KurtW.

Finances, technology, safety, curriculum—Kurt believes every one of these issues can benefit from more transparency.

Kurt believes we can improve decision-making processes to ensure vetted data and expert analysis are at the forefront of the district’s decisions. Sharing that information with the community helps everyone understand how decisions are reached, even when there are different views about the outcome.

Decisions should be grounded in concrete data, not anecdotal opinions. Kurt believes this increased transparency will lead to renewed trust in our School Board and its governance.

The budgetary crisis has a host of causes, including declining enrollment, spending practices, rising pension obligations, and declining state revenues. Kurt believes there may be multiple avenues towards mitigation.

For starters, Kurt believes we need to look at internal spending before considering options like school closures. He proposes a closer look at administrative staffing and expenditures, including comparisons with similarly sized districts, within the context of declining enrollment—before asking the community to undergo the loss of neighborhood schools.

Davis is a unique community with an abundance of world-class experts. When our schools have needed the community, the community has stepped up. Kurt believes we should strengthen existing relationships and expand community partnerships to supplement the services our schools offer.

Kurt has experience with school-bond oversight and grant administration, as well as licensed childcare and after-school programming. He has also worked with community-based organizations to support youth culture and civic engagement.

At its core, this is not just a budget conversation. It is a question of public trust—and trust requires transparency.

Kurt advocates for the appropriate use of technology: technology requested or supported by teachers that supports their creativity and autonomy, rather than attempting to supplant them.

Last term saw a protracted debate around cell phones on campuses. Kurt’s critique is of processes, not people. He believes that if the district were more responsive to data presented by parents and the expertise at our doorstep through UC Davis, issues like this could be addressed more efficiently.

Moreover, Kurt believes we need to let teachers and students in on the ground floor when developing technology policies. He embraces the phrase ‘nothing about us, without us’ and believes DJUSD needs to incorporate those directly impacted by decisions so students and teachers have a say during policy and program creation, not just implementation.