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Name:
Jenna Hancock
What office are you seeking?
D303 School Board Member
What is your political party?
School board members are nonpartisan
What is your current age?
44
Occupation and employer:
Learning Ascent Education Services-owner
What offices, if any, have you previously held?
Davis Richmond Secretary and President
City:
Campaign Website:
Education:
Bachelor of Science in Family and Consumer Science and Business
Post-baccalaureate studies in Education
Professional Educator Licensure
Community Involvement:
I have served on the Davis/Richmond PTO as Secretary, President and volunteer at Davis, Richmond and Thompson.
Marital status/Immediate family:
Married to my husband, Josh for 16 years with two daughters.
Questions:
How can the district improve reading and English proficiency and state test scores?
Like many school districts around the country, we are still making up for lost learning and low attendance from the pandemic. If you look at the scores you will see a correlation between the chronic absenteeism rate and percentage of students not meeting standards. The most effective thing I believe the district can do is to make a concerted effort to reduce absenteeism across the grade levels. Additionally, we have to continue providing interventions for students who are testing below grade level and help students build their reading stamina.
As diversity, equity and inclusion programs are being rolled back in organizations around the country, what role does the school district have to play in ensuring a diverse community of learners has equal opportunities for success?
D303’s five year strategic plan outlines the core values-the first being belonging. I fully support continuation of honoring the dignity of every person who walks through our doors by treating everyone fairly. It is the district’s responsibility to ensure EVERY student has equal opportunities for success and that we foster an environment of respect and dignity. That means that students are held to a standard to treating all peers with respect and teachers and staff members are continued to be offered professional development programs preparing them with the skills necessary to work with the diverse community of learners we have in the district.
Do you think the district is doing enough to ensure that schools are drug-free environments? Why or why not? And if not, what more can be done?
Until drugs are no longing stripping lives from young people and forever changing families, then the work of the district to ensure schools are drug-free environments must continue. We need to make mental health a priority. Research shows that since the rise of social media teen mental health has plummeted. I’d like to see an advisory period built into the high school day to address some of these issues head on, most importantly the dangers of drugs andvaping, and provide students a safe place to ask questions. Though we have a Too Good for Drugs program at the 5th grade, we have to address the fact that even our younger students are exposed to vaping in their homes and have access to these items. We need an age appropriate curriculum for even our youngest learners to know the dangers surrounding these items.
What steps can districts take to ensure students are physically safe while in the building? Is the district doing enough or would you like to see more?
The district has made strides recently to increase safety and security by updating the door entry system and the safety training to be aligned with best practices from law enforcement. We can always do more to give students and parents peace of mind and I would eagerly engage in that conversation with local law enforcement and other safety professionals.
If you have children, do they or did they attend public school and was that for all of their K-12 school years?
I have two children who have attended public school since kindergarten.
What do you see as the school district’s role in deciding what materials should be available in the library and in curricula?
The district uses the priority standards of endurance, leverage, readiness for the next level of learning, and external exam requirements to determine what the essential learning is for each grade level, content area and course and then a team of professional educators review materials against those priority stands. When PLCS are reviewing material, they need to ensure that materials are thought provoking and create opportunities for students to gain empathy and practice critical thinking skills.
Most of local residents' property taxes go to their school districts. Are taxes paid to your school district too high? What would you do to protect the interests of taxpayers?
As a parent and homeowners in the district I believe I receive a great return on the investment of my tax dollars. As a board member, financial stewardship is a tenet of mine and I would keep the interest of taxpayers in mind while weighing options.
Most of the COVID relief money from the federal government is coming to an end. What spending adjustments does your school district need to make to address that?
The future of federal education spending is unknown at the moment. If federal funding for public schools is cut or reduced we are going to have to be prepared to address how to make up for that loss so that the learning is not interrupted, especially for our most vulnerable populations.
Should Title IX cover sexual orientation or gender identity? What are your views on the use of locker rooms and bathrooms by transgender students and their participating in sports?
All students should have equal access to sports and activities regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. We want all students to feel safe while participating in sports and I stand by the current practice of allowing students to use a gender neutral bathroom and locker room if that is what best suits their needs.
What is your stance on ICE agents accessing school grounds, and what policies would you advocate for regarding their presence on school property?
As explained by our superintendent, if ICE officials visit a D303 school, the staff members who are responsible for monitoring the school’s entrance we will be thorough and diligent in verifying identification credentials and required documentation for school visits or requests for student information. Throughout this process it is essential to remember that these are children who are fearful and we need to provide resources and assistance to calm their anxieties so they may continue to receive equal access to a public education regardless of citizenship status.
What are the top three issues that the school district is facing right now?
Chronic absenteeism which has a direct result on student success and grade level readiness. Though we are outpacing the state average in every standardized test, we still have room to grow at every grade level. Another area I would like to see D303 improve is expanding career readiness skills by increasing the number of dual credit, trades programs and internship opportunities students have access to.
What is your position on allowing students to use cell phones during school hours?
All the data shows that cell phones in school increase anxiety and create a distracted learning environment. I am thrilled that the district put together a cell phone advisory group made up of stakeholders to update the cell phone policy for next school year and I am eager to see hear about the positive impact that this change will make in student engagement in the learning process.
Do you think cell phone policies should allow exceptions for emergencies or specific educational purposes? If so, how would these exceptions be defined?
The cell phone advisory group is working on finalizing the policies to be implemented next school year. In the case of a complete ban during the school day, emergency and safety provisions would be incorporated for emergency and medical needs and would identify specific scenarios where a device is necessary, develop protocols for limited use during those situations, clearly communicate exceptions to avoid confusion and regularly monitor the effectiveness.
What steps would you take to address concerns about cyberbullying and inappropriate content access through student cell phones?
Restricting access to social media throughout the school day is a great first step, but of course that does not solve the problem completely. The district should make it a priority to education students of the steps they should take if they witness cyberbullying or have knowledge of inappropriate contact shared. We have google forms that students can complete, but we should also have an open door policy for reporting these issues to SROs and Deans. I’d like to see a advisory group on this topic that includes deans, SROs, teachers and students to delve deeper into these conners.
Should students be able to use AI in schoolwork?
While AI can be useful, it does not push students to develop thoughts of their own by utilizing critical thinking skills. Many teachers reported that they wanted to get away from technology based assignments and move toward more hands on activities which I fully support.
What is your plan for making district financial reports, including budgets and expenditures, publicly available and easy to understand?
The district website makes it very easy to view the current year budget as well as a list of expenditures by vendor over $25,000. In addition to that, the board could request the CFO to create charts and graphs that clearly summarize all the financial information in an easy to consume format.
How would you involve parents and community members in the decision-making process for curriculum or policy changes?
I think it is important to gather input from all stakeholders when considering policy changes and we can do this by forming advisory groups specific to decisions the district faces. There is a curriculum team in place whose purpose is to ensure a guaranteed and viable curriculum is in place. We should make it very easy for parents and community members to communicate their ideas and concerns to the board and be receptive to their input.
What is your position on banning books in school libraries or classrooms, and how do you define the criteria for such decisions?
One of the benefits of having PLCs is that multiple professionals are involved in choosing the materials that are incorporated into lessons and included in our library. I do not support banning books. We should continue to offer age appropriate materials as defined by the district’s literacy vision which includes integrating literacy standards across disciplines and building student agency by incorporating student choice, voice and interests.
How would you balance maintaining appropriate class sizes with the current teacher staffing levels?
One of the main reasons for changing the boundaries last year was to balance the class sizes at all the elementary schools. This did alleviate the over crowding issues at some of our schools, but class sizes are not even across the board. Moreover, it is not the class size but the dynamic of the students within each class that impacts learning for all students involved. We need to source and retain additional resource professionals to meet the needs of all learners.
Do you believe the district is allocating enough resources toward hiring and supporting teachers, and if not, what changes would you make?
When it comes to hiring, the latest contract the district has made it more attractive to potential candidates and I think we will continue to move in that direction while adhering to the budget. When it comes to supporting teachers, I’d like to see the district allocate funds to make teacher aide positions more attractive to qualified people who will be effective in the classroom.
How will you make sure you are accessible to your constituents?
I pride myself on being accessible and responsive as a professional and I will bring that quality to my position on the school board.