Brittany Bower is focused on getting back to the basics and putting students first.

Safe and Healthy Campuses

The challenges faced by our students, teachers, and staff today are very different than in past years. We need to take a proactive and long-term approach to the many issues facing our campuses to ensure we are creating safe and healthy learning environments. First and foremost, this means investing in the officers, fencing, and technology needed to ensure safe campuses. In our post-pandemic reality, we are also seeing new threats to student wellness that must be addressed. This includes the persistent presence of vaping and drug use on our campuses, which we cannot tolerate. We also must address truancy and discipline issues which have become more severe in the years since online-learning. In many ways, addressing these issues means taking a back-to-the-basics approach in which we hold students accountable for their behavior and set clear expectations and consequences for their behavior.

 

Student Mental Health

Several years out from the pandemic, we are still seeing the lingering effects of distance-learning on our students. No where is that more visible than when looking at the increasingly challenging issues regarding student mental health. I support addressing student mental health with comprehensive programs that include access to counselors, psychologists, and social workers. Proactive conversations with parents and students about mental health and well-being can lead to early intervention to address issues before they escalate. If we learned anything from pulling kids out of the classroom during COVID, it is that social-emotional learning is as important as curriculum and academics. By prioritizing mental health, we can create a safe and nurturing environment that promotes the well-being and academic success of all students.

 

Parental Engagement

Ensuring parental engagement is vital for fostering a supportive and effective educational environment. Parents are the key ingredient to student success. Open communication channels between the board, school leaders, teachers and families is essential to building trust and creating a partnership that supports student success. Some of our campuses in San Marcos Unified do better than others, and I support efforts to create environments on campus where parents feel welcome and heard in all facets of their student’s education.

 

Fiscal Responsibility

Ensuring fiscal responsibility is crucial to maintaining our ability to provide quality education. San Marcos has enjoyed plentiful growth in recent years that has staved off the declining enrollment challenges facing surrounding districts, but if we are not careful, we will likewise find ourselves in a financially precarious situation in years to come. I support deliberately building our district’s reserves, so we have a fallback in years of future instability. I also believe in prudently managing our facilities and capital assets so that we don’t constantly need to go to taxpayers to approve unnecessary debt through bond measures. Accountability in financial decisions fosters trust among parents, taxpayers, and stakeholders, demonstrating a commitment to using public funds wisely. Ultimately, fiscal responsibility supports the goal of delivering a high-quality education and creating a sustainable, thriving educational environment.