Candidate: Neil Fishman
Office: Boulder Valley School District Board of Education District A
Website: https://neil4bvsd.com/
QUESTIONS FOR CANDIDATES (200 words maximum for each response):
Are you the parent of a current or former BVSD student? Please let us know when your child attended BVSD.
“Yes, I am a proud parent of a BVSD graduate. My kid attended elementary, middle, and high schools, and was in the BVSD school system from 2005-2018. So, I’ve experienced the entire spectrum of student life—different schools and different student experiences—as well as the life of an engaged parent who had many different experiences throughout the time my child advanced through the BVSD system.”
What motivated you to run for BVSD Board of Education?
” I am running because I’m a passionate and ardent supporter of public schools and want to ensure that all kids have access to an excellent public-school education in the future. My passion grew out of my own experiences in the public schools (K-12, Denver Public Schools, undergraduate and graduate degrees from CU), and I attribute many professional and personal successes to my public-school education along with experiences being a BVSD parent. My motivation to run also grows out of my decades of experience being deeply engaged in local community organizations focused on social justice work, including non-profits (BCAP, Out Boulder), government (municipality, county, state), and being a BVSD parent. While serving on the District Parent Council, I played a pivotal role in expanding the BVSD’s nondiscrimination policy to include gender identity/expression. As a community member, I worked collaboratively and strategically throughout 2022 to get progressive social studies standards passed by the CO Board of Education. Finally, I am motivated as a gay man to bring a heretofore unspoken voice of diversity to the board, which is crucial given what’s happening across the US. My leadership skills and life experiences will be brought to bear as a productive board member.”
What do you see as the major issue(s) facing the school district? Please list five issues in order of priority, and give a brief explanation of why the issue matters.
- 1) Declining enrollment and declining budgets will be the overarching priority of the board in coming years. Enrollment has declined ~8% (2017-2022) and is projected to further decline 7.5% over the next five years. Declining enrollment must be addressed fully and transparently; the community must be aware and engaged so that there are no surprises.
- 2) Improving the climate in our schools to ensure they are safe and welcoming for all kids—this includes addressing bullying in a comprehensive and consistent manner, district wide. And this is also linked to the need to enhance the mental well-being of students.
- 3) Narrowing the achievement and disproportionate discipline gaps. It’s unacceptable to continue to have significant disparities in achievement between kids of color and their white classmates. We owe it to all kids to seriously improve the disparity.
- 4) Preventing book banning efforts and anti-inclusion policies from taking hold in BVSD. All kids should be able to see themselves in their educational materials.
5) Green solutions for BVSD. Kids need hope, and working on climate action provides them with valuable knowledge and tools. Students are asking for climate curriculum to help them understand climate change. For more details, visit neil4bvsd.com.
Do you agree with BVSD’s decision to make a $32,500 settlement with a family who alleged that the district’s equitable discipline policies constitute discrimination against white students? Please explain why or why not.
“I have read about this matter in the newspaper and looked at the redacted settlement provided to me by the Boulder Weekly. But sadly, this case seemed to be settled to “…avoid the time and cost of further litigation.” And, “…the District does not admit a violation of any law…”. So, we are left with a settlement but no clarity regarding whether or not the district’s equitable discipline policies constitute discrimination against white students. And finally, the settlement was dismissed with prejudice, which means the decision is final. There is no legal way to reconsider the decision, and so whether or not I agree with the decision is moot. But I will say that the effects of the litigation and what happened in the school leading to legal action, likely has some residual effects on the students, educators, and other staff, as well as their families. This must have been a difficult issue for the entire school. I hope that the school and the district are working collaboratively with all students and their families to deal with the lingering effects of this legal action, and to also chart a constructive path forward.”
Emergency department visits for sexual violence among Boulder County teens doubled from 2020 to 2021, then again in 2022, according to data from Boulder County Public Health and reported in Boulder Weekly — do you agree with how BVSD has responded? Please explain why or why not.
“Despite existing policies on the books addressing sexual assault and harassment, these egregious actions persist in BVSD schools, at alarming rates, as outlined in the Boulder Weekly, and in other news accounts. These actions are also consistent with data in the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey Report. Although BVSD has made advances to improve school climate, much more work is imperative so our schools can be a truly safe and welcoming environment for all kids. I’m grateful that BVSD reached out to MESA to partner with this community-based organization for training of all people in our schools, and to also tap into other critical community resources. We must, however, pay attention to what students are seeking—more information about sexual violence, how to identify it, and how to readily access resources. This should be a focus of district response because our students identified it as an important need. The fear of retaliation from the district and peers, coupled with psychological, social, and emotional impacts of assault, make it clear that the district must seriously improve the climate in our schools. Nobody should be subjected to the trauma of sexual assault, much less re-traumatization by reliving it because an assault was reported.”
What BVSD policies would you change, and why?
“I have not reviewed all the policies in the BVSD but those I have read seem realistic and enforceable. I also recognize that the board is the policy-making arm of the district, so it is their job to create, review, change, or sunset policies as appropriate. And indeed, the board does review existing policies. It is my recommendation that any changes that might be warranted to existing policies would best be focused on those policies that are demonstrably not working or out of date. Importantly, any changes to existing policies or creation of new policies should be made through the lens of equity and inclusion, with attention to cultural sensitivity. However, I believe some good BVSD policies are not being implemented consistently across the district, such as the bullying policy (JBHD). I believe the bullying policy is comprehensive, including the section on cyberbullying, but I’ve spoken with enough parents to think that it isn’t being implemented consistently across the district. This is an example of a good policy being ineffective because of inconsistent implementation. I don’t think change is required but ensuring that it is being consistently implemented across the district is necessary.”
What BVSD policies do you support, and why?
“I fully support many of the policies related to student conduct including the Student Code of Conduct, Student Use of District Technology, Academic Honesty, and others found on the district website at https://www.bvsd.org/parents-students/student-rights-and-responsibilities. I support these policies because they outline the rights and responsibilities of all students. Clear expectations are the cornerstone to a firm understanding of roles and responsibilities, whether you are a student or a productive member of society. I have found, through my decades of experience working as both a scientist and a manager of other scientists, as well as working in and leading non-profit organizations, that outlining roles and responsibilities is a key to success.”
How will you engage with community members?
“As a board member, I believe it is imperative to keep a finger on the pulse of the community. My many years of community involvement has helped me to learn how to successfully engage with community members so that I come away with a clear understanding of their issues and concerns. As a board member, people in the community may reach out to me to discuss matters of importance to them; but my life experiences helped me to realize that proactively soliciting their input is a better way to find out what’s on their minds. My effective listening skills will undoubtedly prove useful as the BVSD board deals with declining enrollment, which is the highest priority issue on its plate. Because declining enrollment is such a large community issue, I believe it is imperative that the board be exceedingly transparent and candid with the community as it deals with this overarching priority. Thus, I recommend that regular board meetings be held in schools around the district to make it easy and accessible for constituents to share their thoughts and concerns. Decisions will be difficult to make, but the community deserves to be fully engaged with the board.”
What makes you the best candidate to serve on the BVSD Board of Education? Put simply: How do you stand out against other candidates?
“My life experiences and the skills I have acquired over time have prepared me to be a productive member of the BVSD School Board. Being deeply enthusiastic about public schools, based on my own educational journey, coupled with my kid’s journey in BVSD, has left me with an unrelenting passion for public education. I am committed to ensuring that BVSD schools remain an excellent and viable option for all kids in the future. And my decades-long involvement in leading local community projects focusing on social justice issues has led me to develop strong connections to the community, which in turn has helped me to recognize and acknowledge many of the challenges and barriers faced by some BVSD kids and their families. I am ready to roll up my sleeves and get to the tough work ahead, especially dealing effectively with declining enrollment and declining budgets, the top priority of the BVSD board. My honed skills, including 1) listening effectively, 2) getting to root causes of thorny issues, 3) addressing difficult and complex problems, 4) building consensus, and 5) working collaboratively, along with my life experiences, have prepared me to be an effective and productive board member.”
