By Nicole MOORE

In September, Glendale Unified School District Superintendent Winfred Roberson visited Valley View Elementary School. The event took place during Coffee with Principal, a monthly event held in the school’s auditorium when parents can converse, voice their opinions, and clear up misconceptions with the principal, Dr. Brook Reynolds.

Superintendent Roberson started the meeting with presenting information regarding his career in the field of education. He has worked as an educator for 24 years, with the past seven years working in the distinct office. Roberson said his time spent as a teacher has helped him understand the challenges faced in the classroom environment.

Roberson welcomed questions from Valley View’s staff and parents, stating, “I am not offended or threatened by questions. This is an opportunity to [eradicate] assumption and hear great ideas.”

This led to staff members and parents to voice their concern regarding the loss of a valuable staff member due to a lack of hours and pay. Roberson admitted raising wages in the field of public education is a process based on citizens demanding a change in salary for teachers. That being said, the district office has a commitment to bettering the pay of their employees.

Additionally, when a parent expressed frustration with the lack of new technology available for students, Roberson mentioned the expensive nature of computer labs. He explained that, unfortunately, state funding simply does not provide enough money for students to have computers with a $1,000-$2,000 price tag.

“We have to determine what is most urgent in our schools and it leads to tough decisions. [Due to this] something you may hold close to your heart may come off the table when we are allocating our funds,” Roberson stated.

Another parent presented their worry about larger class sizes and asked what the distinct is doing to ensure class sizes do not grow. Roberson stated there would a negative fiscal impact if the distinct were to decrease class sizes. However, through data Roberson presented, he said he was pleased to say Glendale Unified schools, such as Valley View Elementary, are performing very well compared to schools with much smaller class sizes.

Finally, parents discussed their issues with Common Core and the need for intervention for struggling students in the classroom. Parents admitted they had difficulty assisting their children with their homework and their children were frustrated struggling with Common Core-based assignments. Roberson said Common Core is “here to stay” and felt it would have a positive impact for students’ learning abilities and comprehension.

“I believe in the depth of knowledge and critical thinking for our students. We believe the Common Core will be very powerful in education,” Roberson assured.

As for support in the classroom, many parents expressed their desire for students to learn in a small group setting in order to help them gain confidence in subjects they may find difficult. Both Reynolds and Roberson agreed that more support is necessary for students who may be struggling with their subjects.

“The student learning is our responsibility. We provide our teachers with professional development and training to assist students. We are not looking for struggling students to slip through the cracks,” stated Dr. Reynolds. “The next step is to have conversations with the teacher [so they can] understand where your student is struggling. We do have intervention funds but we must first identify the exact needs.”

“We have to build a system where professionals have conversation to make sure every student excels,” added Roberson. “We cannot allow students to fail and rely on the high test score of other students. We must have discussions with teachers. Right now our teachers are doing research on what is the best way [to go about] intervention in the classroom.”

Roberson and Reynolds ended the meeting by sharing that GUSD cares about its students and parents.

“My focus is to build a culture of care and trust, as well as to develop relationships with teachers, parents, students, and stakeholders,” said Roberson. “Great ideas will fail if there’s no trust.”

  Nicole MOORE