THURMOND: I HELPED STATE SCHOOLS DEAL WITH PANDEMIC

Q: What in your background makes you the best candidate for this job?

A: I spent over a decade working in schools running after-school and enrichment programs, leading schoolbased mental health and mentoring programs, and teaching life skills and civics.

In 15 years as an elected official, I have led countless efforts that have resulted in critical resources for California schools, including universal preschool, universal meals, universal broadband programs and efforts to recruit and retain more teachers and counselors for our schools.

During the pandemic, I helped our schools serve 900 million meals and secure 1 million computers and low-cost internet for students in need and free rapid COVID-19 tests and personal protective equipment so our California schools could reopen and stay open for in-person instruction.

As we bounce back from the pandemic, I am leading a plan that includes recruiting 10,000 counselors to help students heal, providing 1 million books to families in need, ensuring students learn to read by third grade, and providing students with the chance to learn a second language so they can prepare for the jobs of tomorrow.

My experience shaped my passion for serving California schools as a parent of public school students and as a former student who relied on the free lunch program, public assistance and a great public education to overcome poverty after losing my only parent to cancer at the age of 6. My educators kept the promise of education for me, and I intend to deliver on the same promise for all of California’s students.

Q:

Explain how you saw your role and how you led during the pandemic and do you think it was sufficient in light of criticism you didn’t do enough? If you had it to do over again, what would you do differently?

A:

When COVID-19 disrupted our school system and unveiled a major digital divide, I worked to ensure all students would have the necessary tools to stay connected to their educators, counselors and school staff. Together with county superintendents, I made sure school districts had what they needed to transition to remote education, including delivering 900 million meals to public school students across California. In addition, we secured over 1 million computers for students, helped secure $6 billion to get high-speed internet access to all kids across the state, and pushed service providers to supply low-cost, high-speed internet to students.

During the pandemic, I led the way for California’s public schools to reopen safely. I made 5 million COVID-19 rapid testing kits available at no cost to the school districts. I administered an additional $5.2 billion for COVID-19 school relief that provided everything from computers to mental health counseling to personal protective equipment so that students could get back to learning safely.

Q:

Awareness of California’s persistent achievement gap and concerns about student and teacher mental health have been heightened during the pandemic. What, specifically, would you do to address this?

A:

There is no question that the pandemic unveiled tremendous mental trauma and widened the achievement gap in the last few years. California will need to step up and do more for its children to heal and get back on track for academic success. I am committed to retaining 15,000 teachers to mitigate the learning loss incurred during the pandemic. In addition, I am launching