Elisabeth Halliday
Campbell Union High School District school board Trustee Area 2
Tenure
Term ends
Years in position
Predecessor
Elections and appointments
Personal
Contact
Elisabeth Halliday is a member of the Campbell Union High School District school board in California, representing Trustee Area 2. She assumed office on December 9, 2022. Her current term ends on December 11, 2026.
Halliday ran for election to the Campbell Union High School District school board to represent Trustee Area 2 in California. She won in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Halliday completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Elisabeth Halliday earned an associate degree from DeAnza Community College in 2006. Her career experience includes working as a writer, editor, and school volunteer. She has been affiliated with Project Cornerstone and the Moreland Educational Foundation.[1]
Elections
2022
See also: Campbell Union High School District, California, elections (2022)
General election
Endorsements
To view Halliday's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.
2022
Video for Ballotpedia
Video submitted to Ballotpedia
Released Oct. 12, 2022
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Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Elisabeth Halliday completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Halliday's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I have twins who just started their freshman year at one of our fine district schools. As a parent, I share with all of you the concerns about the future of our schools. Public education must be preserved and improved. This benefits EVERYONE in our society. Investing in our public schools is truly an investment in our nation’s future, community by community. All students are exceptional, and should be recognized and celebrated for their strengths and have their interests nurtured. We want our campuses to be safe and welcoming learning environments. Kids cannot learn if they don’t feel safe, secure, and like they belong. We need to recognize that “safety” covers many aspects, and that we need creative ways to address them all. Students today are confident, kind, and motivated. They’re going to do wonderful things for our world. We should give them the keys to make their dreams come to fruition. I will work hard to give ALL of our students the best our district has to offer.
- I'm a passionate advocate for all students to have equitable access to the best educational opportunities.
- I believe in transparency and communication and will work toward improving communications between the district and the community.
- I want our students to feel safe and welcome in their schools, and foster a love of learning.
I'm passionate about ensuring that marginalized students receive the tools that they need to feel like they belong in their schools, and that they will feel confident in taking advanced classes. I have navigated the IEP and 504 processes. Every student deserves to have a strong advocate to ensure that their needs are not overlooked. I want all of our students to graduate from our schools with the tools and confidence they need to move toward their future goals.
I look up to Dian Fossey. She was brave and followed her passion to study the gorillas in Rwanda. She lived an amazing life, dedicated to conservation and the protection of mountain gorillas.
"Art Matters" by Neil Gaiman
Elected officials, regardless of party, should work to serve ALL of their constituents, not just the ones with whom they always agree.
I want to serve my community well. I genuinely like people and try my best to see the viewpoints of others.
To serve our community and to see all of the stakeholders as a team. The customers in this case are the students, and the team that serves the students are the teachers, the administrators, the board, and all the staff who work on our school sites, facilities, and district office.
"Art Matters" by Neil Gaiman.
This book is thought-provoking and inspirational, and filled with wonderful artwork by Chris Riddell.
The school board sets the tone and direction for the school district. The school board adopts policies, curriculum, and manages the budget. The school board hires and evaluates the superintendent.
My constituents are the people in Area 2 of the Campbell Union High School District. They are students, parents, and residents. You don't need to have children in the schools to care about the education of the students in your community. Our schools serve the entire community in more ways than education. Schools matter.
I will ensure that the needs of all of our students are not overlooked. Every student deserves to be seen, heard, and have the ability to access the opportunities offered in the public schools. I have an insight to the needs to students who need extra support. I will keep an open mind and listen to the staff, students, and community members.
I will be an accessible presence and will welcome communication from members of the community. I am most interested in hearing from the students who are actively attending the schools, and their parents, and the staff members who work with our students. These are the people who know what is happening in our schools, and know the current needs of our students.
Yes, I believe we should have faculty, staff, administration, and board members who represent the diverse nature of our community. I will advocate for hiring practices that ensure diversity of staff. Part of this process is to eliminate biases, and apply clear, objective criteria for hiring and promoting. One such procedure should be to evaluate resumes "blindly" by removing information that might be used to form a bias. The hiring team should also be diverse, including people of different backgrounds.
When students do not feel happy, safe, and secure, they cannot learn as well. We need to provide some level of mental healthcare at our schools to help students when they need support. Social workers and therapists should be standard at every school. Students need a safe method of reporting safety concerns, whether it be a facilities issue, bullying, or a threat. Students need caring adults who are receptive and will address their concerns while guaranteeing privacy.
Good teaching is when a student is engages in the subject being taught, and who is eager and interested in learning the material. Standardized testing isn't necessarily a good measurement of good teaching or learning, but rather a measurement of how well a student can take a test, though they can provide an insight as to where a student is in their learning. Classroom observations and evaluations are a good way to see student engagement and to witness a teacher's methods. Student feedback and input is also a useful tool for measurement, especially at the high school and college levels. Providing teachers opportunities for continued professional development will help teachers stay engaged in their work, and learn new methods for reaching their students.
I would like to see American Sign Language taught in the public schools for students who might have speech challenges. I would also like to see home economics returned as an elective. Apprenticeships for credit would also be a wonderful offering, especially if students can have work/learning experience while on campus.
Being careful and cautious with the existing budget is the first step. Existing bond and parcel tax measures should have clear oversight to ensure that the funding goes exactly toward where it was allocated. I would also advocate for better funding from the state and federal levels, as education should be a higher priority for all levels of government funding.
Students cannot learn if they are distracted and fearful. Campuses should be peaceful places. I support having more social workers on campus to help de-escalate tense situations, and to also see to our students' social and emotional needs. Schools should have anonymous reporting systems in place so students can safely report safety concerns.
The staff medical policies should offer adequate and affordable mental healthcare. All students, faculty, and staff should have the ability to take mental health days and be given the time they need to see to their needs. Having social workers and therapists on staff on campuses should be a standard.
All students are assigned laptops for school, and those who need wifi are given tools so that they can do their work at home when necessary. The district has systems that give students access to their classwork online, and communication with teachers is easy through these methods.
Some students have extra needs with materials. Online textbooks have helped, especially when the texts are provided in a variety of methods, such as through audio, or give the student the ability to enlarge or change the font. Braille materials should also be provided, when needed.
Mostly, schools should have the flexibility to embrace new technologies as they become available, and policy makers should keep an open mind about seeing to unique needs of students as they become apparent. The reopening of schools has largely been successful. This is largely due to better sanitization policies, better ventilation, and making it easier for students to keep up with their school work should they get sick and have to stay home. Making it easier for staff and students to get vaccines (including for flu), should they choose them, and making it easier to get testing and medical care continue to help our school communities stay healthy. I think we need to better address the mental health needs of our students and staff, and help them to process the stresses brought on by the unique challenges of the pandemic.
Improved communication from the district with the parents is needed. My goal is to improve access for the parents to reach the school board and district administration. Clear information should be on the district and school websites. As a board member, I will happily serve as a school liaison and team member with district staff, and represent the board at PTSA meetings and other events.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
External links
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 23, 2022
