Six candidates, four questions, and only a minute and a half to share; the 2022 PRJUSD school board candidates addressed student questions in a tutorial forum on Nov. 3. 

The forum took place in the PAC where each of the six candidates sat across the stage. From District 1, Chris Arend, Peter Byrne, and Jim Cogan were present. Candidates Sondra Williams and Frank Triggs were present from District 4, as well as Adelita Hiteshew for the at-large seat.

After each candidate was given the opportunity to give an introduction, ASB president Olivia Wright presented the questions, and each candidate was given a minute and a half to share. 

The questions, submitted by PRHS students, covered a wide range of on-campus issues from having an open campus to the current culture and climate of PRHS:

Now that students can get lunch at no cost, the number of food options has gone down. How can you help facilitate student discussion around exploring new food options and choices?

“If you have some suggestions you can talk to the Culinary Institute, you can talk to your administrators. You can always talk to a board member, they’ll listen to your request, put you in touch, and maybe it’s something that can be added to the menu.”
Chris Arend

“I think the parents should be responsible for making lunches for their children. I don’t particularly agree with the idea of providing lunches throughout schools.”
Peter Byrne

“I’m up on the Chamber of Commerce and we can help facilitate conversations with other members of the chamber who have restaurants that might be interested in helping dissipate, but really we have to start with you as students and what you would like to see. The way we help facilitate that is through your elected representative.”
Jim Cogan

“I think it’s really important to remember we have a wide range of people and we have different dietary requirements, needs, and desires on a day to day basis. So having something that’s options, and variable, that fits into the budget I think is ultimately useful.”
Sondra Williams

“I went to school here and we had a lot of food options, so we were begging our teachers to let us out so we could have time to eat our food. Having conversations with students across all of the realms, because everybody’s preferences are going to be different, I think would be incredibly beneficial.”
Adelita Hiteshew

“They may be free to students, but they’re being paid for by the taxpayers, by their parents. So there’s no such thing as free lunch. But I do think we should provide people’s dietary needs. We hope that we’re going to meet those so let us know if we’re not and we can discuss it and see if it’s feasible to be flexible.”
Frank Triggs

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In your view, what is the purpose of a free and public education and why is that important for society?

“The only way to really succeed in life is to develop your full potential. The US Army used to have a recruiting slogan: “be all you can be”. I don’t expect that everyone in this room wants to become a lawyer, doctor, accountant, or any of the other sort of academic professions, but we have to offer a wide range so you can develop your full potential. We are doing that already in the school district and we hope to keep on doing it even more.”
Chris Arend

“There’s nothing more I’d like to see than 100% public education, I think people should have one. It goes back several hundred years. At that time there was not 100% of people getting educated, but now they have the opportunity. We need to get back to teaching basic skills. Again there’s nothing more I’d like to see than public education because they have a lot of opportunity that private schools don’t.”
Peter Byrne

“You are paying for your education because we’re all taxpayers. The point in that is that a free and appropriate education, which is the legal term, is supposed to be secured by this board for everyone. It’s for all of our students despite the way we divide ourselves. I mention that because that’s what we’re here running for, to make sure that you get the opportunities that you’ve paid for and your families are paying for and that you have earned by participating in our government.”
Jim Cogan

“In my view, it is important that all students have access to free and public education. You are our future nurses, you are our future leaders, you are our future teachers. Education should be a right of everybody and should be equally available to all students. If we do not invest in that, the future of our infrastructure, the future of our education, the future of our trades will greatly suffer because we will not have the foundation and structure that’s necessary.”
Sondra Williams

“It’s important to understand that we don’t all come from the same starting point. We have to look at how each of us learn and how each of us grow, and meet people where they are, meet students where they are, so that we all have the same outcome at the end of graduation of potentially college or vocational careers as we walk out of these halls. It is incumbent on the adult leadership to meet those standards for students.”
Adelita Hiteshew

“From the beginning of this nation, it was significant that all across the nation, education was provided universally to everyone. It’s free to the person that’s receiving education because these are the younger folks that are not paying as much taxes as the older ones. We’ve had a great philosophy of education starting from kindergarten through high school. It’s been very effective for our nation.”
Frank Triggs

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What are your views on making Paso Robles High School an open campus?

“I’m very skeptical about an open campus. The main purpose you’re here is to get an education. If you take a break, walk down to the supermarket, and come back again, it’s going to cost a lot of time if a lot of students are doing it. I’m sure every student would come back in time to recommence class right here, right? We’ve got to be realistic about operations here.”
Chris Arend

“I think right now as a society it’s too dangerous to have an open campus. You can’t have people coming and going, especially from the outside. You’ve seen the news lately, so we need to have tight regulation. It would be nice if we didn’t have to, but I think we’re going to have to have a not open campus. Having an open campus will unfortunately be taken advantage of by students who are not responsible. That doesn’t do them any good, and that doesn’t do the school any good.”
Peter Byrne

“I think it gives you a little bit more responsibility. I think there’s things we need to balance of course with security and other concerns. You know, a lot of it comes down to our view of you as as students. I think those who are rabidly against an open campus probably don’t have the same respect for you as individuals and people who have your own autonomy and are able to make your own decisions.”
Jim Cogan

“I think we as adults are asking you as students to do an incredible amount of work and responsibility. When I looked at my high school schedule, sports, and everything else, to say that you’re incapable of leaving and coming back on campus on time is honestly disrespectful.”
Sondra Williams

“Closest restaurants are going to be very congested and traffic is going to be really difficult to manage. But I think that if students are interested in making it an option for lunch, then you guys can come to the table to bring solutions. Once those solutions are found, I think it’s a great solution to food choice and congestion on campus.”
Adelita Hiteshew

“With all of our best efforts and some school districts without their best efforts, some very bad things have happened. So there’s that balance of tension. I’m not sure how we’re going to resolve that because an open campus would be great. I have a feel for it. But I don’t want your lives to be put at risk at any time in any way. We’re all a very diverse group of people. But one thing we have in common is that the most important thing you have is your lives.”
Frank Triggs

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How would you describe the current culture and climate at Paso Robles High School? What ideas do you have for helping the culture and climate?

“The board and the administration, we set the parameters and one of those is of course, no bullying. We are taking the position as school board, and I’ve taken it in various conversations. Absolutely no bullying, bullying cannot be tolerated from anybody, and it should be punished. We have a number of sanctions that can be imposed depending on the severity of it. It is our job to improve and provide for you an academic environment in which you can thrive in your education, where you can pursue your interests, have a wide range of extracurriculars, and student organizations.”
Chris Arend

“Parental rights number one, I think before any students under the age of 18 go in any of these clubs, the parent should be notified of what the club is and sign off on it. I don’t know if that will happen but it’s what should happen. It is a parental rights issue. No school facilities of any kind should be used for indoctrination so we all get education, not indoctrination.”
Peter Byrne

“There are no students alive today who have lived through a pandemic before you guys. The thing for me is that I’m inspired, I mean truly inspired. You guys are leaders. I have rooted for you. I’ve seen amazing productions that you have put on and I am blown away. I know it’s hard, and you guys have had to face more than your parents had to face, and your grandparents had to face, but I’m inspired. You’re why I’m running.”
Jim Cogan

“It starts in adult spaces. If we allow board members or people of leadership to bully, if we allow them to say things that are considered hate speech on protected classes, then we cannot expect you under our leadership to do anything different. So, until those spaces are held sacred and promised, we have no right to ask you to not bully each other. So I ask that as you move forward, you hold your positions of leadership into that. And when that changes, I would like to see what changes in your culture and your climate on campus.”
Sondra Williams

“It doesn’t feel like it’s a cohesive place right now and that breaks my heart. The day to day things that students face, as a teenager it’s hard enough to go to school every day and be yourself, and get to your classes to work academically, and be the best that you can be and give in that moment and to feel unsupported. To feel unwanted and to feel ousted and to know that you have to go to a newsperson to get attention for that, it’s rough. I know our staff wants to be there for you guys.”
Adelita Hiteshew

“Here’s what I think the culture should be: one of safety, one of security. It’s not whether you feel safe, it’s a matter of whether you really are safe. One of respect, one where bullying from either side of issues is not allowed, where people are free to speak their mind. And for you to do it in a respectful way and exchange ideas. Where indeed you’re getting a well rounded education both emotionally and academically. I’m not sure that’s what it is, but that’s what it ought to be.”
Frank Triggs

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As the forum closed out, the candidates shook hands and spoke further with students and teachers who sat in.

“I think this went really really well,” said Olivia Wright. “The purpose of this was to get students here to know who might be on their board and representing them, and if they’re able to vote this was a good chance to make an educational vote.”

*Candidates Laurene D. McCoy, Joel Peterson, and Jim Irving were not present at this event. 

• McCoy was unable to be present but is running for the at-large seat. 
• Peterson is running unopposed in District 2 and will automatically be sworn in. 
• Irving is not campaigning actively.

 

Featured Image by Miguel Muniz

Photos by Miguel Muniz, Joseph Taranto, and Naomi Velasco