Karen Fleshman

• Office: Board of Education
• Election Date: November 8, 2022
• Candidate: Karen Fleshman
• Due Date: Friday, August 19, 2022
• Printable Version

Thank you for seeking GrowSF's endorsement for the 2022 Board of Education 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 Friday, August 19, 2022 so we have enough time to adequately review and discuss your answers.

Table of Contents

• Vision
  • Short-form questions
  • Education
• Long-form questions
  • General
  • Instruction and Curriculum
  • Policy
• Personal
• Thank you

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 view of the city's problems and what solutions you might propose.

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:

Tell us one thing you think needs to change about education in San Francisco that the average voter wouldn't know about.

In a city people move to from all over the country and the world for limitless career opportunities, only 58% of SFUSD graduates are college and career ready. We need to work together to ensure every SFUSD student thrives and graduates ready for college or careers.

To get there, we must start with better family engagement, enroll all students in transitional kindergarten, teach them to read at grade level in elementary, get them ready for high school by eighth grade, and support them from ninth grade through graduation with an individualized plan for their future, paid summer jobs, enrichment activities. My priorities are:

• Invest in students' and educators' social-emotional wellbeing and academics

• Provide budget transparency and accountability

• Promote collaborative decisionmaking.

Long-form questions

General

Please explain why San Francisco's Board of Education members Alison Collins, Gabriela López, and Faauuga Moliga were recalled.

For far too long SFUSD has prepared relatively few of our young people for the limitless opportunities San Francisco offers. While offering tax incentives to tech companies, we did not require them to hire SFUSD graduates. We distributed SFUSD resources unequally creating a two-tier system, concentrating Black Latinx Pacific Islander kids in schools with high numbers of low-income students while sending white and Asian students to middle-class schools. Thirty percent of San Franciscans chose to send their kids to private schools. Only a handful of Black (25%) and Latinx (32%) students graduate from SFUSD college and career ready.

Tech companies did not hire locally. Tech workers moved here, displacing native-born people, and making life increasingly unaffordable for those who remain. We did not develop enough housing for all the jobs created, driving up rents and evictions. We have the highest concentration of billionaires of any city on earth, while working-class people have to work two or more jobs to be able to make ends meet, made worse by the economic downturn and inflation.

Many of the newcomers came to SF with alot of biases and did not get to know their new neighbors. Instead they called the cops on them, leading to police brutality. The Police Officers Association, tech companies, and real estate developers hold outsize power. Investors built a lot of luxury residential housing and hotels, and want to develop more. International theft rings set up shop in SF, while Walgreens flooded our streets with opioids. Many people developed addictions and mental health problems. Some engaged in property crimes.

All of this has created alot of trauma, especially for people whose ancestors were enslaved, their land stolen, and who experienced genocide and colonization. We did not provide mental and physical health care for them, while many of them stretched themselves to the limit, working two or more jobs.

Then came the pandemic, which caused alot of grief, fear, anger, and frustration. Some families, including mine, because my mother lives with us, were not in a rush to return to inperson learning. We have privilege of wifi, computers, and adults working at home. My kids were ok with online learning, and maintained their social lives and physical activities. Other families did not have these privileges, or felt that their children were making little educational progress learning at home. Our country was led by a despot who blamed Asian Americans for COVID, leading to a spike in anti Asian hate crimes. Derek Chauvin executed George Floyd and for the first time in US history, people in all fifty states took to the streets demanding that Black Lives Matter. San Francisco began a long overdue racial reckoning.

In this context, Alison Collins, Gabriela López, and Faauuga Moliga made policy changes that they believed would lead to racial justice.

Some people felt that Alison Collins, Gabriela López, and Faauuga Moliga should have been focussed on reopening the schools sooner and not on renaming schools or the George Washington mural. Others felt that Alison Collins, Gabriela López, and Faauuga Moliga took something away from them by changing the Lowell admissions policy, And some were angered by Alison Collins' lawsuit against SFUSD and her tweet about Asian Americans.

Two tech workers who were newcomers to San Francisco decided to initiate a recall campaign. Nefarious wealthy people who want to see public education destroyed and San Francisco fail invested heavily in them. The prorecall people raised 1.9 M. The antiracell people raised 85k.

The election was a special election, so voters tended to be highly motivated. And the majority of voters voted to recall Alison Collins, Gabriela López, and Faauuga Moliga.

In what ways are we succeeding in public education?

I love the way my children and their friends are developing at SFUSD. Both my children have been at SFUSD since kindergarten and they are kind, compassionate independent thinkers with very advanced analytical skills and the ability to relate across difference as equals. Their schools are colorful diverse vibrant communities that have made me a better parent and citizen.

In what ways are we failing in public education?

Currently only 57.5% of SFUSD graduates are college and career ready. The gap begins at kindergarten: only 58% of SFUSD students enter kindergarten ready. And it carries all the way through. Nationally and locally, Black and Latinx students are concentrated in schools with a substantial majority of poor children, while white and Asian students typically attend middle-class schools. Even when they are in the same school, Black and Latinx students have a very different experience from their white and Asian American counterparts. Nationally, 79% of public school teachers are white, while students of color make up the majority of public school students. Studies show teachers disproportionately expel Black students, adultify Black girls, infantilize white girls, and punish Black students more severely than white students. Native, Black, and Latinx students report they feel less safe, less connected to school and less connected to a caring adult than their white peers. Students who have been suspended or expelled are twice as likely to drop out and are also more likely to end up in the juvenile justice system, the school-to-prison pipeline.

Our schools are inequitably resourced, and the outcomes at our schools are very different. Only 8% of students at Bret Harte are reading at grade level.

I want to make it clear that the difference in outcomes is not because Black and Brown families and students don't love learning. All families and students love learning and want to develop a healthy positive identity. Black women are the most highly educated group of Americans.

Despite what government officials have led us to believe, Black and Brown families who struggle do so not because of poor personal choices but because of deliberate policy choices that advantage white families, including my own, beginning with slavery and land theft and genocide of Native Americans.

It's unacceptable that some students are cared for and challenged while others are warehoused. This two-tier public education system both contributes to, and is a result of gentrification, displacement, and racism.

Why is SFUSD facing a budget crisis? Please explain the nature of this budget crisis.

California has the world's fifth largest economy, and is home to more billionaires than any other state. We used to have the best public schools and best public university system, and then we passed Proposition 13 and three strikes laws and began prioritizing prisons over schools. Now our K-12 public schools rank 40th, between Wyoming and West Virginia.

School budgets in California are determined by enrollment and SFUSD's enrollment is going down for two reasons: families leaving San Francisco due to high cost of living and families sending their kids to private school. San Francisco is not unique, enrollment in public schools throughout California declined during the pandemic**.**

As SFUSD's enrollment drops, schools and communities are pitted against each other as fighting for resources to keep the programs they love and need in their schools. No schools want to cut positions or services. Schools and communities with the most political power prevail.

Instruction and Curriculum

What is your understanding of the results of SFUSD changing the math curriculum in 2014? Should San Francisco reintroduce middle school algebra in public schools? Why or why not?

I support reintroducing middle school algebra in eighth grade with the right tools so educators can support all students to succeed. I want to see SFUSD improve our use of educational technology selected by students and educators. I want SFUSD to work with each ninth grade student on an individualized learning plan what are you good at? What are you curious about? What is your dream college or dream career? Lets get the students who passed eighth grade algebra moving forward to take calculus their senior year, and work with the students who struggled with 8th grade algebra but really want to go to college to take algebra again in ninth grade and continue on to college.

And for students who have no interest in going to college and would prefer entering the workforce after high school, lets get them into math classes that will help them succeed in life, like financial literacy, how to invest, how to write a business plan, etc. Let's get them credentials in high school that will allow them to have solid careers without a college degree.

SFUSD student performance is low, with many students being left unprepared for high school and college. How and why are we failing our students?

We are failing our students by not having the right partnerships in place, by not getting to know them individually and helping them to learn about all the different possibilities for them after high school.

I have 20+ years experience preparing students for a wide range of colleges, career-themed pathways, apprenticeships, and other vocational programs. I cofounded Ladders for Leaders, a program that places thousands of NYC young people in paid summer jobs at leading employers, and worked for some of the most effective youth nonprofits, including Year Up, preparing young people without a college degree for corporate careers, and SEO Scholars, a college access program for first generation college students. I will bring these experiences to ensure every SFUSD student from ninth grade through graduation is supported with an individualized plan for their future, paid summer jobs, and enrichment activities.

I want to strengthen the partnerships between SFUSD, employers, unions, and youth-serving nonprofits so that each high school graduate lands in a college or career of their choice. I want SFUSD to develop an individualized learning plan for each student from ninth grade through college graduation-what are you good at? What are you curious about? What is your dream college or career? And then connect them with the skills and experiences, including paid summer jobs, that will set them up to graduate into the college or career of their dreams.

Every high school needs partnerships from 9th grade through college graduation between SFUSD educators, nonprofit organizations and universities like the partnership between Mission High, Mission Graduates, and San Francisco State University that sent more Mission High graduates to US and Cal State than any other high school in SF. We need to make college tangible and accessible for our first-generation students. All high school students should have access to dual enrollment, visits to college campuses, help for their families to understand financial aid, etc. There are many college access nonprofits in SF, I would like each of them to have a designated high school partner, providing services on site.

I am a strong supporter of career and technical education and have mentored many young adults who attained family-supporting careers without incurring college debt through career and technical education.. Every high school needs classes where students can earn certifications, strong career and technical education and union pre-apprenticeships and internships with employers. Students benefit greatly from real-world experiences. I would like to see companies that get tax incentives or have community benefit agreements hosting SFUSD interns and apprentices. I want unions and SFUSD to develop preapprenticeship programs.

What needs to change to improve SFUSD's poor student performance?

I learned from my experience in youth development that young people rise to the expectations we set for them. When young people feel seen, heard, loved and connected, they will perform beautifully.

What needs to change is higher, clear expectations for our young people and their educators and high support to help them meet those expectations. Our young people are in severe mental health crisis, the gaps between them widened during the pandemic, they and our educators have all experienced trauma, and many of our young people are grieving.

My priorities are:

Invest in students' and educators' social-emotional well-being and academics

We must develop safe and positive learning environment for all students, foundational to mastering core skills. We need schools every young person wants to come to, because they feel connected to their classmates and the school community and inspired to learn. Every SFUSD school can adopt simple practices that help students' and educators' social and emotional wellbeing, setting them up for learning success.

Adults who work to create safe and positive learning environments need care, too. We must work tirelessly to provide educators and school staff with the pay, benefits, supports and professional development they need to care for themselves and their families while they educate and nurture students.

Provide budget transparency and accountability

We must get SFUSD's operations in order. Paying teachers and staff on time and restoring their benefits, taking care of our schools, managing audits, overseeing programs, contracts, and budgets, ensuring our programs serve young people well and spend their budgets correctly. Ensuring every dollar is adding value to students and educators.

Promote collaborative decision-making

We must improve how SFUSD does things, including how we engage with communities, how we treat students and educators, how we make decisions, how we get along with each other, even when we disagree.

We need to unite the community, parents, union, and administrators to understand the current and projected SFUSD budget and build consensus on priorities, vision, equity and co-create a multi-year plan so people know what to expect. We must source solutions from those who are closest to the problem.

What is your understanding of special needs education at SFUSD, and what could be done to improve it?

My friends who have sought special needs education for their children at SFUSD have had to fight hard for it. They are college educated and born US citizens. How many immigrant parents, or parents who are not as educated know that special education exists or could benefit their child? Then once their children received IEPs the parents had to continue fighting to ensure the resources are provided to their child.

I believe we need to assess all children for learning differences early so we can address them early before gaps widen.

I believe strongly in the integration of students with disabilities into mainstream schools. I think all students benefit from being with each other.

What is your understanding of advanced education at SFUSD, and what could be done to improve it?

Same-we need to focus on students' social emotional learning as detailed above and address systemic racism, desegregate schools, address funding disparities.

There is great technology to make it easy for teachers to understand each student's learning style, abilities, and learning edge and differentiate and customize learning for all students that I would like to see SFUSD implement. We need to equip teachers with the tools they need to meet students where they are and help all students develop to their full potential. What are these programs lacking which the Board of Education could rectify?

The Board of Education setting student outcome SMART goals is a step in the right direction. As is the targetted universalism approach as described by john a. powell.

The Board then needs to hold Superintendent Matt Wayne to achieving those goals, invest in students' and educators' social-emotional well-being and academics, provide budget transparency and accountability, and promote collaborative decision-making.

Policy

Now that we know where you align and differ from our vision for San Francisco, 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 Board of Education?

I am running for Board of Education to unify San Francisco for San Francisco Unified.

I'm an SFUSD parent volunteer, public school graduate, retired educator's daughter, diversity and inclusion educator, and attorney. For 20+ years I worked for local government agencies and nonprofits to prepare young people for success in college, careers, and life, becoming a mentor to many. My mentees inspired me to become a diversity inclusion educator helping workplaces shift their culture to be safe and positive for everyone.

I love my children's schools and want to build on all the good at SFUSD by listening, building bridges, and problem solving. We need safe and positive schools in every neighborhood providing high expectations and high support for all young people, families, and educators.

When SFUSD succeeds, all San Francisco benefits, and SFUSD's success requires all San Francisco's support.

Ubuntu (Zulu pronunciation: [ùɓúntʼù]) a Nguni Bantu term meaning "humanity". It is sometimes translated as "I am because we are" (also "I am because you are")

Currently only 57.5% of SFUSD graduates are college and career ready. It's unacceptable that some students are cared for and challenged while others are warehoused. This two-tier public education system both contributes to, and is a result of gentrification, displacement, and racism. I will bring my experience to ensure every SFUSD student thrives and graduates ready for college or careers, following the example of one of my sheroes, Cecily Ina, SFUSD 2nd grade teacher:

"I teach and treat my students as if they were my own kids." -Cecily Ina

Let's all work together to better engage families, enroll all children in transitional kindergarten, get them reading at grade level in elementary and ready for high school by eighth grade, and support them from ninth grade through graduation with an individualized plan for their future, paid summer jobs, and enrichment activities.

What is your #1 policy goal?

Individualized learning plans and paid summer jobs and enrichment activities from ninth grade through college graduation for every SFUSD student.

How will you build the coalition and political capital to enact your #1 goal?

San Francisco has alot of resources and so much opportunity for young people. My first step will be to convene all the youth serving nonprofit organizations and government agencies unions and employers together, to asset map what we currently have and envision what we need. What are our best evidence based programs for young people and how can we scale them to serve more schools? How can we better work together to support SFUSD students? How can we allocate resources across all the schools and build enduring partnerships, How can we get additional employers to sign on to Mayor Breeds Opportunities for All program? How can we get mote preapprenticeship and career and technical education for our youth? How can we partner with City College SF State, UCSF, USF on dual enrollment, campus visits, etc.?

Will the power of the office of Board of Education Commissioner be enough to achieve this goal?

I hope so.

What are your #2 and #3 policy goals?

• Invest in students' and educators' social-emotional wellbeing and academics

• Provide budget transparency and accountability

• Promote collaborative decisionmaking

Will the power of the office of Board of Education Commissioner be enough to achieve these goals?

yes

What is an existing policy you would like to reform? The school assignment system.

What is an "out there" change that you would make to state/local government policy, if you could? (For example: changing how elections work, creating a Bay Area regional government, etc.)

Overturn Prop 13.

Personal

Tell us a bit about yourself!

Do you have any children who are currently enrolled in an SFUSD school(s)? Which school(s)?

Yes, my children both attended Rosa Parks, now one child is at Presidio and the other at Lowell.

How long have you lived in San Francisco? What brought you here and what keeps you here?

Ten years ago, we moved here for my exhusbands career. I was a reluctant transplant but I am so grateful now. One of the things that keeps me here is I really love Rosa Parks and the way my children developed there. My children are biracial and identify as Japanese Americans. As their white mom, helping them to develop a positive identity is very important to me and I am so grateful they were able to attend the Japanese Bilingual Bicultural Program at Rosa Parks. And JBBP is only part of what makes Rosa Parks so special, it is one of the most diverse schools in California, the educators are outstanding, we have so many school events and rituals. It has its challenges too but overall I really really love it.

What do you love most about California and/or San Francisco?

My favorite thing about the Bay Area is our radical public radio stations and long history of radical politics. I love listening to Angela Davis or union activists, or historians on public radio. I feel like I earned my PhD since I moved to San Francisco. The second thing I love the most are the trees.

What do you dislike the most about California and/or San Francisco?

I dislike racism, gentrification and displacement and the greed. I also am very worried about our future due to climate change. Tell us about your current involvement in the community (e.g., volunteer groups, neighborhood associations, civic and professional organizations, etc.)

I am part of the leadership team at Moms Allyship Against Racism, an all volunteer group where we educate moms about how to raise antiracist kids. I host a weekly livestream, "Collect Our Cousins: Engaging White People in the Struggle for Full Democracy" where I interview amazing people who inspire me. I am also quite active in free Zumba in the Parks.

Thank you

Thank you for giving us your time and answering our questionnaire. We look forward to reading your answers and considering your candidacy!