Merced City School District Board candidates for Area 4 answer key questions
The November election race for the Merced City School District School Board seat in Area 4 is a two-person race between incumbent Birdi Olivarez-Kidwell and Annie Delgado.
The two are vying for a seat on a board that recently hired new superintendent Julianna Stocking.
Prior to Stocking taking over on July 1, the school district — which includes 11,500 students and about 1,400 staff and 18 schools — had been operating without a permanent leader in place since the board fired former superintendent Diana Jimenez during a special board meeting on April 25, 2023.
Stocking is the fifth person to fill the role of superintendent since January of 2020.
Olivarez-Kidwell, 58, said she has been working with schools in some capacity since 2006. She’s served on various committees, including the boundary adjustment committee, the long range Facilities Master Planning Committee and as the president of the Bond Oversight Committee for Measure S.
Delgado, 52, has worked as a teacher for 24 years with stints at Golden Valley, Buhach Colony and Yosemite high schools.
Olivarez-Kidwell and Delgado both expressed their views about the challenges and issues facing the district, along with the importance of stability of leadership.
Question: Why are you running for the school board?
Olivarez-Kidwell said the last two years have been difficult with the revolving door of superintendents, but feels the hiring of Stocking has the district headed in the right direction.
“We’ve got a phenomenal superintendent,” Olivarez-Kidwell said. “We’ve been through very difficult times, but I think we are now poised to continue what was started four years ago. I’m running for re-election for that and because I know the job, I know this district, I’m a forward thinker.”
Oliverez-Kidwell said one of the main reasons she originally ran for the school board in 2000 is because she felt many students were not being represented properly with some of the decisions being made in the district.
“There was an assumption that everybody had WiFi, there was an assumption that parents would be home to help supervise their students, or that families were in a in a stable living environment,” she said. “Those types of assumptions do not represent our demographic.”
Delgado said she realized it was either time for her to put up or be quiet, so she’s running to make a difference.
“As an educator, I noticed that the focus stopped being on kids, and it was more on the adults in the district,” Delgado said. “When that happens, then that means that our kids lose out.”
Delgado also feels as a board member she can help get more money going into the classrooms.
“I’m the bargaining chair for my union, so I have a depth of knowledge as it relates to budgets and decisions,” Delgado said. “I’ve also seen where spending has been wasted and that could have made its way into the classroom. It’s about putting the students at the forefront and giving support to those who help the students.”
Q: With the school bond on this November ballot, in our opinion, what are the biggest improvements MCSD should prioritize if the bond is approved?
Delgado would like to see improvements to the infrastructure at school, including heating, air conditioning, making sure that students have access to the highest quality filtration so they are attending school more.
“We need to give our students the skill sets and resources that will help them be more competitive,” Delgado said. “That could be accessing tools or programs that require in-person communication, because that’s an area where many of our students are still struggling, four years past Covid. We need to find ways to become creative and invest in the teachers and the staff, so they can put that money into the actual classroom.”
Olivarez-Kidwell said overcrowding in some of the district schools is a big issue and has to be addressed. She said school safety should be another priority.
“So much has to be based on reapportioning the boundaries, ensuring that the populations are distributed among the various campuses as best we can, then making decisions from there,” Olivarez-Kidwell said. “Safety and security, 100%, especially in this climate, and ensuring that our students have learning environments that are indicative of what they should be learning.”
Olivarez-Kidwell points out that students are much different than students were just 10 years ago. She said lessons should be less structured and need to be interactive and engaging.
Q: What are the biggest issues and challenges facing the school district?
Olivarez-Kidwell said it’s vital that the district works to get families involved with the students’ education. She also feels schools need to find the best ways technology can enhance education.
“Families have to say education is a priority, and we’re going to be involved in your education and interested in it,” she said. “I think that’s a massive challenge that we’re facing right now. The use of technology in education, what that looks like, ensuring that our students are engaging with technology in a way that enhances their learning and allows them to access the world that they have at their fingertips.”
Stability is one of the biggest issues for the district, according to Delgado.
“That has been sorely missing, and they need to be reminded of why we’re all here, which is the students,” Delgado said.
Delgado also feels the district is facing a crisis in special education.
“We’re seeing more and more students who are in need of special education services, and so making sure that teachers and staff are supported to meet those needs that can impact class sizes,” Delgado said.
Q: With the hiring of Julianna Stocking, why is it important for the district to have stable leadership moving forward after the recent turnover in superintendents?
Delgado said without strong leadership in place the district has lost out on state funds. She said it’s vital to have solid leadership in place and individuals who are willing to collaborate with Stocking to get the district headed in the right direction.
“There’s tens of millions of dollars that the district has left on the table, or had to return to the state because nobody was watching what was happening,” Delgado said. “There were neighboring school districts that were able to access grants that our district, the Merced City School District, did not.”
Olivarez-Kidwell said stable leadership creates a ripple effect across the district from the top to the bottom.
“Stable leadership in the superintendent means a more stable board, but it also means more stability for the students, for the staff, for the teachers, and also for the community,” She said. “I’m very optimistic Julianna Stocking has exhibited a strength of leadership already in just this short time, with absolute zero tolerance for drama.”
