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Shara Watkins
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Shara Watkins is an at-large representative on the San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District school board in California. Watkins won a first term in the at-large general election on November 7, 2017.
Watkins participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 school board candidate survey. Click here to read her responses.
Elections
2017
Three of the five seats on the San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District board of trustees in California were up for nonpartisan general election on November 7, 2017. No incumbents filed to run in this race, which guaranteed three new members were elected to the board. Noelia Corzo, Alexander Haislip, Rebecca Hitchcock, Shiraz Zack Kanga, Thomas Morgan, Jacob Thiel, and Shara Watkins ran for the open seats. Corzo, Hitchcock, and Watkins won the election.[1][2][3]
Results
| San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District, At-large General Election, 4-year terms, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Shara Watkins |
25.35% | 7,201 |
| Noelia Corzo |
21.46% | 6,095 |
| Rebecca Hitchcock |
15.83% | 4,497 |
| Shiraz Zack Kanga | 12.12% | 3,441 |
| Thomas Morgan | 11.36% | 3,225 |
| Alexander Haislip | 6.96% | 1,977 |
| Jacob Thiel | 6.92% | 1,965 |
| Total Votes | 28,401 | |
| Source: San Mateo County Elections, "My Results: SAN MATEO-FOSTER CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT MEMBERS, GOVERNING BOARD," accessed November 8, 2017 These election results are unofficial and will be updated after official vote totals are made available. | ||
Funding
Watkins reported $22,549.00 in contributions and $22,686.14 in expenditures to the San Mateo County Elections, which left her campaign with $137.14 in debt in the election.[4]
Endorsements
Watkins was endorsed by the following organizations and elected officials:[5][6][7]
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Watkins was also endorsed by former officials and community members. Click here for a list of her supporters.
Campaign themes
2017
Ballotpedia survey responses
Shara Watkins participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates.[8] In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on October 10, 2017:
| “ | I am a former teacher and education professional committed to: - Student focused decision making that ensures all students get the support they need: I will approach budgetary decisions with a lens for ensuring our choices will not inequitably impact students in the San Mateo-Foster City School District. I look forward to exploring creative ways to distribute the myriad of resources we have in our community amongst all students. I'm also invested in gathering detailed student data and ensuring that educators have the tools, resources, and support necessary to serve all students. - Increasing communication and transparency with our community: I am committed to bringing together all stakeholders in the San Mateo and Foster City communities to ensure that we are best meeting the needs of all students in our community. I am invested in transparently communicating with the community at large about the current budgetary needs of our school district and the ways that everyone can support our schools and our community. - Supporting our teachers and investing in teacher training: I am committed to working with the San Mateo-Foster City School District, our City Councils, and with SMETA to ensure that teachers are well supported, both financially and professionally.[9][10] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in California. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| “ | In order to make necessary improvements and expansions, our district must be financially sound.[10] | ” |
| —Shara Watkins (October 10, 2017) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer eight questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| No. My commitment is to the students and families in the San Mateo-Foster City school district and I would support any solution that best meets the needs of the students in our communities. Currently, the SMFCSD has a plethora of options for school choice within our public schools and I am dedicated to investing in our public school system and our certified teaching staff. |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should defer to school board decisions in most cases. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| Yes. Standardized tests are one metric to provide information on student achievement. While standardized assessments offer one perspective on student performance, they should not be used in isolation. It is important to have multiple points of data (both quantitative and qualitative) to build a complete understanding of student performance. |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Offer additional training options. Offer additional training options. Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| Yes. While I think that much research and outreach is needed before a system of merit pay is introduced, I believe that valuing our educators and treating them as professionals is important. Rewarding professionals that go above and beyond is an important component of feeling valued and respected. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. My concern with school vouchers is a movement towards privatization of education and removing the separation between public and private entities. I worry about the effects of pulling money from our school district to fund private education for students - it’s our responsibility to ensure that we are providing a first class education for all students within our district. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Expulsion should be used as a last resort when a student is a threat to those around them. It's important for the school district to work with students to ensure that they have the skills, tools, and strategies to navigate challenging situations. Education provides opportunities for students to make mistakes and to learn from them with proper guidance and support. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers. Investing in our teachers is a top priority. We are fortunate to have some of the best educators in the country right here in our district and our community. Teachers are our most valuable asset and it's imperative we recruit and retain the very best educators. I am committed to ensuring that teachers stay in our schools. |
Candidate website
Watkins highlighted the following issues on her campaign website:
| “ | TEACHER SUPPORT
Teaching is the hardest job I have ever done. I know that the teachers of San Mateo-Foster City are giving their all to ensure that our students are successful and that they are ready to meet the demands of our ever-changing society. Investing in our teachers is a top priority. As housing costs in San Mateo-Foster City skyrocket, it is imperative that our educators have the resources to both live and work in this community. I am committed to working with the San Mateo-Foster City School District, our City Councils, and with SMETA to ensure that teachers are well supported, both financially and professionally. We are fortunate to have some of the best educators in the country right here in our district and our community. I am committed to ensuring that this remains a top priority and that teachers stay in our schools.
The San Mateo-Foster City community has excellent public schools, which provide an opportunity for children to flourish. However, not all students in San Mateo-Foster City have access to the resources and opportunities afforded to some. Access to an excellent education is not only a right for all students, but allows our community to grow and prosper. As a School Board Trustee, I am committed to approaching all decisions with all students at the center of that decision-making process. I will approach budgetary decisions with a lens for ensuring our choices will not inequitably impact students in the San Mateo-Foster City School District. I look forward to exploring creative ways to distribute the myriad of resources we have in our community amongst all students. As a former special education teacher, I am passionate about ensuring that educators have the tools, resources, and support necessary to serve all students. Our schools are a space where all students can and should thrive - from those students who need extra support to those students who need to be pushed far beyond the bounds of the curriculum. I commit to ensuring that all students have a place in our local public schools.
Investing all stakeholders in the work that is happening in San Mateo-Foster City is of the utmost importance. I am committed to bringing together all stakeholders in the San Mateo and Foster City communities - from city council members to community organizations to our local police. I want to leverage and strengthen existing communication structures to best meet the needs of all students in our community. In addition, I am passionate about increasing our effectiveness as we communicate with the community at large about the current budgetary needs of our school district and the ways that everyone can support our schools and our community. Open dialogue and transparency is key to providing a first-class education for the San Mateo-Foster City community.[10] |
” |
| —Shara Watkins (2017)[11] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Shara Watkins San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District school board. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District, California
- San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District elections (2017)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ San Mateo County Elections, "Candidates Roster," accessed August 17, 2017
- ↑ San Mateo County Elections, "November 7, 2017 Consolidated Municipal, School and Special District Election," accessed August 12, 2017
- ↑ San Mateo County Elections, "My Results: SAN MATEO-FOSTER CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT MEMBERS, GOVERNING BOARD," accessed November 8, 2017
- ↑ San Mateo County Elections, "Public Portal for Campaign Finance Disclosure," accessed February 12, 2018
- ↑ Evolve, "Endorsements: November 7, 2017 General Election," accessed October 26, 2017
- ↑ Shara Watkins for San Mateo-Foster City School Board, "Endorsements," accessed October 26, 2017
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Shara Watkins," November 3, 2017
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2017, "Shara Watkins's responses," October 10, 2017
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Shara Watkins for San Mateo-Foster City School Board," accessed October 25, 2017
| San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District elections in 2017 | |
| San Mateo County, California | |
| Election date: | November 7, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Noelia Corzo • Alexander Haislip • Rebecca Hitchcock • Shiraz Zack Kanga • Thomas Morgan • Jacob Thiel • Shara Watkins |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
