There are two open seats for the Alpine Union School District Board of Trustees and Erika Simmons is running to gain a seat running against Cee Gould, and trustees Travis Lyon and Joseph Perricone. Simmons has worked in education for more than 20 years. Simmons, from Chula Vista, moved to Alpine in 2019. She had lived in Alpine for two years earlier and has two sisters that live in Alpine. “This is my home, my family’s home, and we are growing up our children in this community together, so I plan to stay here.”
“All I know is education,” she said. “I started my career as a high school teacher. I taught math. I then became an elementary school assistant principal and have been a principal in the elementary setting for 12 years in the San Diego Unified School District.”
Simmons also works at National University, teaching Optimized Learning, helping educators understand and look at the social and emotional learning of students, and how to address those students’ needs.
“That has been a great opportunity for me to dive in to help educators learn what it looks and feels like to know students by name, and by need,” she said. “I love being in education. I love supporting students,” she said. “I ran two years ago and was not successful, but I am still the same individual and we continue to have the same concerns in Alpine. If I truly believe what I believed two years ago, I felt that it was important to stand for what I believe in and run again.”
Simmons said with her experience in education, she wants to bring a fresh perspective on how to improve education in Alpine.
“I look at the large numbers of students that are leaving our district, and that has included many people I know. Many students have left Boulder Oaks this past year. I believe that children should have the opportunity to go to a school in their community. Those are their friends outside of school,” she said. “I also believe in parent’s choice. Parents are moving their kids out of Alpine to take them to Christian, Foothills, or Liberty Charter. That is absolutely great as well, but I do not want to force children out of our Alpine schools because our students are not getting what they need academically. When we look at our data, especially over the past five to six years, even before COVID, we continue to decline.”
Simmons said there is a low number of English learners in the district, a low number of homeless students, and although the district increases in socioeconomic need, there are still some amazing families in Alpine, and that needs to be capitalized.
“That way, when our students leave Alpine school district and go to that next school, next district, they can be successful. Right now, I am concerned because more kids than not are being unsuccessful in standardized tests rather than being successful,” she said. “We are really blessed in Alpine. We have amazing families. We have amazing students, but we do have some issues that are continuing to expose themselves in our school district. When I think of issues, I think of adult issues that are impacting students. Thinking about the leadership in the board and how they are allocating funds, how they are being transparent to our community, how we do not have many great opportunities for parents to engage in conversation with our board. Being an elected official, we are servants to our community. We serve our community, and we need to listen to their voices, their needs, and desires they have for their children.”
Simmons said she wants the board to be more transparent so parents can engage with the district.
“How can we get parents on campus to help us continue to raise the students so that we know what is happening at schools? How do we ensure that we are willing to talk to our community because I know I am ready to talk with them now. I talk to them all the time now, and even when I do get elected, I plan to talk with our families in the community so we can have that ongoing conversation and engagement.”
Simmons said she is hearing from the “boots on the ground” from parents and students, and that every decision she makes is for students, and not for any other reason.
Measure U, if approved by voters with authorize $6.3 million to AUSD for critical renovations and improvements to schools and classrooms throughout the district. Simmons said when she looks at the bond, it is evident that the district needs the money.
“In the last five years, we have students in grads K-8 that are leaving our district. Because I am in education, I understand and know that for every student we lose, we are talking up to a little over $18,000. I believe the bond is needed to ensure we support students, giving them learning environments need for them to be successful. Therefore, having this bond is important. But I also want to ensure that we are managing our money, because I know that money came into the district during the COVID pandemic. Did we do everything as a board to allocate those funds appropriately? If the bond is needed to support students, it is important to me. I will support that. But I also want to ensure that we as a board are doing our due diligence when looking at funding and allocations and protecting the taxpayer’s dollars.”
Simmons said it is her philosophy to meet students at their level.
“One thing to remember as an educator, when we receive students into our classrooms, they only get one opportunity to be successful in that grade level. Teaching today is not like teaching 20 years ago when I started. We have kids who need social and emotional support, we have broken families, we have kids who have family members in the military, or are incarcerated, or fighting fires and are not here. So, our students in the families that we are engaging with are very different. To meet students at their needs, or their level, we must know who our kids are. We must know what excites our students. We need to know what brings joy to their life. No student is never going to learn from somebody who they do not feel loves them. And there are various levels of love. When students come to our schools, do they have that group of five adults who they know they can go to anytime. When you build schools that demonstrate love, that know students by name and by need, and provides supports academically, socially regarding physical education. When supports are individualized for our students, and we give support at the level they are at from educators that love them, students will succeed. I guarantee it,” she said.
Simmons said she is extremely passionate about education and the work.
“I love Alpine. I purchased Postal Annex so I could get to know my community more. I bought the business to get to know people and to have face-to-face conversations on the weekends that I am there. I want to be a person in Alpine that anyone can come to and have a conversation, ask questions, and have great dialogue. When we come together as a community, nobody can beat Alpine. Our community is strong, and nobody can shake Alpine. I want to bring that same excitement and engagement to our school board meetings, school activities, and I want to be that person to support all of that here in our beautiful community,” she said.
