EL SEGUNDO HERALD October 15, 2020 Page 3
Election 2020
Candidate
Amy Grant
El Segundo School Board Candidates Q&A
Candidate
Michael Wagner
Candidate
Dieema Wheaton
Vote nov. 3
By Duane Plank
Once the students get back on campus,
what measures should be taken to ensure
school-site safety?
Amy Grant: ESUSD has given much thought
and consideration to the protocols for safely
reopening schools. Over the Summer the newly
formed Health & Safety and Operations Committee
collaborated and extensively researched
best practices for keeping our teachers, staff and
students healthy and safe. With their continued
input and oversight, along with temperature
checks, mask use, hand sanitizing, smaller
classes, on-site nurses, robust testing capabilities
and a secure contact tracing plan…we will set
ourselves up for a successful return to hybrid/
in-person instruction. We MUST remain diligent
and look at other schools nationwide for key
case studies that exemplify both successful
and unsuccessful practices.
Michael Wagner: Recent guidelines issued
by the state allowing targeted groups to attend
school are setting the stage for how we will
fully return. Small cohorts, wearing masks,
equipment sanitization, social distancing and
other infectious controls are the minimal protocols.
State health professionals will determine
those minimal protocols in a full-scale return
and determining those measures now would be
premature. While the state will provide these,
it is going to come down to the Administrators,
Teachers and Parents of our schools to tell us
what we should be taking into consideration
in ensuring school-site safety. As Administrators
and Teachers are designing programs to
re-introduce students back to school environments,
they are learning. We are going to have
to listen to their experience in fully returning.
This isn’t an easy answer but for me to presume
otherwise would be ultimately minimizing the
health and welfare of all its stakeholders.
Dieema Wheaton: ESUSD has a Health
& Safety and Operations committee, which
provides input on operational policies and procedures
in preparation for the safe reopening of
our schools. As an active committee member,
I have first-hand knowledge of the measures
being put in place to ensure the well-being of
our students, teachers, and staff, and to provide
a safe environment for the return of in-person
learning. ESUSD has secured Personal Protective
Equipment for all sites. They have procured
20,000 cloth masks and will provide each student
five masks free of charge. The sites will
also have access to hand sanitizer dispensers,
contactless thermometers, handwashing stations,
sneeze guards, latex-free gloves, face shields,
additional disposable medical masks and other
site safety and hygiene products. This is in
addition to newly implemented cleaning and
disinfecting standards, staff training, exposure
response measures/alerts, staggered schedules,
cohort management, lunch distribution, safety
signage, volunteer moratorium, and more.
2. What are your thoughts on the
Facilities Master Plan, and what should
be prioritized?
Dieema Wheaton: The Long Range Facility
Master Plan (LRFMP) initially began in 2015
and was followed by the passage of Measure
ES in 2018, a $92 million General Obligation
Bond. The LRFMP allows our school
district to address facility needs, repairing
of aging structures, modernizing existing
spaces, construction of new facilities to address
long-standing site demands, technology
infrastructure upgrades, and provides current
standards to address safety and security needs.
In my opinion, priority should always be on
the students. The LRFMP should be prioritized
to address the safety, technology, and facility
needs to support high quality curriculum
and instruction, followed by on-going facility
maintenance to avoid escalating costs resulting
from delayed maintenance. This will not
only assist with meeting the educational needs
of our current students, but it will also allow
ESUSD to remain a destination district that is
highly regarded and sought after by families
pursuing high quality education.
Michael Wagner: A thorough process was
developed in determining the improvement and
needs of infrastructure in the operation of our
district and individual schools. As a professional
educator, with experience in operations, the plan
is comprehensive and thoughtful in ensuring the
physical plant and facilities are directly serving
student learning and programming. School safety
continues to be a paramount concern and our
current board has prioritized it in this plan. It
is also my priority as an educator and parent.
In all school site developments “new” “safe”
“security portals” are being established, with
perimeter fencing and re-designed entry points
to ensure each school’s safety. Additionally,
flexible multi-use rooms and facilities are being
built to allow for programming needs as
our schools expand into new curriculum and
services for our students. The plans process
secured stakeholder input in prioritizing safety
and securing a dynamic environment for our
students to achieve.
Amy Grant: The El Segundo Unified School
District Facility Master Planning Steering
Committee (2016), along with the El Segundo
Unified School District Superintendents
Advisory Committee (2018), the Facilities
Advisory Committee, PBK Architects, School
Administration, District Administration, and
ESUSD Board of Education diligently put
together a thorough and thoughtful Facilities
Master Plan. Pre-Covid, there is very little I
would change to the list of priorities; however,
knowing that Covid is airborne, I believe that
all school HVAC systems must be assessed
immediately and upgraded where needed.
Any upgrades to outdoor facility use should
also be prioritized. The use of outdoor space
is critical to the success of our return to onsite/
in-person education. All projects that add
precious square feet to the footprints of our
schools are crucial. •
“Voting is the expression of our
commitment to ourselves, one another,
this country and this world.”
– Sharon Salzberg
The El Segundo Teachers Association
proudly supports
Amy Grant
and
Dieema Wheaton
In their run for ESUSD Board of Education
“We stand behind
their commitment
to our teachers,
students and
equitable education
for all.”
Paid by ESTA-PAC # 1268405 1369E. Grand Ave., Unit D, El Segundo, CA 90245ES