Terwiske’s argument is simple: Teachers get represented by unions and parents need representation too.
School boards should be listening to parents and that hasn’t been done well according to Sonia Terwiske, candidate for Capistrano Unified School Board.
As a mother of two young children, running for elected office wasn’t on her radar until recently. “I’ve started to think more about this in the last year and a half. Not just about the school board, but school policy itself and how it impacts us,” she said.
It was alarming to her when she found out from her school-aged niece and nephew that their schools were lowering standards in math, “I’ve heard people saying we need more funding for STEM; sure you need funding for STEM, but you’re also lowering standards!”
When Terwiske and her family last moved, they chose their neighborhood due to its proximity to a well-liked elementary school. The policy response to the pandemic, however, all but forced her to put her daughter into a private school instead.
“Social and emotional development for the children was left behind,” Terwiske said. She recounted speaking with parents who told stories of begging and pleading with school boards to let their children unmask at school according to widely accepted safety standards. “That’s one of the battles I don’t want to have to fight when my kids are older.”
While the pandemic response planted seeds, ultimately the introduction of Assembly Bill 1955 was the push that got her involved. “We teach our kids not to keep secrets from mommy and daddy and we don’t keep secrets with other adults. But all of a sudden the teachers and counselors can keep secrets from families?” She likened the keeping of secrets to encouraging parental neglect, saying that if parents don’t have all the information, they can’t provide what’s best for their children.
As a school board member, her priorities would revolve primarily around parental communication and academic standards. “I want to bring parents into the loop of every conversation. Keeping communications away from parents is not okay with me,” she affirmed, and even mentioned increasing existing communications.
She shared her thoughts on curricula with similar fervor, “We should increase expectations for every kid. Kids need to do their best, it doesn’t matter if it’s a C+, so long as they did their very best.” She argued that by taking away class options for high performers, schools are failing to provide options for all kids.
She emphasized that even though she’s not a teacher, she’s coming at this from a parent’s perspective. “Teachers are great, and they have unions who represent them. I have some issues with what unions do, but they’re looking out for teachers. I want someone looking out for parents. I want someone to stand for the kids.”
In her view, the most important role the school board can serve is listening to parents and being their advocate. “I’m happy to bring my daughter back to a public school when the schools are for the children again. Our taxes are paying the unions, but our voices aren’t being heard. My core issue is the school board listening to parents: that’s why it’s there.”
