Candidates Q and A: Alexandra Zucco

Age: 45

Occupation: Incumbent/Field Representative, CA State Assemblymember Chris Holden 

1.    Please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your background and why you should be elected or reelected to the Monrovia Unified School District Board of Education.

a.     My name is Alex Zucco and I am seeking re-election to the Monrovia School Board. I came on the School Board in 2009 and have enjoyed the work and am hoping to return for another 4 years and continue serving Monrovia. I grew up primarily in Pasadena, attending Pasadena public schools from Hamilton to Blair HS. I graduated from the University of La Verne with a degree in Criminology and Sociology. I have lived in Monrovia since 1996 with my husband, Joe, and our two daughters, Zoe and Bonnie. I spent the first 10 years of our time in Monrovia serving on a variety of community service organizations in our schools; Mayflower PTA, Clifton PTSA, Girl Scout leader, Mayflower School Site Council and classroom volunteer. I believe in our public schools and am constantly looking for ways to improve them and attract families to our schools. I believe I should be re-elected because I have been an advocate for our students and staff.

2.    What would you say is the distinguishing characteristic that you bring to the table, that qualifies you to be a member of our school board? What is the number one thing you would like to accomplish as a school board member and how will you go about accomplishing it? (Patch reader Gail Arakelian)

a.     Some characteristics I bring to the table as a member of the Board of Education that qualifies me to be a member of the school board is my background in sociology, my previous work experience with Five Acres and the special education field and my understanding of how this school district works and its culture. One thing I would like to accomplish on the school board in the next 4 years with the help of my fellow board members is expanding our Math and Science Academy to include a clear career path, and then duplicating that to one or two other “academy” areas, like a Performing Arts Academy or Culinary/Hospitality or Sports/Health. We have so many of the pieces of these kinds of special programs and with our community partners and facilities at the high school that would be my goal to work towards.

3.    One key thing school board members are tasked with is voting on budgets and making sure the district is spending wisely. What kind of experience do you have working with budgets?

a.     I have been part of the budgeting process on the Monrovia School Board for the past 4 years. Prior to that, the bulk of my experience in budgeting was in relation to the many non-profit boards I worked with, like the PTA and Junior League.

4.    Do you think a school board candidate’s personal finance issues, such as previously filing for bankruptcy, should disqualify them for office. If so, why?  If not, why not? Would you be willing to take a basic competency test in math and personal finance if it was required? (Patch reader Dan Crandell)

a.     I do think it should be a factor voters consider. And, yes I would be willing to take a basic competency test in math and personal finance. Additionally, over the last four years, since school finances are so unique and complicated, I am currently the only board member to have completed the CA School Board Associations “Masters In Governance” training. Over a two-year period I took part in 9 full day classes, which included two in School Financing and Negotiations/Human Resources to help me better understand how school financing works. They were invaluable and I would recommend the professional development offered by the CA School Board Association.

5.    What is your position on funding more art/music/drama opportunities MUSD students and on censoring student art/music/drama at the high school level specifically? Would you be willing to cut athletics in order to expand the arts? (Patch reader Stephen McCarthy)

a.     My position on the arts, and any extra-curricular activity, is schools should invest in a variety of programs to keep students engaged. The arts, athletics, robotics, Renaissance – these are all programs that get our students excited to stay engaged in school and maintain their grades so they can participate. Growing up, my father worked for a variety of ballet and opera companies, we were always surrounded by music and the arts, my sister attended the American Academy of the Arts and is now a published author and my daughter is majoring in Art History after a lifetime of visits to the Norton Simon and Getty – my preference would be to not cut anything and find ways to offer something for everyone.

6.    Did you send your children to Monrovia schools? If so, what did you think of the education they received. If not, why not?

a.     Both of my daughters have and still do attend Monrovia schools. Bonnie and Zoe attended Mayflower, Clifton and Monrovia High School.

7.     Are you the type of individual who won't buckle under pressure when you can see that your decision is right for students/staff/ the District, while other board members disagree with you? Give an example to support your answer. (Patch reader Gail Arakelian)

a.     I do like to think I am independent and secure enough to not be concerned with what other’s think and do what is right for Monrovia Schools. One example was with the issue on whether or not our school PTA’s should be permitted to fundraise outside the Monrovia City limits. I felt very strongly our PTA’s do an incredible job and bear the brunt of our funding shortfalls, and the Board should be not trying to limit their opportunities. Additionally, when our schools were renegotiating with the City of Monrovia and subsequently the YMCA on the shared management of the MHS pool, the report and lack of presentation by the City and YMCA was unacceptable and had it brought back to have specific questions answered before voting on the item.

8.    What are your thoughts on how the district’s test scores are trending year to year? How important of a measure do you feel test scores are in determining student achievement? How important do you think they are in evaluating teacher performance?

a.     Last year, only 3 schools (Mayflower, Monroe and Monrovia HS) saw increases in their test scores. I see it as a few factors coming together and less of a trend, especially considering the whole thing is about to change. The increased class-size has definitely had an impact, as well as the transition from standards based curriculum to the Common Core. The instruction and testing no longer match and are definitely causing some negative impact. While I do think testing is one measure to evaluate how a student is doing and how our instruction is meeting the State requirements, I think there are a few ways to see how students are doing. We have the CA High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) results, attendance and truancy, graduation rate, drop-out rate, GPA, college acceptances to 4-year universities, completing A-G requirements to be eligible to attend a UC or CSU, number of students taking and passing AP tests are all ways to measure how our students and schools and staff are doing.

9.    The MUSD recently hired a new superintendent. What do you think the board’s role is in working with a superintendent? 

a.     I think the Board and Superintendent should work as a team. With all six members working with a common goal, the entire District will benefit.

10.  What are your thoughts on the importance of parental involvement in helping students achieve? How will you engage the community to improve public schools in the district?

a.     Coming from my background as a parent volunteer, I have seen and know the positive impact of having parents involved and engaged in our schools. One way to engage the community is to be visible and have our successes transparent and highlighted everywhere. If the community knows we are doing a good job, they are more likely to want to be part of it. Additionally, supporting the existing organizations in town that are already working to improve our schools; like the Boys and Girls Club of the Foothills, Monrovia READS, Monrovia PTA Council and all of the PTA Units, Foothill Unity Center, YMCA, Boy and Girl Scouts to name a few. And finally, while people do want to be asked – we need to have clear requests. I think with time being such a precious commodity, people want to know their time will be respected.