Tell us about yourself?
I was born and raised in San Diego and graduated from Sweetwater High School. I then attended Azusa Pacific University where I earned a Master’s degree in Educational Counseling and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership. One of my first jobs was a counselor at Horton Elementary School in Chollas View. Today, I’m a professor at both Point Loma Nazarene College and San Diego Miramar College where I mentor and supervise students who are pursuing careers as school counselors. Most importantly, I have a wonderful son who’s the light of my life
Why did you decide to run for school board?
I’m running for a variety of reasons, the main being that our educational system has been denigrated, and our kids aren’t receiving the support they need from the school system. As a result, too many of our kids are graduating unprepared for the world, without any idea what they want to do. So many are lost, and I want to be their advocate and show them the way. As a counselor, that’s what I’ve done. As for San Diego Unified, I don’t want to just reform it, I want to transform it.
Student achievement is unacceptably low. Half —let me repeat that —half of our students are not proficient in English or Math. With everything San Diego has going for it—our high tech companies, award-winning universities, etc.—San Diego Unified should be the epicenter of academic achievement in America. We should accept nothing less.
Early in my career, our schools offered parent education classes, where they learned how to help their kids with homework and were provided with the opportunity to learn English. Those are gone and we need to bring them back, and we need leaders who understand the importance of a child’s home life. That’s just as important to their success as anything we do.
As a counselor, if I thought a child was having problems at home, I’d pay their parents a visit and we’d get things worked out. We’d get them the help they need: mental health counseling, substance abuse programs, etc. Teachers need more support too. Never should we have teachers digging into their own pockets to buy basic school supplies for their kids.
The facts speak for themselves: only 56% are proficient in English and only 45% are proficient in Math. That’s an F on the report card of our schools Our school board thinks that’s good enough? It’s not, it’s embarrassing.
What are your priorities?
Leadership and Accountability. We need leaders who have our children’s best interest at heart. Right now, we have too many politicians on the board who have unsuccessfully tried to run for other offices. We don’t need more politicians, we need people. People who care about our kids, and we need leaders who are mindful of how our money is being spent.
Career Readiness. As I alluded to, current leadership is doing a poor job of preparing our kids. We need to provide them with internships and mentoring and we need to recognize that not every student is going to go to college. We need to stop pushing this on everyone and start providing more career options, and more training for those who aren’t.
School Safety. Bullying is out of control, on-campus and online. We need leaders who aren’t afraid to step in and shut it down because kids can’t learn when they’re scared. We need to remove bullies from school and see what’s going on at home—that’s where problems often start. Sex trafficking of our young girls is an epidemic, and it’s getting worse: 3,000 victims a year in San Diego County alone. It’s happening right under our noses—taken from middle and high school. Teachers and staff need more training to know what to look for.
Do you support increasing teacher pay in the district?
Our teachers recently received a pay increase as part of their new contract. When their contract expires, I’m happy to consider another pay raise, but not for everyone. I support pay that is based on performance, not just showing up for work.
How do you feel about charter schools?
I wholeheartedly support them. I’ve worked for charter schools and believe that competition between public and charter schools causes everyone to try harder. I also believe that parents should have choices with regard to their child’s education
What makes you a good candidate for the school board?
Unlike others who sit on the board, I’m not trying to use it as a stepping stone to anything else. My entire career has been devoted to helping children reach their full potential, addressing their educational and emotional needs, and making sure they grow up healthy, happy, and prepared for the world.
To learn more about Camille Harris, visit harrisforschools.com.
