Gilroy Dispatch: Briefly describe your background and experience. Why are you qualified for this position?
Patricia Midtgaard: I feel that I am qualified for this position for the following reasons:
- Member of the community for 46 years
- Teacher for 28 years in Gilroy; 4 years in other districts
- Principal in GUSD for 14 years
- Advocate for children and students in the community as a parent volunteer in the schools and a 4-H leader/volunteer for many years
- Trustee on the GUSD Board of Education (2004-2008 / 2012-2014
GD: What are your thoughts on Common Core? Did you support it? What do you think needs to be done to make it successful?
PM: Common Core is basically a set of standards adopted by the State Board of Education; the intent being that all students in the state will receive an education based on the same standards throughout the State of California. The Common Core standards are not the ceiling, but merely the base of the implementation of the curriculum. To make the implementation of these standards successful, we, as a Board, must be certain that all teachers and support staff receive information and training as well as materials needed for both instruction and assessment.
GD: The City is experiencing a boom in growth, especially with its residential developments. More residents will undoubtedly have an impact on GUSD. What do you feel is the best way to handle this influx?
PM: The current Board of Education rely on basic sets of information to formulate our plans for future growth and the subsequent influx of students:
- the Site Capacity Study that is done annually to determine the classroom space available at each site;
- the annual Demographic Study in which our consultant looks at upcoming housing, developments, approximate number of students coming from such developments, and which grade level will most likely be affected (elementary, middle, secondary);
- Superintendent Flores’ and the Board President’s monthly meeting with Mayor Don Gage and City Manager Tom Haglund;
- quarterly meetings between the GUSD Board of Education and City Council. Growth issues are addressed through all of these sessions, which gives trustees the ability to plan ahead for future growth.
GD: Do you think it should be easier to fire underperforming teachers ? What steps should be taken to do so?
PM: Many steps are already in place to remove teachers who are not performing:
Careful monitoring of performance in the classroom consisting of many classroom visits, observations of specific lessons, conferences with the teacher, specific strategies for improvement, coaching and mentoring by master teachers, and counseling. None of this is easy and it does take a high degree of focus and commitment, but the result of all efforts must be that students are receiving a quality educational experience.
GD: What are a few goals that you would like to achieve if elected to the school board?
PM:Â 1. Make sure that teachers have what they need to successfully implement Common Core.
2. Look for ways to offer a competitive salary to all staff members so that we can attract and retain qualified staff.
3. Plan ahead for a new elementary school in 5 years.
4. Continue academic gains throughout the district.
GD: What do you think are some of the biggest issues GUSD is facing? How would you fix them?
PM: 1. Finding ways to compensate all staff so that we can remain competitive in Santa Clara County.
(Gilroy is a “low-wealth” district. The rate of ADA that we are paid by the state for each student in lower than many surrounding districts. We cannot change this at the local level. Approximately 84% of our revenues currently go to salaries and benefits for our 1,000 employees. Perhaps we need to look at alternate sources of revenue as we continue to lose bright, young teachers who cannot afford housing in this area.)
2. Preparing for the building of a new elementary school.
( We need to continue on the course we are currently following: looking for land that is available, looking for land that is in proximity to areas of growth, working with our consultants in property negotiations, keeping all information regarding growth in the forefront of our planning)
3. Successfully implementing Common Core at all levels
( Preparing our teaching staff, training all employees involved in the classroom implementation, bringing our technology infrastructure and equipment up to standards)
GD: Technology in the classroom is on the rise. What are your thoughts on using tablets and other devices as learning tools? Are they helpful or a distraction? How can these be put to use most effectively?
PM: Technology is a vital, exciting tool for learning. It is our world, and we must prepare our students to be adept and competitive in this area. The teacher is the key as he/she will determine if technology is a distraction or a helpful learning device. It’s important to the Board that all staff be trained, mentored, and encouraged to us technology as appropriate to the age of the students and the situation. A large part of Common Core assessments will be through technology, so we must do whatever it takes to make sure that our students are capable and competitive in this area.
GD: What is your position on charter schools?
PM: A charter school can be beneficial for the students of GUSD. We have an example of a successful charter school in our district right now. Some parents prefer alternate methods of education their children and we, as a district, comply with the state requirements to provide facilities for charter school programs that are equitable to housing for all other students in the district. We also expect that students in a charter school in our district are performing at a high academic level.
Patricia Midtgaard can be reached at pa******@gm***.com.
The following is a Q&A sent out by the Gilroy Dispatch and answered by Patricia Midtgaard, a candidate for the Gilroy Unified School District Board of Education. Links to the other candidates’ answers can be found at the bottom of this article.Â
