School Boards Matter: 2026 Candidate Guide

Tracey Perrault

What do you see as the greatest challenges facing public school districts over the next several years? 

Over the next several years, I believe the greatest challenge facing public school districts will be meeting students' increasing academic, social-emotional, and safety needs while navigating limited resources. We must continue improving student achievement while addressing mental health, chronic absenteeism, school safety, and ensuring every student feels supported and has a sense of belonging.

Fiscal responsibility will be critical. As a trustee, I will review budgets carefully, ask difficult questions, and ensure resources align with student needs and measurable outcomes. Difficult decisions may be necessary, but protecting classroom instruction, special education, student supports, and our ability to recruit and retain quality employees must remain priorities.

I also believe maintaining community trust will be essential. As a trustee, I will be accessible and listen to students, families, educators, classified employees, and community members before making decisions. I will work collaboratively with my fellow trustees, establish clear priorities for the superintendent, and hold the district accountable for results.

My responsibility as a trustee is not to manage the district's day-to-day operations, but to provide strong governance, responsible oversight, and ensure every decision keeps student success, support, and safety at the center.

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 boards must keep students at the center of decisions, even when the issues before us become politically divisive. As a trustee, I will listen respectfully to different perspectives, but I will not lose sight of our responsibility to ensure every student feels safe, valued, and that they belong in our schools.

I believe declining trust in public education is best addressed through transparency, accessibility, and meaningful community engagement. Families should understand what is being taught, why decisions are being made, and have opportunities to ask questions and be heard. At the same time, disagreement should not remove opportunities, resources, or support from students who need them.

When concerns arise about curriculum, books, or programs, I will rely on established policies, educational standards, professional expertise, and thoughtful review rather than political pressure. I will also stand behind programs that provide students with equitable access to learning and support.

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?

As a woman of African American heritage and a lifelong educator, I understand personally and professionally how important it is for students to feel seen, respected, and that they truly belong. Every student, regardless of race, culture, ability, gender, identity, or background, deserves the opportunity to fully participate and thrive in our schools.

As a trustee, I would listen to student voices, examine achievement and discipline data for disparities, and ensure district policies provide equitable access to rigorous academics, student supports, extracurricular opportunities, and safe learning environments. I believe equity means giving students what they need, when they need it, to be successful.

School boards set a district's expectations and culture. We must adopt policies that protect students from discrimination, bullying, and harassment; support inclusive practices; allocate resources based on student needs; and hold the superintendent accountable for implementation and results.

My lived experiences will inform my perspective, but my responsibility as a trustee will be to represent and serve every student. I want every child who enters our schools to know: you belong here, your voice matters, and we are committed to your success.

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?

Having served in public education for more than 27 years as a teacher, instructional leader, and administrator, I know that retaining great educators requires more than simply recruiting them. Teachers stay when they feel valued, supported, fairly compensated, and able to focus on teaching and building relationships with students.

Districts must listen to why employees stay and why they leave. Competitive compensation and benefits matter, but so do manageable workloads, adequate planning time, strong site leadership, appropriate staffing, professional growth opportunities, and reducing unnecessary administrative demands. We must also support counselors, classified staff, and other employees because teachers cannot do this work alone.

As a trustee, I am accountable to the community for ensuring our policies, priorities, and budget demonstrate that retaining quality employees is a priority. I would review retention, vacancy, and employee climate data, listen to employees and their representatives, and ask difficult questions when we see turnover patterns. I would also hold the superintendent accountable for addressing those concerns and reporting measurable progress to the Board.

Ultimately, I am accountable for helping create the conditions where excellent educators want to stay, grow, and continue serving our 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?

Throughout my more than 27 years as an educator and administrator, I have worked with students from diverse backgrounds, including multilingual learners, students with disabilities, military-connected families, and students experiencing academic and social-emotional challenges. Those experiences have reinforced my belief that equity means giving students what they need, when they need it, to be successful.

Improving outcomes begins with looking honestly at the data and asking which students are not being served well and why. I would prioritize early academic intervention, strong literacy and math instruction, language development, inclusive special education practices, mental health supports, and programs that strengthen attendance, belonging, and student engagement. I also believe student and family voices must help identify barriers and solutions.

As a trustee, I would ensure resources are strategically directed toward demonstrated student needs rather than assuming every school or student needs the same support. I would ask for disaggregated achievement, attendance, discipline, and opportunity data and expect measurable goals for closing gaps.

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?

As an experienced educator, I believe technology should enhance learning, not replace relationships, critical thinking, or students' social-emotional development. We must prepare students for the world they will enter while protecting them from the risks that come with technology.

District decisions should be guided by student safety, educational value, equity, privacy, and age-appropriate use. This includes clear classroom expectations for AI. Students should understand when AI is appropriate, when it is not, how to acknowledge its use, and that submitting AI-generated work as their own does not demonstrate learning or integrity. Teachers also need training and consistent district guidance so expectations are clear across classrooms.

As a trustee, I would support policies that address safe AI use, social media, data privacy, cybersecurity, and responsible technology use. I would expect the district to regularly evaluate digital tools for instructional value, student privacy, and potential harm while keeping families informed.

Putting students first means protecting their well-being without shielding them from the future. Our goal should be students who can use technology and AI responsibly while thinking independently, communicating authentically, making ethical choices, and navigating the world with confidence and integrity.

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?

As a parent whose children attended public schools and as an educator and administrator for  27 years, I have seen how access to the right opportunities and support can shape a student’s future. I believe a child’s zip code, background, identity, or ability should never determine the quality of their education or the opportunities available to them.

Equity does not always mean providing every student with the same thing; it means identifying barriers and providing students with what they need to succeed. Districts should examine data across schools to identify disparities in access to rigorous coursework, special education and mental health supports, extracurricular activities, technology, and college and career pathways. We must also listen to students and families about barriers that data alone may not reveal.

As a trustee, I would use my governance role to establish equity as a district priority, ensure the budget aligns resources with student needs, and regularly review measurable outcomes across schools and student groups. I would hold the superintendent accountable for addressing identified gaps and publicly reporting progress.

Every student deserves to graduate with choices, prepared for college, a career, or another pathway that allows them to thrive.

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?

As a trustee, I believe effective governance begins with being accessible and listening. I would make myself available through email, community and school events, Board meetings, scheduled conversations, and regular opportunities to hear directly from students, families, employees, and community members. I also believe in going into the community rather than expecting the community to always come to the Board.

I understand the boundaries of a trustee. My role is not to direct staff or manage day-to-day operations. When concerns are brought to me, I will listen with an open mind, help constituents understand the appropriate district process, and watch for patterns that may indicate a larger issue requiring Board attention.

Accountability requires more than accepting a report. When the Board approves priorities, programs, or funding, I will ask for clear goals, timelines, measurable outcomes, and progress updates. I will compare reported outcomes with data and listen to those directly impacted to understand whether implementation matches what was promised.

My responsibility is to provide oversight without micromanaging, to be accessible, ask thoughtful questions, verify progress, and remain accountable to the community I serve.