School board candidates

Q3: With regards to the January 2022 incident of closing the school for two weeks. I believe sick children should be home, and healthy children should have the option to go to school.

As a parent of three children currently attending MUSD, I have a personal vested interest in the education of our students and the functionality of our district. I grew up in Mammoth, attended MUSD schools and have a background in Education. I was a Multi-subject credentialed teacher and I have a Masters degree in Education. I believe this combination has helped create an informed perspective and unique understanding of the challenges facing MUSD.

Q1: I do not agree with Board policy mandating Covid vaccines. In regards to staff and volunteers, the CDPH recommended a vaccinate or test policy and has not mandated vaccines for school employees. In regards to students, the CDPH has not added the Covid vaccine to the vaccine schedule required for children to attend public school. School Boards are not medical professionals and it is not their job to make medical decisions for students or staff. Being trailblazers, setting precedent, and creating policies ahead of the CDPH is not the intended role of a school board.

Q2: Extended mask requirements were detrimental to student’s emotional well-being, hampered their ability to connect with teachers and classmates, and resulted in additional learning and social deficits.

Q3: The January 2022 school closure was unnecessary. Without consulting school principals, the MUSD School Board or MCOE, Superintendent Wildman informed MCHD that staffing shortages were at a critical and unsafe level, which resulted in MCHD issuing an Emergency Order to close schools. This information was false. The closure could have been avoided had there been more oversight, accountability, collaboration and transparency.

CHELSEA NASH: JOHN STAVLO:

My wife and I have been fulltime residents of Mammoth Lakes for approximately 15 years. I am running for the MUSD Board of education because I am concerned about our children’s education. My qualifications are: I was previously a member of the MUSD Board for nine years. As a member of the board, we worked to solve multiple problems over those years. If elected I will have a minimal learning curve.

While in the Aerospace industry, I developed the skills of working with multidisciplined teams to solve complex problems and developed management and leadership skills to empower people and not micromanage them. In my career, I had to develop critical communication skills. This experience is directly transportable to the board position. My experience brings a different perspective to the board.

Q1 and Q2: I agree with how the school board handled the vaccine and masking situation during the initial phases of the pandemic. The Board had no choice. They cannot overrule health mandates from the government.

Q 3: By January 2022 Covid had been with us for almost two years. We had more information on the virus and the effects that the shutdowns and masking had on students. At that time, the health authorities did not mandate the shutdown of the schools and left the decision up to the board. My initial position would have been not to shut down the schools. I would have required compelling evidence to do other wise.

Over the last two years with Covid, people have been left with fear and anxiety. I would encourage parents to be brought to the table to be a part of the healing and solution for their children’s education. I want to be on a team that can help make that happen. I worked for MUSD from 1995 – 2018. MHS from 1995 – 2003 and MES Husky Club. In 2003, I became the MMS Administrative Secretary, retiring in

BECKY DAVIS:

2018. Working in the MMS office for 15 years have prepared me for such a time as this. I was part of a problem-solving team, had a listening ear and loved and supported students, teachers, and parents.

Q1: I would not have agreed to administer the Covid vaccine at any school site. The more appropriate places for vaccine clinics would have been outside of the school day at a health facility.

Q2: I believe the school district was following CDC, California, and the local health department recommendations using the data at that time. I was glad that in March, the recommendations were to allow choice.

Q3: I would not have favored the January school closure because of the effects on students. The initial communication was that schools would be closed for three weeks. I think the district should have analyzed the data daily rather than projecting weeks out.

We need to move forward with perseverance and keep our eyes on the goal of making kids first, involving our parents, and encouraging our staffs.