School Boards Matter: 2026 Candidate Guide

Jenee Littrell

What do you see as the greatest challenges facing public school districts over the next several years?
The biggest hurdles facing our schools over the next several years aren't abstract— they're practical, everyday issues that directly impact what happens on campus:

• Shrinking budgets and declining enrollment: One-time pandemic aid is gone, and enrollment is dropping. The real test is tightening our belts without pulling dollars out of classrooms, closing libraries, or cutting career-technical pathways.

• Keeping good people in our schools: High living costs make keeping strong teachers, counselors, and support staff tougher than ever. If we can’t retain reliable staff, student consistency and campus stability both suffer.

• Student well-being and attendance: Many students are dealing with anxiety, disengagement, and falling behind in core academics. We cannot expect academic gains if we don't have full-time counselors on campus to catch problems before they turn into full crises.

• Managing screen distractions: We need to prepare students for tech and trade careers, but personal phones have become a constant disruption. Campuses need firm, clear boundaries on devices during class so teachers can actually teach.

• Restoring trust with families: Too many parents feel disconnected or shut out of the process. Board leadership has to drop the political spectacle and be completely transparent about curriculum, finances, and library materials long before policies are voted on.

How should school boards respond to increasing political polarization, censorship efforts, attacks on policies/programs aimed at supporting marginalized students, and declining trust in public education?

School board meetings need to stop being a stage for political drama. When adults spend all their energy fighting over outside controversies, our classrooms pay the price.

Boards have a legal obligation to follow state education code, period. State rules protect all students and protect what they can read in our libraries. Pulling books or slashing student support services because a vocal group demands it doesn't just harm students—it exposes the district to expensive lawsuits that drain classroom funding.

We also need common-sense decorum in the boardroom. People have an absolute right to speak, but the rules must apply equally across the board. When meetings turn into shouting matches, everyday parents walk away and stop showing up.

Trust requires genuine transparency, not damage control after the fact. If we want parents on board, we cannot blindside them. Put curriculum frameworks, library catalogs, and policy changes out in the open early so families can review the actual facts instead of relying on rumors.Every decision before the board has to meet one simple standard: it must directly support student learning, campus safety, and practical preparation for the future. If it fails that test, it has no business on the agenda.

How would you work to ensure that all students, including students from historically marginalized communities, feel safe, supported, respected, and able to fully participate in school? What role should school boards play in creating inclusive school cultures?

Creating a school culture where all students feel safe and respected does not happen through board resolutions or slogans. It happens on campus through real relationships, clear expectations, and direct conflict resolution.

Years ago, I created Camp LEAD to bring students from different backgrounds, neighborhoods, and peer groups together to break down barriers, address conflict, and build mutual respect. When students learn how to communicate across differences, campus climates transform. That hands-on work demonstrated that genuine campus safety comes from connection and accountability, not division or rigid policies that simply push students away.

On our high school campuses, supporting students from historically marginalized communities requires practical, day-to-day safeguards. We need full-time counselors on site who understand student needs before crises emerge. We need clear behavioral expectations and administrative consistency that keep students engaged in their classrooms rather than falling behind. And our libraries and classrooms must provide resources where students see their experiences valued and reflected.

The school board's role is to provide the backbone for that culture. Trustees must uphold state non-discrimination laws without wavering, protect access to diverse learning materials, and hold district leadership accountable for campus climate data.

Above all, board members need to model dignity and respect from the dais, setting the standard for the entire district.

Educator burnout, staffing shortages, and retention challenges continue to affect schools across California. What do you believe districts should do to better support and retain teachers, counselors, classified staff, and other school employees?

People leave education when the workload becomes unmanageable and they feel invisible. Keeping dedicated staff on campus isn’t complicated, but it takes deliberate follow-through:

• Pay that matches reality: With our high cost of living, educators and support workers cannot stay if wages stagnate. The budget has to reflect that priority, especially for classified staff—campus aides, custodians, and instructional assistants—who keep our schools running every day.

• Real backup from leadership: Burnout spikes when employees feel stranded on an island. Teachers need administrators who back them up on cell phone rules and campus expectations. Counselors need relief from testing coordination and endless paperwork so they can focus on talking to students.

• Listen before deciding: Nothing damages morale faster than major decisions handed down from an office. Before changing a bell schedule, buying new curriculum, or shifting responsibilities, the board and district leadership must sit down with the people doing the day-to-day work.

• Stop piling on: Districts constantly add new mandates without ever removing anything from staff plates. We need to clear out redundant meetings and excessive reporting so educators have time to plan, teach, and mentor students.

Student achievement data often reflects persistent disparities based on race, income, disability, language access, housing instability, and other factors. What strategies or priorities would you support to improve student outcomes while also addressing underlying inequities?

Closing persistent achievement gaps comes down to meeting students where they are and removing the practical hurdles that keep them from learning. When students walk onto campus carrying heavy burdens from home, academics take a backseat unless we actively intervene:

• Catch academic struggles early: Waiting until a student fails a class to offer credit recovery is too late. We need targeted reading and math support built directly into the regular school day so students do not fall irreparably behind on credits required for graduation.

• Expand hands-on trade and technical pathways: Not every student thrives in a traditional lecture environment. Robust career-technical education programs give students practical skills, industry certifications, and a direct reason to show up every morning—especially those at risk of drifting away from school.

• Break down language barriers for families: When parents do not speak English, navigating high school graduation requirements is completely overwhelming. Schools need translated materials that make sense, meetings held when working parents can actually attend, and designated staff who make families feel welcome and informed.

• Target basic needs and campus stability: A student dealing with housing instability or food insecurity is not thinking about algebra. We need on-campus counselors who can connect struggling families with community resources before small crises lead to chronic absenteeism and failed classes.

• Keep students engaged, not pushed out: Gaps widen when campuses rely on rigid discipline that simply sends struggling students home. Clear expectations and administrative consistency keep students in the classroom where they can actually learn and remain accountable.

Schools are increasingly navigating questions related to technology, artificial intelligence, social media, student privacy, and digital safety. What principles should guide district decisions around technology use while ensuring students are both prepared for the future and protected from harm?

Technology belongs in our schools only when it actually improves learning. We have to prepare students for a modern workforce without letting devices hijack the classroom:

• Instruction comes first: Phones stay put away during class, period. Teachers need the administration to back them up on this so they aren’t spending half their day policing screens.

• Teach real skills, not shortcuts: Banning AI doesn't work; students will use it on the job. We need to teach them how to research properly, think critically, and use these tools responsibly without letting tech do the thinking for them.

• Protect student privacy: Every educational app or platform must meet strict standards. Student data, personal details, and classwork should never be tracked, sold, or shared with outside vendors.

• Handle online friction before it hits campus: Social media drama spills right into school hallways. We need on-campus counselors who can step in when cyberbullying or online harassment starts disrupting learning.

• Protect assistive tech: Screen readers, speech-to-text, and other specialized tools are non-negotiable for students with disabilities. Our rules must always protect their equal access to learning.

How should school districts ensure that all students, regardless of background, identity, ability, or zip code, have equitable access to high-quality academic programs, mental health supports, extracurricular opportunities, and pathways to college and careers?

A student’s zip code shouldn’t dictate the quality of their education. Real equity comes down to simple common sense: put resources where the need is highest and clear out the roadblocks that trip students up.

• Fund the schools that need it most: Giving every campus the exact same dollar amount looks good on paper, but it ignores reality. Campuses with more low-income families or English learners need extra reading specialists, counseling staff, and library materials to level the playing field.

• Bring hands-on trades and advanced classes to every site: College prep and trade programs shouldn't be a lottery based on what school you're zoned for. Every campus needs solid career-technical tracks—like healthcare, building trades, and tech—so students graduate with real skills and clear career choices.

• Keep counselors on campus: Telling a struggling family to find an outside therapist doesn’t work if they don't have reliable transportation or health coverage. Having full- time counselors on campus means we catch attendance and mental health issues before a student falls behind.

• Cut pay-to-play fees: Sports, band, and campus clubs are what keep students showing up every day. Hidden fees for gear, uniforms, and travel keep lower-income students on the sidelines, and districts need to step up to cover those costs.

• Guide families through the system early: For parents who never went to college or don't speak English, high school graduation tracks can feel impossible to decode. Schools need to sit down with families starting in ninth grade—with materials in their home language—so they have a clear path to graduation from day one.

School board members must balance their duty to act in the best interest of students and the families they represent with the practical realities of overseeing a district's operations and finances. How do you plan to communicate with your constituents to understand their needs and priorities? What steps will you take to follow through and verify that what the district reports is actually being implemented as promised?

Trustees cannot oversee a district from a dais. If you only look at polished slide decks presented by central office, you aren't doing the job.

Staying in touch with the community:
• Hold open coffee chats: A three-minute timer at a public microphone doesn't build trust. I'll host regular, informal meetups at local spots so parents, staff, and neighbors can sit down and talk through real issues face-to-face.

• Walk campuses during normal school hours: Photo ops don't tell you anything. I plan to visit campuses regularly to talk with teachers, counselors, and support staff about what is actually working and what isn't.

• Translate the jargon: Most board materials are dense and confusing. I will share plain- English updates ahead of major votes so families know what is being decided before policies are set in stone.

Checking the work:
• Verify at the school site: When administration reports that a new curriculum or safety plan is fully rolling, I'll check directly with the people on campus. The real test is whether the classroom teacher actually has the tools and backup they were promised.

• Look at results, not just money spent: Passing a budget is the easy part. I’ll look at hard numbers—attendance, graduation tracks, and staff turnover—to make sure programs deliver what they claimed.

• Listen to staff without middlemen: If an initiative is failing, employees shouldn't have to worry about blowback for speaking up. I will keep an open line with staff so problems get fixed before turning into costly district crises.