The forum was hosted by The American Association of University Women and the League of Women Voters

ATASCADERO — On Monday, Sept. 30, four out of five school board trustee candidates participated in a candidate forum to share their stance on manifold topics that affect the Atascadero Unified School District (AUSD). Joey Arnold, Veronica “Roni” DeCoster, Corinne Kuhnle, Matt Pennon, and Jodi M. Taylor (who was not in attendance) are all running for election on Nov. 5 for the three open spots on the AUSD trustee board. Kuhnle and Pennon are the incumbents.

The forum was held at the Atascadero United Methodist Church at 6 p.m. and streamed on YouTube. In partnership with the League of Women Voters of SLO County, the Atascadero branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) sponsored the event, where Shirley Summers served as the moderator.

“The candidates will have two minutes for their opening statements to tell you a little bit about who they are, why they are running for the school board, and why they think it’s important for you to vote for them,” stated Summers at the forum’s opening. “Then we will also have some questions that the committee has put together that will be interspersed with questions from the audience.”

The four candidates drew straws to see what order they would go in to keep things above board. On top of the candidates’ opening and closing statements, there were also 12 questions the candidates had to answer, which were later compiled into written format. The questions spanned from retaining special education teachers in the AUSD, banning books, cellphone use in classrooms, and Measure B, which will be on the ballot in November.

Measure B is a general obligation bond that, if passed, will generate $110 million for AUSD. The money will be designated to enhance educational opportunities for students and fund projects in campus facilities.

Candidates were asked, “Do you support or oppose Measure B, the $110 million general obligation school bond on the November ballot, and why?”

“I absolutely support Measure B. If you know anything about my priorities for this campaign, one of the most paramount is the career readiness of our students,” DeCoster said. “I think our district does a great job of promoting college readiness, but I think we need more emphasis on career readiness, and Measure B will pay for the expansion of our CTE classrooms, labs, and facilities. It’s also going to establish vocational courses, so all of that is beautiful to me.”

Kuhnle also echoed support for the measure and reminded constituents that the community passed a similar bond in 2010, which gave the district $117 million. Additionally, she commented on how expensive everything is and how, once again, AUSD could use a bond of this size to update facilities and keep up with student’s needs.

While not coming out against Measure B, Arnold expressed reservations about the district asking for more money.

“In my opinion, We have a spending problem. We can’t spend money on frivolous things and then ask the community to bail us out for things we need,” he said. “So, I’m not necessarily opposed to it, and I do think those things [facilities and vocational programs] are important. Still, I do think we need to take a serious look at how we move forward in the future with how this money is allocated.”

Pennon came in with robust support for the measure and encouraged the community and voters to do their own research on Measure B. What’s more, he commented that the measure would not only benefit AUSD now but in the future and that not passing the measure would negatively affect the district, making any attempts to improve and rebuild facilities the district already owns impervious. 

The night culminated with all four candidates giving their closing statements to the crowd of constituents that gathered for the forum.

“I would like to leave here hoping that I’ve encouraged everyone here on the importance of being a team member for your child. We, as stakeholders, need to listen and work together. We need to model the behavior that our students need to learn. How do we do this? Are we showing respect to one another? Are we listening to each other? These are all imperative because, as I said earlier, we are role models,” said Kuhnle. “As trustees, we hold the privilege of emulating by example, not only to our students, but to ourselves, and I know that when we have students come to our board meetings — which I love dearly, because that’s what we’re here for — I would like to think that we’re being respectful, effectual, and helpful to them.”

One of Arnold’s main running points is promoting curriculum in the AUSD that would increase academic performance. “If our school system’s great, they [the students] are going to move on and do great things, which is going to allow our community to thrive and just be a great place for everybody to live,” Arnold stated.

“This has been a tremendous opportunity, and I’m honored to simply be up here and share my vision for Atascadero’s future,” Pennon stated. “As I’ve talked about, my vision for our community is academic excellence. Understanding that each student is individual, unique, and representative of keen diversity poses the question of how we best support them. Part of that is highlighting their voice. Having those conversations, whether they’re in kindergarten, first grade, or a senior in high school, they’re going to be able to tell us what they need. They’re going to be able to share that passion for learning and education that meets their needs, and I want to be that person to sit there and listen to them and have those conversations,” stated Pennon. 

“I’ll just reiterate my priorities as a trustee: to provide safe and healthy learning environments for all our students to thrive,” DeCoster concluded. “Ensuring that our graduates have the comprehensive knowledge and skills they’ll need to garner rewarding careers in the community where they were raised.”

To watch the forum yourself, go to youtube.com/watch?v=T00aHgD2qkI&t=4456s. 

Featured Image: (From left) Moderator Shirley Summers, and Atascadero school board candidates Joey Arnold, Veronica “Roni” DeCoster, Corinne Kuhnle, and Matt Pennon are shown during the AUSD Candidate Forum. Contributed Photo.