Parents, students share expectations ahead of election

Parents and family members talk to NLMUSD school board candidate Dr. Robert Cancio (center) during a meet-and-greet on July 5, 2021. If he is elected, they want him to address issues in the district such as the required grade point average and give exposure to district programs that help students forge their careers. (Photo by Vincent Medina)

NORWALK – Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District parents and students gathered at a meet-and-greet for school board candidate Dr. Robert Cancio on July 5 to discuss what changes they expect from the new school board after the election.

The school board election is on July 20, and five candidates are running for the two seats available. Each candidate has promised to make big improvements in the district, but students discussed what improvements they would like to see from the school board.

“I’d like to see more focus on students’ mental health,” said the captain of the La Mirada cheerleading team, Loreal Luna, 17. “This last year has been really tough on us.”

Many teachers have reported that their students have suffered from having little social interaction during the pandemic.

“I’d like to see more focus on equality and racism in the classroom, focus on LGBTQ rights. I still see a lot of people getting bullied over their race and sexual orientation,” said the La Mirada senior.

Kaleb Nakano, a junior at Norwalk High School, hopes students will have a stronger voice once they return to the classroom this fall.

“I hope we have more say in school events, so we don’t only hear the teachers or administrators talking. We’d like to hear from other students,” said Kaleb. “We’d like to hear students’ thoughts on topics like racism and equality.”

Parents also expressed their thoughts on the current school board and what improvements they want from the new members.

Luna’s grandmother, Cathy Alvarez, says the district has lost leadership, and seems less unified than before.

“I worked for the district for 32 years. We used to feel like a family and it’s not the same anymore,” said Alvarez. “I want to see more programs for students and parents. We need to improve our test scores and more collaboration from the community.”

Alvarez also went through the Norwalk-La Mirada School District and graduated from (then) Excelsior High School. Her daughter also graduated from the district.

In addition to her granddaughter, Alvarez has two great-grandchildren who attend school in Norwalk.

Kaleb’s father, Kieth Nakano, says the district needs to help students properly understand the information they are taught.

“We can teach, teach, teach, but if they don’t understand, how have we helped them? It’s like a ship without a sail,” said Nakano.

The father of two also expressed concern over students leaving the district, and suggested that the school board emphasize the district’s programs for students.

“We should be talking about our medical magnet program, our e-games program, the culinary arts program and new facilities. The district needs to talk about their vision of where they want to take the school,” said Nakano.

Dr. Cancio promised to listen to parents and student concerns if he is elected to the board. He expressed his interest in a student and parent representative on the board so everybody’s concerns are heard.

“I think it’s important to have student representatives from all of our schools. It allows students to have a voice at the table and be in control of their education,” said Cancio. “We also need to have teachers, faculty, parents and the community at the table to find what works or is not working. We can find where the district needs to focus its attention.”

July 20 is the last day to vote for the new NLMUSD school board members. Voters can also mail-in their ballots or deposit them at a designated drop box.

The district says it may take longer to announce the results of the election due to the large number of mail-in ballots.