San Jose Unified board candidates unpack district’s abysmal achievement stats

In SJUSD’s only true election this cycle (Brian Wheatley will be appointed in lieu for a second term in Area 4), incumbent José Magaña and challenger Andres Macias are running for Area 2 San Jose Unified board member this Nov. In the first of a two-part series for Opp Now, Magaña and Macias address SJ schools’ academic attainment problems, and their approaches to student success. To receive daily updates of new Opp Now stories, click here.

Opp Now: San Jose schools are facing academic achievement problems (see our most recent SJUSD data, in which 17.5% of 11th graders—and around 20–30% of students in other grades—fail to reach Level 1 of English literacy).

How did our public schools get to this point, especially in the high-innovation hub of Silicon Valley? And more importantly, how would you suggest our school district address this issue of academic performance?

José Magaña: Many students throughout the country have faced an opportunity gap that existed prior to the pandemic. Students faced life challenges that made their educational journeys more difficult to navigate. As a kindergarten teacher, I saw on the first day of school how these challenges impacted the levels of academic preparation. Challenges include food insecurity, homelessness, health, and more. These challenges all impact students’ ability to learn. As a parent, I know that a child who is hungry, tired, or sick will likely struggle to learn, regardless of their age. Unfortunately, in our district, our students dealt with the impact of these challenges that impacted their learning.

Ultimately, the academic success of all our students will rely on robust collaboration between all levels: family, district, city, county, state, federal government. These efforts should focus on supporting families and students with additional academic, food, and health resources. For example, I led the partnership with the library system to provide every student with a library card.

For the district, SJUSD has taken specific actions and can take additional actions to better academically prepare students. SJUSD has led with research, which is to significantly invest resources in early reading. This includes the expansion of the district’s Transitional Kindergarten program, increase of training and resources for teachers, and focus on small group instruction that meets the individual needs of students. SJUSD has increased resources for Student Success Teams (SST) to provide interventions to students. This includes providing middle school teachers with resources to teach reading to ensure students continue to be at grade level. Reading proficiency ultimately impacts all subjects for students. Lastly, we can partner with ASES partners to extend the school day by expanding our high-impact tutoring resources that are consistent, aligned to standards, and support specific student needs.

Andres Macias: In the past year, I have learned that public servants of SJUSD’s School Board do not take education seriously. One thing that is appalling to me as a taxpaying father is that I am expected to send my children to a failing school and trust that everything will work out. Very likely, our kids will fall victim to a system that is setting them up for failure.

I’ve come to the conclusion that our current board members do not have our children’s best interest at heart. They do not express concern for providing children with a solid education. Every year, we charge taxpayers more money as academic performance continues to drop. Less than half of San Jose Unified’s 30,000 students are performing at grade level. This is unacceptable, especially with a superintendent taking home over $275,000 per year (not including benefits). This is just one example of how school funds are being misused. 

When I’m elected to governing board, I will work to improve the academic standard, establish parent representation, and create healthy learning environments for everyone on campus. Building safe and positive learning environments is one of the most important things we can do for students. I will work to establish positive relationships between all staff and students so that our kids have a sense of comfort and actually want to come to school.

Also, children are not able to learn when they are nervous, scared, anxious, or distracted by social media and wireless devices. We really need to acknowledge the damage we inflict on children by permitting use of smart devices in school. The district should be enforcing policy that already exists and not allow such devices to be used during class. 

[Editor’s note: Incumbent/candidate Brian Wheatley of Area 4 declined to contribute to this series.]

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This article is part of an exclusive Opp Now series. In two installments, San Jose Unified’s 2022 school board candidates tackle the district’s abysmal achievement statistics and their plans for curriculum transparency.