Dan Goldstein, Candidate for Hayward School Board

Dan Goldstein is a systems engineer and member of the Hayward Planning Commission.  He is running in a slate with Robert Carlson and Todd Davis. Find out more about the three of them at HaywardCLASS.com

Questions

1 – The Hayward School District appears to be in disarray after scandals and lawsuits involving the Superintendent, district staff and School Board members. What will you do to fix the problems and return trust on the district?

The Hayward School Board has a history of running off the Superintendents they hire. If Stan leaves, he’ll be the fifth or sixth run off in a decade. The high turnover is a strong signal that the Board is inept. The public abuse witnessed at the board meetings leaves little room for doubt that the Board is dysfunctional, and incapable of running a proper public meeting. Matters that can be corrected administratively, should be, and not turned into public humiliation.

2 – Do you believe there are systemic problems with racial/sexual/gender-based or other discrimination in your district’s schools? How would you tackle them?

Hayward is uniquely diverse in its composition, something we should celebrate and embrace. Fear and ignorance can be overcome through getting to know each other during play time, through positive social interaction, and by mentoring. I am a proponent of having older kids mentor younger kids, and having classmates tutor each other. My own kids, who are of mixed heritage, started anti-bullying clubs at their campuses.

3 – Do you believe the school-to-prison pipeline is operational in Hayward and what will you do to close it down?

School-to-prison pipelines arise when education fails to ignite the hope of a bright future, when hopelessness sets in. Restorative justice seeks to bring positive change to a young person’s habits and behavior, especially to avoid punitive justice (incarceration).

4 – Do you support having police officers on campus? If so, in what capacity?

Yes, properly trained and vetted officers can do a lot of good to improve the relationship between the school community and the police department. Community policing is very effective at building rapport, ensuring the safety and security of the community.

5 – What limits to students’ freedom of expression and privacy do you think are appropriate for public schools?

Any restrictions that might be required to help accelerate learning and minimize gross distractions should be minimally invasive to a student’s Constitutional liberties. “Minimally invasive” simply means using techniques that allow free expression and privacy except where required; for example, by providing Internet access but blocking porn, hate, and cheating sites while using district property.

6 – What do you think the School District should do to offer support to homeless, foster and impoverished children and children coming from violent homes?

I am following the progress being made by the County on development of an integrated system that allows participant agencies to coordinate benefits in housing, medical/dental/mental health care, clothing, job training and placement assistance, legal aid. One of the main benefits I see is the increased ability of schools to funnel candidates into the solutions already available to the families that need them, with the outcome of healthier, happier, students able to focus on the goals of education.

7 – Given the explosion of autism diagnoses, what is your plan to make sure children and their parents are getting the proper support?

Special education programs are a vital link for parents and students to get the support they need. The County integrated benefits system will also help ensure families are connected to resources. Research shows that some of the explosion of diagnoses can be explained by the evolving definition of “autism” and the scalar approach to it. Some parents might believe that vaccines are to blame. There is no trustworthy scientific evidence to support that claim. Making sure students get the proper vaccines is important to staying healthy during their learning years.

8 – What should the District do to tackle problems of truancy?

Provide students and parents with the means to communicate attendance issues, with our commitment to help resolve those issues. Make sure parents and students are aware of the language assistance available such as the immersion programs for language fluency and bi-lingual educators and staff. Make sure that the path to/from campus is safe for kids, and help families establish friendships with other students along that path. Make sure kids feel safe and welcome on campus by establishing anti-bullying campaigns, processes, and relationships on campus. Provide nutritious breakfast and lunch, free if needed.

9 – Have you received financial support from any entity doing business with HUSD? Do you or your campaign have a financial relationship with any member of the ACDCC? Are you running as a Berniecrat?

No to all of the above.