Cynthia Nevison for Boulder Valley School Board
Cynthia Nevison for Boulder Valley School Board
About me
I am originally from Northern California, where I graduated with degrees from UC Berkeley and Stanford University. I first came to Colorado at age 17 for a 10-day backpacking trip, where I fell in love with the Rocky Mountains. I later moved to Boulder on a graduate fellowship to complete my Ph.D. thesis. I taught environmental chemistry at the university level for 4 years and have worked as a research scientist in biogeochemistry and atmospheric science for over 30 years.
I have two high-school-age children who have attended BVSD since kindergarten. I enjoyed volunteering in their elementary school classes and appreciate the many excellent teachers they have had during their years at BVSD. I also volunteered for a time in the school lunch program. After COVID struck I worked one day per week as a BVSD Classroom Monitor in winter 2021 in an effort to help get kids back in school.
Why I am running
I am running for Boulder Valley School Board in District C to bring balance, reason, research, and transparency to education decisions. I support the right of parents to be informed about their children’s education and included in all decisions that affect their children’s well-being. If elected, I will work to ensure that all students enjoy a first-rate education and feel safe and respected in school.
My Platform:
1. Empower parents and families and increase transparency
2. Put student safety first
3. Improve access to special education services
The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next.
Abraham Lincoln
My PLATFORM
Declining Enrollment
Key point: Engage with parents who've pulled their kids from public school
Declining enrollment is an important issue facing BVSD. A growing number of the district’s elementary schools lack a sufficient student body to support 3 classes per grade. Difficult decisions may need to be made soon about neighborhood school closures and/or cuts in the arts, music and PE curriculum, which will diminish opportunities for all students. BVSD experienced a particularly sharp enrollment decline at the kindergarten/1st grade level in 2022-23. The Denver Post has reported a similar statewide decline, including a drop of 4% in kindergarten. Nationwide, well over a million students left public schools in the last 2 years. I believe that we need a thorough investigation of why enrollment is declining in BVSD. The decreasing birth rate in Boulder County is undoubtedly a big part of the reason, but the disproportionate enrollment declines among the youngest students suggest that additional factors are involved. With a fuller understanding of the issue, BVSD can work to encourage parents to return their children to public schools and to make the school board a forum where all concerns can be shared and discussed in an open and respectful manner.
My PLATFORM
School Safety
Key point: Put student safety first
I support the Safe Zones 4 Kids ballot initiative to create a prioritized enforcement zone that prohibits homeless encampments next to school property lines and along multi-use paths and sidewalks. Currently, there are homeless encampments located close to Boulder High School that have harbored drug dealers and other individuals who have harassed and intimidated students on their way to school. As a longtime bicycle commuter, I have experienced bike path harassment myself on occasion, even as an adult. In a community that encourages biking, walking and alternative forms of transportation, students have a right to feel safe when using community bike and multi-purpose paths. I am sympathetic to the plight of the vulnerable unhoused but I believe that BVSD needs to put student safety first, as its highest priority.
My PLATFORM
Critical shortage of para-educators and special education teachers
Key points:
- Provide better support for special education students
- Address why the special education population is growing
Special education enrollment is increasing even as overall enrollment is declining in BVSD. According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and a 2017 Supreme Court decision, schools are required to provide a meaningful, “appropriately ambitious” education to all students. However, the implementation of this federal law is being undermined by the critical shortage of para-educators and special education teachers nationwide. At several BVSD-hosted meetings this spring, many parents voiced concerns that their children’s needs were not being met and some had even been driven to pull their children from public school.
I believe that a multi-pronged approach is needed to address this issue. First, improved communication and collaboration between schools, teachers and parents can help find creative solutions that allow students to feel supported and stay in school. BVSD can also work to provide improved training for principals, teachers and paraeducators targeted to the needs of special education students.
Second, the para-educator shortage can only be fully resolved in a context in which society addresses the question of why the special education population is growing and why chronic childhood diseases and disabilities are on the rise. Our public health agencies need to acknowledge the problem and work together with public school partners to devise strategies to reduce children’s risk of experiencing these disabilities in the first place.
As someone who has done pro bono research on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) prevalence trends (1,2,3) and written about the social justice implications of rising ASD rates, I will work to support children with autism and other special needs based on my scientific understanding of this issue. For example, I will advocate for programs like Spelling to Communicate (S2C) for nonverbal students, which has been a life-changing advance for the children of some of my colleagues. I also will encourage the consideration of health and nutrition in intensive learning centers (ILCs) and discourage junk-food-based reward systems. The use of incentivizing unhealthy foods and beverages is undesirable for all students, but particularly for children who may have significant issues with GI inflammation.