and solutions prior to voting things through.
11. What do you think that the district is doing well in terms of equity and providing resources for all students to succeed? Do you notice any areas of improvement?
I have heard from teachers and students that we are making good strides to provide all students with equality of opportunity. The two groups I believe we can do more for are our special needs populations and English as a second language students. In my conversations with key stakeholders there seems to still be barriers between these groups and their access to resources. They need to be better included in generalized school programs as a whole.
12. What is your opinion on including LGBTQ+ and nonbinary gender topics into CVUSD’s sex ed curriculum?
I am an advocate of sexual education. Students need to be provided with factual, scientific based curriculum to give them their best knowledge base. LGBTQ+ and non-binary subjects are part of the California state standard for health and humanities. Topics related to these aspects are mandated.
13. How should the district best support transgender students?
I believe that transgendered students need to be supported and included in all aspects of their school experience. Like any other social or medical difference it is important to foster a community that bolsters kindness, empathy, and respect towards all students. This is regardless of sex, race, gender, sexual identity, religion, creed, or socio-economic status. I believe a large part of creating a healthy and inclusive environment lies in including each student’s family. Families are not the enemy and in fact any student’s biggest ally. I say that even as a foster parent who for years worked with families who had their children removed due to some sort of abuse. We can bolster a more inclusive school environment overall if we can engage families and have them reinforce a culture of support for these students outside of school.
Mental Health
14. What are your thoughts on social and emotional learning in the classroom, also known as teaching self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, responsible decision-making? I think that anytime we can bolster skills of emotional intelligence and mature decision making it is a good thing.
Student voices
15. Why do you think CVUSD has faced declining enrollment for the past several years? How do you hope to combat that?
The declining enrollment has to do with our district’s leadership. They are creating a culture of self serving agendas and unnecessary divisiveness. Our families have simply lost faith in our board and district superintendent because they don’t feel heard. Their student’s needs are not being met so they are finding alternative options. After talking to countless teachers I can confirm that they too have low morale and do not feel supported. This is unacceptable. I am a big believer in the motto, “seek to understand before you seek to be understood.” The current board has had 4 years to prove themselves. Simply put, they got us into this mess and they cannot get us out of it. It’s going to take a new perspective from a new board. People who are willing to listen to all voices, openly discuss matters, and problem solve to meet the needs of our students. We can get this back on track, we just need new leadership to do so.
16. What is your position on lowering the voting age?
Lowering the voting age is outside my scope. However, as a school board trustee candidate I am passionate about training students to have critical thinking skills so they can listen, ask questions, assess, and make informed choices at any age. Whether the voting age changes or not we need to prepare our students to be able to vote but teaching them these crucial skills.
17. Do you have any plans to further boost the influence of student voices in our district? If so, what specifically do you plan to do?
I want to regularly visit campuses and engage with students to hear their perspectives. I want to have an open door policy and encourage students to reach out to me directly to share their experience. We cannot best serve our students unless we understand their perspectives, make informed choices on their behalf, and communicate the reasoning behind our decisions.
Final
18. Why do you think you should win this year’s election?
The definition of insanity is to continue to make the same choice over again and expect a different result. This board has had the time to prove themselves. Their actions speak louder than their words. The fact is the community is responding. We are not losing students because of a housing crisis, we are losing them due to inept leadership. In fact the statistics show that 60% of all students who’ve left our district are still in the area. These trends show us that our current direction is not working. We must make a change for the best interest of all students. I am a candidate with a proven track record of community involvement. I have the business acumen to do the job. I have children which means I have vested interest in the success of our schools. I am also someone who will listen to all voices, ask questions, and work with different viewpoints to find the best solutions to meet the needs of our students.
19. Are there any last words you would like to say or mention about you as a candidate? Anything for our readers to know more about you?
I am a person of diverse background who knows what it’s like for kids with difficulties and differences to navigate the school experience. I am a first generation hispanic American who had to navigate CVUSD during a time that was even less diverse than it is now. I am a mom to a child with some special needs so I’ve had to walk through the systems in our district to gain additional support for his educational experience. I was also a foster parent who supported a myriad of kids from tragic backgrounds to help them heal and succeed. I know what’s missing in our district. I am a proven leader who will not give up. I will not be afraid to do the right thing.
Karen Meyer Interview:
Background Questions
- Please state your name/title, current occupation, and what position you are running for in this year’s school board election
My name is Karen Meyer. I am currently retired. I am running for the position of School Board Trustee in area 3.
- Why are you running for school board? How do you hope to represent your area’s concerns?
I am running for school board because I believe we have moved away from the true purpose of education. I would like to see academics take a larger role in education. There are many parents who feel they are underrepresented in matters relating to their child’s education. I want to make sure every parent has a voice and feels that their concerns are being recognized and addressed. I would like to hold informal town hall meetings at each school in my area to allow me to listen and respond to parental concerns
- What is your experience prior to running for the school board?
I spent 5 years working with an organization that mentored 9–18-year-old students living in the Culver City projects. We provided tutoring to assist them with their schooling. We also organized educational field trips to museums and historical sites, as well as fun trips to local amusement parks and recreational areas. We stressed community involvement, organized food drives, and worked with local senior citizen centers and hospitals. As part of that organization, I learned a lot about the challenges facing low-income families of color, as well as their many strengths.
I raised my two children in Conejo Valley District schools. While my children were in elementary school I volunteered as both a room mom and field trip chaperone. In middle school I was on the fund-raising committee for the band program and for two years was president of the Color Guard. I continued to work with the high school color guard as a volunteer and chaperone for competitions.
I worked for the school district for15 years as a receptionist at Westlake High School and retired 3 years ago.
Election Basics
- What are some goals/plans that you would like to accomplish if you win this election?
I would like to improve school security to prevent vandalism and potential threats. I will also be inspecting fiscal expenditures to avoid issues I have witnessed in the past where money was wasted because decisions were made hastily. And, as I said before, I would like to establish informal town hall meetings to allow parents to have a dialog with their area trustee.
- How do you think your experience will help you as a potential Trustee?
My 15 years working for the District gives me a unique perspective on school issues. I have a solid knowledge of the culture and history of our District.
- How have you been keeping in touch with our community the past few weeks leading up to the election date?
I have been keeping up with the District and our community by meeting with teachers and parents to learn about both their worries and hopes for our District. In the past few weeks, I have knocked on hundreds of doors in my area and spoken to parents, grandparents, and tax payers, about their concerns. I learned that bullying is a much larger issue than was originally thought. Apparently our “Zero Tolerance” policy has not solved the problem.
- What are some things you would like to improve/change across our district/board?
The most important change I would like to see on our school board is more public discussion on items brought up on the agenda. The school board is supposed to be a public forum to allow parents and community members to hear and participate in the decision-making process on school expenditures, board policy and curriculum.
- Talking about the budget, what would be your top priority for district spending? Do you believe that the district could better allocate its funds?
I would like to see more money going directly to student, teacher and staff support. In my opinion, if you make sure students, teachers, and staff have the financial support they need – everything improves. As I mentioned earlier, in the past the District has rushed into decisions – only to discover later that even more money had to be expended to address issues that could have been avoided with a little more foresight.
Equity and Inclusion
- How do you plan on promoting equity and inclusion on our school sites?
In the past year, our District has made major improvements to equity and inclusion. Adding two new Directors, building SEL into class times, and forming DAC committees to get input from parents were just a few of the changes made in the last few years. I would like to meet with parents and students to see what they think needs to be improved on. I suspect some of the bullying issues will need to be addressed here.
- What are some issues that first got you involved with the school board?
Declining enrollment, an increase in D’s and F’s in our grades, math classes not adequately preparing students for college, parental involvement being looked on as a negative, teachers not getting the support they need to teach their classes, and school safety.
- What do you think that the district is doing well in terms of equity and providing resources for all students to succeed? Do you notice any areas of improvement?
Already answered in #9.
12. What is your opinion on including LGBTQ+ and nonbinary gender topics into CVUSD’s sex ed curriculum?
I believe this is already included in the sex ed curriculum. I would have to talk to parents, students, and teachers to learn where the program is helping or failing.
- How should the district best support transgender students?
I believe the District is already supporting transgender students in several ways. I would like to see other groups be supported as well. We have 16,000+ students and I want to make sure that all students, and their challenges, are being addressed.
Mental Health
- What are your thoughts on social and emotional learning in the classroom, also known as teaching self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, responsible decision-making?
I would like to explore the possibility of a separate class being offered as a ¼ semester class that would cover these and other issues for which students might not be properly prepared. A “Life Studies” type of class could incorporate all of these skills and support services without taking teaching time away from other classes. When I worked for the district, we had school psychologists on staff to help students with serious mental issues. I would like to see this resource restored.
Student Voices
- Why do you think CVUSD has faced declining enrollment for the past several years? How do you hope to combat that?
Several factors contribute to declining enrollment. Part of the problem is the mass exodus of families from California. Another issue is parents removing their children from public school to place them in private, parochial or charter schools. Many parents are choosing to home school their children. Our District has a trust problem. Many parents no longer feel the school has their student’s best interest as a priority. This is a problem that can’t be solved quickly, and has components that are beyond the school board’s purview. I think the first step is to rebuild trust by listening to all parents and working together to provide an education that stresses excellence, academics, and equal opportunities for all students.
- What is your position on lowering the voting age?
This is not something in which a school board trustee has any say. My children are adults so this question has no impact on my life. This is up to Sacramento or Washington. My opinion will have no weight in this decision.
- Do you have any plans to further boost the influence of student voices in our district? If so, what specifically do you plan to do?
I know we have a student DAC, and there are various clubs on campuses that support different cultures and interests. This is something I would have to discuss with students throughout the District. Maybe a student “town hall meeting” would be a way to gather ideas from the student population.
Final
18. Why do you think you should win this year’s election?
I am confident that I have the skills necessary to navigate the current issues in our District and make informed decisions to improve the educational process, bring academics back to the forefront of education and build trust with the parents in our community.
19. Are there any last words you would like to say or mention about you as a candidate? Anything for our readers to know more about you?
I have been a resident of Thousand Oaks for 28 years. My husband and I chose Thousand Oaks because it had a reputation for great schools and being a safe city. My children got a great education and the opportunity to participate in wonderful extracurricular activities. I want to bring our District back to that degree of excellence in education. Every child deserves an education that will prepare them for their life ahead – whether that be college or immediately entering the workforce. The students of today will be the business owners, entrepreneurs and world leaders of tomorrow. We cannot afford to fail in our responsibility to provide them the tools they need to succeed in their endeavors.