CHRIS BAUSCHNobody asked for this COVID-19 pandemic but we are blessed with amazing students and families who are working with highly qualified teachers and staff who are doing their best to continue to make learning happen. Besides a humble request for their continued indulgence, my message to our students, families, staff, and teachers would be a message of gratitude and hope with the promise that I will continue to support every practical effort to get back to the best school experience Paso Schools can provide, hopefully in person. I will support and thank families in their decisions to make educating their children as meaningful and successful as possible no matter how unique their situation. I will support and thank teachers who should not have to ask for the simple basics to educate our students whether they are teaching from their home or from their classroom. My message would conclude with my promise to support every effort to get back to and then truly appreciate what we may have taken for granted, the Pledge of Allegiance, roll call, sitting at desks, recess, nutrition, passing periods, lunch, sports, saying “See you tomorrow” at the end of the day, band, sports, theatre, choir, field trips, face to face meetings, and graduation. The very best of Paso Robles….. |
Top Thing he Wants to Accomplish
Besides restoring the In-Person Learning denied due to COVID-19, the number one practice I want to restore to our district is good governance based on the civil discourse of information, both pro and con, of the items that come before the school board. Trustees have an obligation to be informed on all local, state and national issues that may have an impact on education. In advance of every school board meeting, trustees receive their Agenda Board Packet to read and thus prepare for the upcoming board meeting. In recent years, it has become standard practice for staff to present, often at the last moment, action items that must be voted on immediately and to provide background information to the board that supports only staff’s position, if information is provided at all. Good governance and the best results for schools results only when staff provides the superintendent enough unbiased information to forward to the board so that the board can make the best decision possible based on reliable and accurate information. It seems to me that individual board members rely solely on the information provided in the Agenda Board Packet and fail to do their own independent research on each and every action item. Worse still is failing to spend the time necessary to prepare by reading the packet. Moving the delivery of the packet from Friday to Wednesday provided another forty-eight hours for trustee’s research but even that may not be enough time for adequate preparation. Better preparation should mean better decisions.
Practicing great governance, from staff to superintendent to the board will lead to better, more efficient board meetings, more informed decisions by the board and a more stable future for the district and community.
Practicing great governance, from staff to superintendent to the board will lead to better, more efficient board meetings, more informed decisions by the board and a more stable future for the district and community.
What Experiences, Past jobs, or Education makes him qualified for School Board?
I am qualified to run for the Paso Robles School Board because of my recent eight years of service to the students, teachers, staff and to the citizens of Paso Robles as a school board trustee. My career as both a business owner and consultant fixing broken businesses has developed a keen sense of how to set and achieve goals, prioritize spending for optimal results, best hiring practices and recognize opportunities to serve the community. However, most germane to being elected to school board is the intense and job specific professional development, Masters In Governance, provided by the California School Boards Association. As the only trustee, candidate or otherwise, who has earned this MIG designation, I bring a unique understanding of effective governance, school finance, Ed-Code, by-laws, board policy, commonsense, reason, fiscal restraint, and when needed, righteous indignation at board meetings. I am not afraid to speak out, ask tough question, represent the concerns and suggestions of parents, students, teachers, businesses and voters, especially the taxpayers that pay for our schools. Besides the school board, I volunteer at church, schools, the City, SLO County, Downtown Main Street Association and Rotary.
Why did he decide to run?I am running for Trustee for the same reason as in 2012. Having recovered from cancer in 2010, I was looking for a good way to pay it forward. Similar to today, albeit for different reasons, our schools were in financial trouble. Friends suggested that my background fixing broken businesses could help restore the District. Since our five Bearcats received an excellent education from Paso schools, it seemed a good way to return the favor. How hard could it be? As it turned out, very hard. Restoring sound business practices resulted in financial stability during my first term. Lack of good governance allowed a 10% reserve to squandered during my second. The current reserve will be spent mostly on safety protocols when schools reopen. I will draw upon my experience to reduce non-classroom expenses, restore student programs, recover learning lost from pandemic induced closures and keep our schools and staff under local school board oversight.
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How will he respond to COVID-19 as a member of the School Board?By previously voting in favor to have already opened schools to some of our highest needs students, voting in favor of preparing to open schools to Pre-K, Kindergarten, and voting in favor to apply to SLO County Public Health for a waiver to first open elementary, then middle then high schools, I believe that I have taken the first steps in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the COVID-19 transmission rate has been relatively stable, I believe that SLO County Public Health will approve the reopening of schools this week, it was wise that staff submitted our waiver application. Next steps will be to ensure that our district is providing increased coronavirus screening and testing of all our staff. Negotiations with our Certificated and Classified bargaining units to make sure our employees feel safe in supporting a return to in-person learning, especially with regard to all safety, distancing and sanitizing protocols that must be implemented before schools can be reopened. The school board will be holding a Special Board meeting tomorrow night, October 6 to discuss and hopefully approve a Hybrid Model of learning.
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