Trustee Marilyn Anderson's Voting Records Speaks for Itself
In 2020, I voted for my (now) opponent, Marylin Anderson. In 2020 the choice was clear: either vote for LaShe Rodriguez, who was brought into Area 2 by unions and powerful Sacramento machines (and not PYLUSD families) wanting to keep schools closed during COVID, or vote for Anderson, who at the time advocated for the reopening of schools.
Anderson ran on a platform supporting parental rights in response to school closures and the introduction of inappropriate and distracting curricula and books infiltrating our schools statewide. I couldn’t stand by and let her lose that election. Our PYLUSD kids were counting on us, the parents and guardians, to protect them and ensure a safe educational environment. Too much was at stake, so I supported her candidacy. Anderson won that election to the satisfaction of many families in Area 2.
…But things changed not long into Trustee Anderson’s term.
More and more, she began voting against the items, policies, and resolutions she had promised to advocate for. When Superintendent Dr. Alex Cherniss and the Board majority introduced the Parental Notification Policy, Anderson voted NO (October 10, 2023 Board Meeting). This common sense policy aimed to foster trust and communication between the District and parents/guardians, enhancing their right to be informed and involved in their child’s education to promote positive outcomes. Instead of supporting this policy, Anderson pushed to include California Ed. Code Section 49602 in fine print at the bottom, undermining the spirit and intent of the District’s policy.
Anderson wanted to highlight a legal loophole in Ed. Code Section 49602, which allows information of a personal nature shared by a student 12 years or older with a counselor to remain confidential and not be shared with parents/guardians. Paired with existing laws, such as Cal. Family Code § 6926, this section would also allow a student aged 12 or older to bypass parental notification for certain medical interventions.
PYLUSD families who voted for Anderson in 2020, based on her platform of student safety and family engagement, were shocked and appalled to realize we had been betrayed.
Anderson also voted NO on allocating a budget for the Innovation Lab at the Orange County School of Computer Science (OCSCS) (Feb 7, 2024 Board Meeting), and Anderson voted NO on the purchase of Singapore Math textbooks and other needed curricula, despite recommendations from OCSCS Principal Dr. Beth Fisher and the executive staff (May 07, 2024 Board Meeting).
Anderson has stood in the way of every opportunity for innovation in our district.
Anderson voted NO on the approval of the Universal Sports Institute (USI), stating, “I don't want anything to do with it [USI]! I will not vote to spend $1 on this project!” (Feb 13, 2024 Board Meeting)
When our Superintendent and Board selected a highly skilled and diverse executive team and principals for hire, Trustee Anderson voted NO on the promotions of Dr. Gates to Deputy Superintendent and Dr. Oliva Yaung to Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services (Feb 15, 2024).
After years of parents, students, and staff requesting football
field lights at El Dorado High School, Superintendent Cherniss and Trustees Blades, Frazier, and Youngblood brought it forward for a vote. Anderson voted NO on installing these much-needed lights on the El Dorado football field for our PYLUSD kids (Oct 10, 2023 Board Meeting).
So, after such a betrayal by Trustee Anderson, what’s the good news?
…Well, I’ve got good news on top of good news!
First, Anderson’s NO votes had no impact on any of these policies, hirings, resolutions, or innovative programs because she and Trustee Buck are in the minority. What does this mean?
It means that as long as we maintain our board majority with members who have PhD’s in common sense—unlike Anderson and Buck—we can continue providing the safest and most cutting-edge academic opportunities for our PYLUSD kids!
The second bit of good news is that YOU have the chance to keep this momentum of academic excellence going for our PYLUSD kids! You just need to vote for the right leaders. If you live in Area 2, a vote for María Lupita Stubbs is a vote for putting kids first. I will ensure safe schools through resource officers and security audits, support access to after-school academic intervention programs, and strengthen parent and guardian engagement.
