Opinion: Listen to educators to create thriving schools in California

For the first time in a decade, California schools are staring down a drop in funding. In January, Gov. Gavin Newsom released his proposed budget, projecting $1.5 billion below last year’s school funding. And that proposal assumes there won’t be a recession, which many consider a possibility.

At the same time, California schools are also staring down a rise in hardship. The pandemic’s impact on student learning was severe. Its effect on the youth mental health crisis made matters worse. And it wasn’t kind to those staffing schools, whose best efforts collided with untenable shortages.

It’s a moment in time where California’s candle is burning from both ends. It’s a moment we cannot meet with stop-gap solutions. We have to think systemically.

To do so, we should consider solutions that focus on creating thriving schools and communities for years to come.

One of those solutions is to uplift those who know what it’s like to work in schools — those who have been educators — to become policy influencers and decision-makers. Often, they understand what it takes to create sustainably thriving schools, but they aren’t in positions to put that into action.

I know how impactful these kinds of leaders can be, because I am one.

After joining Teach For America (TFA) and becoming a teacher here in San Jose, my hometown, I decided to run for school board. It’s my belief that for the educational system to evolve sustainably, there must be decision makers in all layers of the system that authentically understand the challenges on the ground. As East Side Union High School District board president, I apply my lens as a student raised in this community and as a former classroom teacher to the decisions we make.

While there is more to do, we are making progress. For example, Dawn Addis, a 20-year special education teacher, and Marie Alvarado-Gil, who worked in schools and served as commissioner for special education, were both elected to the California Legislature last year.

Another solution lies in how we think about recruitment. In 30 years recruiting teachers in California, TFA has learned that a lifetime of investment in improving education can start with recruitment to a two-year commitment. Over 80% of people who completed their TFA two-year teaching commitment continue to serve low-income communities. What’s more: Those who participated gained a heightened awareness of the structural inequalities that plague education and a greater optimism. In other words, they gained crucial insights into the education system and the belief that things can get better.

That awareness changed my understanding of my own journey. As a child, I didn’t feel smart or like I belonged. But learning that I was part of the achievement gap fueled me — I feel a deep sense of responsibility to ensure these inequities don’t exist for others as they did for me.

Like me, some leaders have become elected officials, applying learnings from their time in the classroom to the policymaking process. That includes people such as Nick Melvoin, Kelly Gonez and Tanya Ortiz Franklin, board members for Los Angeles Unified School District. Others have found different angles to impact the system — such as Diana Phuong, executive director at Braven, a nonprofit that helps underrepresented students land strong first jobs.

Burning the candle at both ends ultimately won’t serve California’s children well. As the budget approaches its May revision, leaders should engage and listen to the voices of educators who have first-hand knowledge of the impacts that will follow those investments. They should prioritize investments that boost educator recruitment. In doing so, we can move toward an education system that continually supports thriving schools and communities.

Lorena Chavez is president of the East Side Union High School District Board of Trustees.