Marco Amaral
- Office: Superintendent of Public Instruction
- Election Date: June 7, 2022
- Candidate: Marco Amaral
- Due Date: Monday, April 11, 2022
- Printable Version
Thank you for seeking GrowSF's endorsement for the June 7, 2022 primary election! GrowSF believes in a growing, beautiful, vibrant, healthy, safe, and prosperous city via common sense solutions and effective government.
The GrowSF endorsement committee will review all completed questionnaires and seek consensus on which candidates best align with our vision for San Francisco and have the expertise to enact meaningful policy changes.
We ask that you please complete this questionnaire by Monday, April 11, 2022 so we have enough time to adequately review and discuss your answers.
Table of Contents
Vision
GrowSF believes in a growing, beautiful, vibrant, healthy, safe, and prosperous San Francisco. And we believe that great public schools are necessary for a great and prosperous society.
This section of our questionnaire seeks to help us gain an understanding of your alignment with our vision for San Francisco.
Short-form questions
Please mark the box that best aligns with your position. You may explain any position if you so desire, but this section is designed to be a quick overview of your governing philosophy and view of the city's problems.
Education
| In general, is it too hard, just right, or too easy to… | Too hard | Just right | Too easy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attend a school of your choosing | X | ||
| Transport children to school | X | ||
| Hire good teachers | X | ||
| Fire bad teachers | X | ||
| Set public education curriculum | X | ||
| Access special needs instruction | X | ||
| Access advanced instruction | X | ||
| Adequately fund public instruction | X | ||
| Ensure adequate instruction is available to all students | X |
If you want to explain any positions above, please feel free:
- "Attend a school of your choosing": The term "school choice" is a well established right-wing "dog-whistle" that is used as a proxy to further the privatization of public education and to further discourage the advancement of local public schools. In theory, however, I don't have an issue with families choosing which school their students will be attending. However, we should be fighting for an education system where every local community school is equally as outstanding as any other school in any given county. Every student in California should be a walk,
bike-ride, or short bus ride away from a superb public school. We, however, do not have, at the moment, such a system. Thus, while I recognize that "school choice" is a movement towards the disintegration of public schools, I also do not blame families for sending their children to a school across town. Families must do what they see best for their children. Our California Department of Education will be advocating for a united public education system, where every local public school meets the whole-istic needs of every student.
- "Fire bad teachers": Teaching is the most beautiful profession on Earth. As a teacher, of course I am biased, but I truly do believe this. I also believe that most teachers become teachers with the best of intentions and with the yearning to make a positive impact on every student's life. Yet, for many reasons, our current education system creates enough "bad teachers" for it to become a noticeable issue.
- 1) We have a 10,000 Teacher shortage. There is a severe lack of teachers in the profession. What this creates is a system of exploitation. Teachers are not being "burned-out" - this implies a feeling that is subjective from teacher to teacher; teachers are being exploited. This inevitably leads to a percentage of teachers that are "up to their noses" in constant stress, which might lead to many teachers not performing at their best.
- 2)"Unions protect bad teachers." There is some truth to this. However, unions primarily defend a teacher's access and rights to Due Process. Further, as a board member and president, I can affirmatively state that the teacher's union has never defended the firing of a teacher that has
committed any severe wrong-doing. There are many bad-faith actors in society that simply want to attack unions to weaken them, not because their critique is grounded in a well-rounded truth.
- 3) We need to pay teachers a living-thriving salary. We are the only campaign in the state calling for a starting, minimum, annual salary of $70,000/year. This action would alleviate the very real teacher shortage and would make it easier to get rid of a "bad teacher," because there will be someone ready to take that teacher's place.
- In summation, bad teachers exist, but they, in light of the abusive working conditions, represent a small minority of teachers. We need to focus on respecting teachers first. Once this is done, we can then talk about "bad teachers" -a conversation I am not shy about.
Tell us one thing you think needs to change about education in California that the average voter wouldn't know about.
- Students with disabilities, especially those at the intersections of marginalized races/ethnic groups, genders, sexuality, and class, are the most underserved
student population in California. Many voters do, in fact, know this -especially if you know someone with a disability. However, most voters are not aware of just how deep the problem is. We need a State Superintendent that will organize, mobilize, and operationalize a statewide campaign to pressure the federal government to fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (I.D.E.A). Currently, school districts pay more out of their general funds for a student with an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) than what they receive from state and federal funding. This dynamic creates a huge fiscal problem for every school district in the state. This has the repercussions of impacting every student and employee. As is, school districts put up 85% of the bill for a student with an IEP, while the federal government, against their own promise of funding 40% of the bill, puts up less than 15% for each student with an IEP. If the federal government were to follow through with its 1990 promise of funding students with disabilities up to 40%, it would mean one of the most drastic changes in education funding in history. This single reform would mean hundreds of millions of additional, on-going, funds for California's Public Education System.
Long-form questions
Education
In light of the successful San Francisco School Board recall, how should the state's Boards of Education be reformed to ensure accountability and better performance? - One of our main platform proposals is the "Democratization of Public Education." Democracy is undoubtedly messy, but having a single person, the governor, with all the power to appoint who they want is even messier. The proof is in the pudding. - The people of California deserve to have a say in who is setting the policy of our education system. We propose breaking up the state into 10 SBE Districts. This would further engage our communities and political
institutions to the importance of public education. We believe that a democracy can be assessed by analyzing its education system. We further believe that there is no more important institution in a democracy than its education system. Thus, we envision a California electorate that is as impassioned about participating in the political-electoral process of its education system as it is when it votes for offices like Mayor, Assembly, Senate or Governor.
- Further, as a long-time Independent and activist, we believe that it is time to have a State Superintendent that doesn't "play along to get along." When I enter into a future SBE meeting, I will have the voices and faces of my students, their families, and my colleagues front and center, not a political party or the needs of a governor.
Should the State intervene in San Francisco's ban on middle school algebra in public schools?
- Only if it is conclusive that the ban would cause irreparable harm to the educational outcomes of students. I do not think that such an analysis has been made. Proponents and opponents of Charter Schools have long applauded charter school's ability to be "innovative," I think we need to grant public school districts a similar flexibility. San Francisco didn't just impose this new policy out of nowhere. They have sighted massive amounts of studies and pedagogies that strongly suggest the viability and success of this policy. I do have my personal critiques of the policy, especially as someone that centered their Master's thesis on Decolonial Mathematics, but I strongly believe in giving districts more flexibility to conduct these types of actions, so long as they are backed up by thorough research and not just ideology.
Should charter schools be allowed to operate in San Francisco and California? - I believe that the Charter School Project has run its course. I am not inherently anti-(public)Charter Schools, I am simply, but profoundly, pro-Public Schools. We can't have two "public" school systems and expect that there will be equity among them. Charter Schools and Traditional Public Schools are in competition with one another for measly resources, the inequitable nature of the system we have makes sense given the conditions we have set. Thus, I believe in the creation of a single public education system that meets the needs of every student, family and community. In the meantime, I believe, because I have met them, that there are good-faith actors in the Charter School community that want the same thing as I do (and I believe the majority of what Californians want). We will work together, with honesty, to transform public education in the state to move forward with a future, single, public education system. I have applied for the CCSA Endorsement. Charter school families will have someone that listens to them and takes their input seriously. Our campaign seeks systemic change.
What should we do about teacher training and education programs in California, such as those in the UC and CSU systems?
- We should fully fund these programs to be free. We need more teachers. Further, the UC needs to be developing far more robust and engaging teacher preparation programs. We have been advocating for some time for the creation of a fully funded, comprehensive, longitudinal, research study to analyze what contributes to the best teachers in the state. We need to understand what makes an effective teacher. What is the best major? Should teachers major in Education or in their own specific content area? Does it matter which university they attended? What is the average experience of a teacher prior to entering the profession? What was the average grade point average during the program, at 2 years, at 4, at 6 and at 8 years? And a million other questions. We need to have this data, and then we need to allow our universities to develop programs that are based on this data.
Taxes
Should Proposition 13 be revisited, expanded, or left as is? - Prop 13 should be thoroughly investigated to then determine if we should keep it as is, expand it or revise it. I cannot, in good conscience, provide an assertive policy position, given that I have not yet analyzed it with the depth it deserves. I will say though, that I would be thoroughly listening to every education stakeholder and community member to discern what the majority of Californians want regarding Prop 13. If elected, I will ensure that all discussions surrounding Prop 13 are as transparent, open, and welcoming as possible.
Would you support a statewide income tax increase to fund pre-K and K-12 education?
- Yes, but it would depend on the increase. I would strongly advocate for a statewide income tax increase on those making over $150,000/year. I would also support the reform of Prop 30, which will be on the ballot this June 7th, 2022 (same day as this election). The "Millionaires Tax" was, at inception, meant to be a temporary tax with the time-limit specifically being set so that it would be allowed to expire. Once expired, however, there is a significantly high probability that there would have been some sort of educational/budgetary crisis that would have galvanized the voters in California to renew it, but now at higher rates or without a time-limit. Prop 30 added an income tax of 1-3% for individuals making over $1 million annually. Prop 30 generated $8 billion in revenue for the state of CA, revenue that has been critical to public education. I support higher taxes for the wealthy. I am not shy about this. They don't pay their fare share, and they should. That's how a democracy should function.
Housing & Homelessness
What should the State do to ensure there is enough housing for all Californians (not just in San Francisco)?
- We should support local communities in rezoning existing structures and create incentives for the creation of mixed income housing projects. At the state level, we should be implementing innovative legislative measures that directly seek to eradicate the homelessness crisis while at the same time protecting renters and mobile-home-park tenets. When I say innovative, I mean literally outside the box and beyond our current frameworks of thought. The state of California needs to step in and provide the political courage to shift to a system that provides safety, shelter, and dignity for all residents of the state.
Policy
Now we'd like to get some details about how you intend to use your elected office to achieve your goals.
Why are you running for Superintendent of Public Instruction?
- I am running for Superintendent of Public Instruction because I have a vision that I believe the majority of Californians share: a fully funded, equitable public education system that meets the holistic needs of every student.
What is your #1 goal?
- My number one goal is to alleviate the fiscal burden that school districts bear for students with disabilities.
How will you build the coalition and political capital to enact your #1 goal?
- The IDEA Coalition. While still under development, the preliminary framework would see our CDE partner with disability organizations, disability activist, politicians and the general public to organize a massive coalition whose aim is to be a powerful political entity that constantly pressures the federal government to fully fund students with disabilities. In states like New York and New Mexico, statewide, coordinated, organized bodies have changed the face of what public education looks like. Our CDE will help facilitate this same level of organization in California. The IDEA Coalition and IDEA Funding is an issue that I believe, rightfully so, transcends party lines. We can unite on this issue. This does not mean that we won't need to fight some politicians or special interests groups along the way, but I believe that the public would unite around fully funding students with IEPs. This is an achievable goal that would radically transform public education in the state for the better.
Should the state invest in early childhood education programs?
- Absolutely. And we are, in fact, currently making very real and important strides towards pre-K for all. We shouldn't slow down. We should be ensuring that there are always funds for our students with disabilities, funds for pre-K, funds to pay teachers a living wage and more.
Give an example of a major project you have undertaken in a similar capacity to Superintendent. What were your goals and objectives? How did you build a coalition to see this project through? What happened in the end?
- My Master's Thesis, "Abya Yala Mathematics." My thesis is the most extensive pedagogical, mathematically oriented, text centered on Centering Indigenous and People of Color experiences in the classroom. I sought to provide an accessible decolonial paradigm on how to teach mathematics. The public education system has, for far too long, operated a mathematics classroom that has centered a very specific demographic. My work sought to provide a very real, practical guide to providing an educational experience that does not subtract from who our students are. I partnered and coordinated with Indigenous activists and pedagogues, Chicano pedagogues and, above all, my students. The project has had a major impact in the field and has, according to several colleagues, cemented itself as one of a handful of rigorous texts in the subject. The project concluded with my graduation last Spring. Yet, I continue to be intimately involved with the continued expansion of the project. Our educational system is broken in many ways. I have personally worked tirelessly to change this reality. I have the theoretical framework and the practical expertise to make real change in the education system of California.
Personal
Where are you from and how long have you called California home?
- I was born and raised in San Diego, California.
Tell us about your professional background.
- I am an 8th year history teacher in San Diego Unified. I am also a Board Member and current Board President of the San Diego Educators Association (the teacher's union at SDUSD).
What other races have you run in? If none, what political campaigns (if any) have you been deeply involved in?
- I have never ran for office before. I have been a community organizer and activist for nearly 20 years, primarily in the San Diego region. I was deeply involved with organizing for Prop 55 in 2016, which extended Prop 30. If we organize well, I can see this being a close race.
What do you love most about California and/or your hometown?
- Its diversity, in every sense of the word, is what makes this place unique. Cultures, people, food, climate, geography, California has it all.
What do you dislike the most about California and/or your hometown?
- The cost of living. As a teacher, it is a struggle to continue doing what I love most in the face of a crippling economic structure.
Tell us about your current involvement in the community (e.g., volunteer groups, neighborhood associations, civic and professional organizations, etc.) - I am currently a member/volunteer with 3 different organizations/collectives. - 1) Armadillos Ni Un Migrante Menos: I have had the humble honor to attend several missions with Armadillos to the deserts of California, Arizona and Northern Mexico in search of human beings that have been lost on their path towards seeking a better life for themselves and their families.
- 2) Association of Raza Educators (A.R.E): I have been a member of ARE for several years now. The mission of ARE is to be part of the vanguard towards a liberatory education system that meets the educational and human rights of all our students.
- 3) The Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE): I am a dues paying member of ACCE and have volunteered with them over the past 3 years to inform community members of their rights as tenets.
- I am also a well established community organizer and activist in the San Diego region. Over the past 10 years, I have participated in the facilitation of 10,000+ people protests, direct action manifestations, and press conferences in support of students, migrants, and historically marginalized communities.
Thank you
Thank you for giving us your time and answering our questionnaire. We look forward to reading your answers and considering your candidacy!
If you see any errors on this page, please let us know at contact@growsf.org.