By: Abigail Miller
Randy Evans has lived in the Crestwood area for nearly 30 years. He has been married to his wife, Diane Evans, for 36 years. Together they have ” one adult son who is a high school teacher in the District”. Evans has served on the “Citizen’s Advisory Committee to the City Council and belongs to several service groups in the area”.
Evans “first became interested in running for the school board when I noticed that student achievement had been in decline for the past 5 plus years”. As he began to attend school board meetings regularly, he ” noted a pronounced lack of accountability to the students and parents by the District’s leadership. I was affected by the writings in the Dear VUSD message boards concerning bullying and disrespect by site teachers and staff and felt I needed to do something more than just wish for something better for our students” he says.
Evans was also “alarmed by the District’s inability to roll out the necessary technology to begin distance learning when the pandemic closed our schools in March.” He says this “illustrat[ed] how far behind we were compared to other schools in our County”. This is why Evans is “running, to bring positive change to the District; to improve the student experience and to create the best working environment to attract and keep the best teachers and staff”.
Evans feels he is the most qualified for this seat on the board because he has “been a parent volunteer with the District for over 25 years and am currently a parent volunteer at Valley Oak Middle School. During this time, I have learned how to work within the District to bring about the change necessary to move student achievement in the right direction”.
Evans has also worked in the insurance/finance industry for 37 years. he says he will “implement processes and procedures to ensure accountability and work with my peers to resolve conflict, build consensus, value, respect, and diversity. I also currently serve on the Measure A Bond oversight committee and have done so since its inception”.
Evans, if elected, has goals for his position. “First”, he says, ” we need to get back to in-person instruction as quickly and safely as possible. We need to involve students, teachers, parents and the community to solicit ideas and address the needs on a site-by-site bases”. Evans wants VUSD “to be transparent and communicate with everyone so that there is confidence in the return to in-person teaching plans”.
Evans says that moving forward “I’d like to see the management of the District split into primary, pre-K to 6th, and secondary, 7 – 12, in order to address the needs that are specific to these groups.” In regards to the distance learning schedule recently put into place, Evens feels it “doesn’t address the needs of either group, and our teachers have told us that it’s not sustainable for students or teachers, yet the District has still not addressed these concerns some 11 weeks since the start of school.” The creation of the separate management structures would allow the needs “of our primary and secondary students could have been addressed much more quickly and efficiently.”
Along with this, Evans wants to get parents more involved with VUSD. “We have many community partners now that offer students unique experiences. I like to see that continue to grow, which can enhance our student’s experiences and make our community stronger as a result.”
Evans would address concerns including “technology, expansion of CTE (vocational) education, the ability to earn two years of college credit upon graduation from high school”. He will continue “to support, and further expan[d] the visual and performing arts and getting parents involved in their student’s educational experience.”
Randy Evans is running for the District 7 seat. Elections are on November 3, 2020.
Abigail Miller
Abigail Miller '22 is currently a fourth-year member of the Redwood Gigantea. As the Government & Politics page editor, lead photographer, and photography editor, she has published over 100 photo galleries capturing Redwood's most memorable moments. She owns her own photography business, Abigail Miller Photography, which you can find in the link below.
https://abigailmiller.zenfolio.com
Tags: randyevans, schoolboardvusd