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The Alhambra Source reached out to each candidate, asking for a biography, platform statement and a few reader-generated questions. The Source does not endorse any candidates nor statements.

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Biography

Jane Clay Anderson was born and raised in Alhambra. She attended Garfield Elementary and Alhambra High School. UC, Santa Barbara, was her college choice where she obtained her Bachelor of Arts and teaching credential. Ms. Anderson returned to Alhambra to teach at Monterey Highlands School. Except for one year at Repetto School, she taught grades first through sixth at Highlands. She was active in the Alhambra Teachers Association serving on the bargaining team and as president in 1978. In her tenure at AUSD, Ms. Anderson was a master teacher, mentor in math and science, and a school improvement coordinator.

Unlike her opponent, Ms. Anderson has served the community in various ways. She served on the Library Board, belonged to Rotary, and is very proud of her 14 years as a school board member. She will continue to work for child and school safety, remain cognizant of budget restrictions, and provide the best learning practices for students in this very unordinary, stressful time. Her mottos are, “Kids First” and “Experience Counts!”

Platform

I am proud of my 14 years as a board member. I have learned on the job. I take it very seriously and devote many hours to visiting school sites, learning about teaching strategies, and attending in-services as much as possible to stay current with classroom practices. I will continue to make sure our students are safe from COVID, if and when they return to school. I will continue to be a voice for mental health and safety through our programs, such as Gateway to Success. I will continue to support parent meetings, parent conversations, and update the website to ensure our parents know about the resources available to them and their children. This will ensure transparency.

Working within a deficit budget is a struggle but our team of administrators and Board work together to support children and programs. We work very well together. Now is not the time to replace a well-working machine.

Keep Kids First while Experience Counts!!

Responses

The pandemic has greatly affected learning in our schools. How are you going to ensure that every student receives a quality education?

Every student is receiving a quality education. Distance Learning is not ideal, we know, but the district has best practices in place. Our teachers are hard-working and they reach every child every day. We have provided laptops and hot spots for those without the resources. A special technology team is available every day for helping with problems.

Do you have plans for addressing the long-term effects of the pandemic on Alhambra’s schools and their students to ensure there is not a “lost generation”? Please explain.

We are providing extra help every afternoon for children who desire or need extra help. Teachers provide small-group learning for those students who may be behind in reading or math. Parents need to be aware of weak areas and help their children when possible. The school and home need to work together to make learning optimum. Our Parent Programs through Health and Student Welfare are excellent to help parents deal with struggling students.

What is your plan for increasing funding for AUSD schools? Where would you allocate these funds first?

We must make the legislators and governor aware of our needs. Providing for COVID has been an expensive process. We need parents to sign-up for Free and Reduced lunch because our federal monies will run out Dec. 31, 2020 and we will lose monies if they are not signed up. They have been notified of this need from the district. If Prop 15 wins that will be another plus for our district.

What recommendations would you make to the district when creating the curriculum for its social justice and equity training program for teachers and administrators?

A state program is not available yet. While we are waiting on the state we can begin training teachers and staff. If we do not have the staff available to do this, hopefully, we will be able to bring in consultants for training. We must also work to figure out how to add another graduation requirement. It all takes time.

Visit Jane’s website.

 

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