What made you decide to run for the SUHSD school board?
I decided to run for office because I know that I can make a difference to the youth of the community. My professional and personal experiences provide me with a unique understanding of the workings of a school district. I am currently in my 35th year of teaching and have been elected to leadership roles to represent my colleagues at the local, state and national levels. These roles have allowed me the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues, school administrators and district administrators while advocating for students and their families. I will bring knowledge to the office that no other trustee will have and be able to provide a unique perspective for decisions to be made.
What particular experiences have prepared you to serve as Board Member?
The most valuable experiences that have prepared me to serve as a Board Member are varied. Currently, I am a teacher in my 35th year of teaching. In my career as an educator, I have had the opportunity and privilege to work with teachers and school administrators at my site, others school sites in and out of the district locally, across the state and nationally. I have been involved in the PTAs, English Learner Advisory Committee (ELACs), School Site Councils, Curriculum adoption, teacher training, parent involvement, development and implementation of district programs, and consulting with publishers and the California Department of Education (CDE). As a teacher, I have been a union member my entire career. I have held elected leadership positions for my local chapter, county uniserve, state, and nationally in which I represent hundreds of educators and advocate for students and teachers alike. These experiences have taught me how to be the voice for those who do not speak, can’t speak, or have fear of speaking. But most importantly, LISTEN to understand and be informed. I need to be informed to make any decision based on data/evidence because I will have to answer to the people I am representing.
What do you see as the major issue(s) facing public education?
There are many issues that are affecting public education, but the most important for Sweetwater UHSD are:
Establishing and maintaining a safe and stable learning environment for students and work environment for district employees
The retention and recruitment of highly qualified employees: teachers, school administrators, and support staff
Fiduciary Responsibility: accountability and transparency for district stakeholders, ensuring that funding is allocated properly so that diverse student populations receive a quality education that prepares them to be active participants of a global society.
What are your goals for your first year on the board?
The primary goal is to assure that ALL students have access to a high quality education. I will work towards that goal by getting out into the community by attending different school events and chatting with students, parents, Sweetwater staff, and community members. It is important that I hear the comments, concerns, and even complaints first-hand from the stakeholders I represent.
What is your vision for education in this community?
My vision is for all students to have access to a high quality education so that they progress academically and grow socially by ensuring equitable access to educational programs and opportunities. In addition, assure that district directives are aligned to address the students’ needs so that they will be prepared to meet the challenges of the future.
What inspires you and why?
There are many things that inspire me, but as a teacher there is nothing more inspiring than watching a student learn a concept. There is a sparkle in their eyes as a hint of a smile grows across their face with satisfaction knowing that they have mastered something new. Those moments along my career have been many, but each time it happens it feels like the first. I know that I have impacted, made a difference in someone’s life and feel appreciative of such a privilege. As an individual, I believe to always do your part for the betterment of our space by inspiring others to do the same.
Anything else you'd like to add that we didn't ask?
It is time for me to apply all I have experienced and learned in my career. I will be the voice of parents, educators, community members and the students. I will promote policies/programs/opportunities that will remove obstacles to student growth and assure that all students are prepared to meet the challenges of tomorrow.
I ran for this school board seat to counter the political turmoil disrupting public education, from the Boardroom to the Classroom. As a career investigative journalist and consumer advocate, I hope to help the district repair its reputation, increase transparency, and restore the trust of our community.
What particular experiences have prepared you to serve as Board Member? Thirty years as a journalist, from Washington, D.C. to San Diego, exposing business and government malfeasance, eight years in leadership on the San Diego City Council, all the while promoting community collaboration.
What do you see as the major issue(s) facing public education? Public schools are challenged to be a one stop shop for solutions to many of society’s ills: poverty, hunger, providing the safe for children who are homeless, abused, or disabled. It’s humbling to see frontline teachers, counselors, and administrators seek and create solutions to many of society’s challenges that wind up on the doorsteps of public schools.
What are your goals for your first year on the board? Safety first. I want to make sure the campuses in Area 5 have the same public safety protection as other schools in the district. I look forward to meeting students, teachers, and administrators at Area 5 schools, learning from them, and responding to their priorities, growing Career Education programs, and growing student enrollment which has been shrinking in recent years.
What is your vision for education in this community? I believe current leadership in the Sweetwater district is on the right track in building a dynamic and successful education community. The Compact for Success with local colleges, focus on science and technology, career education, expanding multi-cultural programs, and opening doors for students who, in many cases, are the first generation in their families to benefit from formal education. Sweetwater has become a strong and reliable partner in the community.
What inspires you and why? I am immensely inspired when the light goes on in the eyes of young people: when they finally figure out a stubborn problem, when they do well on a test, exceed their own expectations. To watch them become part of a community of growth, achievement, and take their place as leaders and mentors to others. We can learn from this growth and achievement in our kids.
Anything else you'd like to add that we didn't ask? Yes. I am inspired. I anticipated this would be an enlightening experience. And it is. But, it is also heartwarming and inspirational.
End of Term Q & A With Longtime Sweetwater Union High School District Board of Trustee Paula Hall
What made you decide to run and serve as a Board of Trustee in the Sweetwater Union High School District?
I decided to run for the school board on the very last day one could submit the paperwork. I never saw myself doing something like it. After seeing the decline of engaging programs and student support at the schools in my area, I wanted to do something. I worked for the second largest school district in California as a Financial Planning and Development Analyst and with that experience I felt that our west side schools with some of the highest need students should be given more resources, not less. It was the catalyst for my decision to run for the trustee position.
What are some highlights and/or biggest accomplishments from your years on the Board?
It is an honor to have served as a trustee for the past eight years, one year as president in 2018, and two times as vice president (2017 and 2022). I chaired the Board’s Facilities subcommittee in 2015 and began the work to revise the Facilities Master Plan to be more equitable and established a project labor agreement that ensures any construction is done by skilled local labor. I chaired the Board’s Audit and Finance Subcommittee for all eight years expanding it to include two community members for oversight, established operational expectations for the district and created a fraud hotline for anyone to report questionable activity.
At the very first closed session I learned that the district was facing a myriad of lawsuits related to construction and facilities which also included a very real threat of losing an over thirty-million-dollar property with no recompense. Making the decision to hire two people was key to our resolving these challenges. First we brought on Dr. Moises Aguirre as Assistant Superintendent, now Superintendent and within the next few months we established a General Counsel position and hired Jennifer Carbuccia. Another hire, Dr. Jenny Salkeld as Chief Financial Officer brought the professional expertise and experience addressing a critical need for sound fiscal management. These three professionals have done a tremendous work (along with cabinet members and all staff) to bring the district from deficit to fiscal solvency including healthy reserves for the foreseeable future.
Also epic was seeing the district through the worst pandemic in a hundred years. Passing a general obligation bond with 70% support of constituents, seeing the completion of a state of the art Aquatics Center at Mar Vista High with a community use agreement with the city of Imperial Beach, new fields for several schools, HVAC at all our schools, becoming a restorative district, passing strong policies for mental health and suicide prevention, establishing Black Advisory and Filipino/AAPI Advisory groups, holding community forums for LCAP, and passing resolution 4468 Advocating For and Protecting Each of the District Students.
I was honored to serve alongside like minded board members Nick Segura, Arturo Solis, Kevin Pike, Frank Tarantino, and Dr. Adrian Arancibia.
The students, teachers and staff of Sweetwater are phenomenal and I am ever in awe of the work being across our district every day. The future is bright because of it.
Thank you all for allowing me to be a part of that success.
Department of Defense STEM Features Castle Park High Teacher Hunter Alzate
Congratulations to Castle Park High School Math and Statistics Teacher Hunter Alzate for being featured in the Department of Defense STEM Ambassador Newsletter. Mr. Alzate is passionate about many areas of math instruction and seeks to infuse computer science into the math and statistics curriculum. In particular, he is particularly interested in making concepts accessible to English language learners, creating authentic tasks that offer multiple paths to a solution, and fostering inclusive classrooms where student voices guide learning. Alzate holds a bachelor’s degree in applied math from U.C. Berkeley, a master’s degree in statistics from CSU Fullerton, plus a master’s degree in education from UC San Diego.
Thank you for all you do for the students of Castle Park High.
SUSHD Grants and Communications Department
