Four Candidates Look to Secure Two Open Seats

CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - On August 30, the 2018 San Juan Candidate Forum was held at Citrus Heights City Hall. Four candidates are vying for two open seats on the school board of the San Juan Unified School District. The candidates are incumbent Mike McKibben and newcomers Myel Jenkins, Magali Kincaid, and Zima Creason (who was unable to attend the forum).

The candidates spoke passionately about their reasons for pursuing a board seat. The event was not a debate, but rather an informational forum giving candidates the opportunity to share their views and educational priorities with district voters.

Myel Jenkins has experience as a manager in community foundations and non-profits serving teens and their families. She is also an experienced district volunteer who spent a lot of time in the classroom and in PTA leadership roles. Jenkins started attending board meetings in 2013 after participating in focus groups of African American families for the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP), which provides additional support to the highest-needs kids in the district. Jenkins served on the LCAP since 2014 and termed out last year. She also served on the Sexual and Reproductive Health Curriculum Choice Committee and on the Superintendent Parent Advisory Committee.

Jenkins believes the district needs to resolve the achievement gap since not all students are succeeding. She stressed the importance of responding to the changing demographics and the shifting enrollment cycles in the district. Jenkins suggests a multi-tiered approach focused on increasing early-education opportunities to make sure students are kindergarten ready and to create more pathways to prepare students for success.

Jenkins said, “I’m running because San Juan is important to me as a parent and as a community member. I’m running as a parent voice, advocating for all of our kids in San Juan and ensuring that no matter what your zip code is that your child has access to high-quality education.”

Magali Kincaid strongly believes that every student deserves a quality education. As a college and law school graduate, she is an example of the achievements that are possible when students are given the motivation and confidence they need to succeed. Kincaid has volunteered in the classroom and been involved in PTA events and school site councils. She was appointed to the Curriculum, Standards, and Instruction Committee. She also served on the LCAP Strategic Planning Committee.

Kincaid said that the district needs to do more to address issues affecting vulnerable groups (such as students with disabilities, students of color, foster youth, and homeless youth) so they don’t fall behind. She explained that there is more diversity in the district so there is a need to create meaningful partnership with students, parents, and communities so that all students are represented. She believes the district needs to provide opportunities for students to learn in many ways in order to reach all the diverse students in the district.

As an elected official, Kincaid believes it would be her moral responsibility to be both transparent and accountable to the students and the community. She stated, “I believe that our students are owed a quality education. I believe that education is not only a civil right, but a human right. And I fight every single day as an advocate of education. And I work hard to make sure that barriers to students, of all backgrounds, are broken down to make sure that our students are succeeding…We owe that to all of our students.”

Incumbent Mike McKibben is a former teacher and has spent 15 years volunteering in district classrooms. He participated in school site councils and worked on the Second Step anti-bullying campaign within the district. He has served on the Superintendent Parent Advisory Committee; the Curriculum, Standards, and Instruction Committee; and the Strategic Planning Committee. For the last four years he has been a SJUSD board member and has served as president, vice president, and clerk. McKibben said that his greatest accomplishment on the board is the upward trajectory in the district’s graduation rates, test scores, literacy rates, and participation in the visual and performing arts.

McKibben said that students in vulnerable groups feel marginalized and the district needs to ensure all students feel welcome and supported.  He believes the district needs to address the high rate of suspensions by adopting alternatives such as restorative justice, cooling-off periods, and other options to keep kids in the classroom. McKibben’s priorities are making sure students feel welcome and that they know they need to make a commitment to their education.

McKibben stated, “My job as a school board member is to be the toughest question asker that I can be, to try to find out what is the right policy, what is the right way…I want to be a very careful steward of our public funds… It is important and incumbent on board members to make sure that our dollars are spent as wisely as possible. And finally, I want to be a roving catalyst: the idea of trying to find out the best ideas and put them into place so our kids can grow and thrive and find their passion.”

If you would like to watch the forum, it is available online at Youtube.com by searching “San Juan Candidate Forum 2018.”