Candidate Perry wants to promote transparency at school district

Dee Perry, a former special education teacher and speech pathologist, wants to bring more transparency to the Laguna Beach Unified School District.

“There’s probably been some controversial things and discussion behind closed doors but the public doesn’t know and doesn’t feel involved,” Perry said.

The candidate has a history of calling out the district when she perceives a problem.

Perry, 62, filed a lawsuit in 2011 when she said she and other special education teachers were not invited to Individual Education Plan meetings and were asked to rubber-stamp documents afterward.

Public schools providing special education must have an individualized educational plan for each special-needs student, according to the National Center for Learning Disabilities. The team creating the plan includes the parents, regular education teachers, special education teachers and sometimes psychologists.

“If the teacher isn’t there saying, ‘The child isn’t making progress or is having problems with attention,’ then the rest of the team can just say they’re fine and then the district doesn’t have to pay for special services for the child,” Perry said. “I was doing it to help the students and help the district from getting sued by parents.”

Perry has since dropped the lawsuit, saying it became a financial burden.

She is one of four candidates seeking three spots on the five-member board. She is running against incumbent Ketta Brown, SchoolPower volunteer Carol Normandin and registered nurse Annette Gibson.

Perry worked at Thurston Middle School and Aliso, Top of the World and El Morro elementary schools for 35 years until she retired in 2010.

She is the only educator running for the board.

The experience, Perry says, gives her an insight into the district that her opponents may not have.

“Especially with starting the new Common Core standards, I think it would be very helpful to have somebody with an educational background,” Perry said.

But above all else, transparency is key, Perry said.

The board votes unanimously too often for her liking.

One example, she said, is the controversial vote in 2013 to start the fall semester in August instead of September — an item she said of which many community members were not aware.

“They [the board] backtracked and listened to parents and community people, but it had to be a big effort by the community,” Perry said. “People thought the item just said ‘calendar,’ so everybody just assumed they were approving the consent calendar and not making a big change.”

The mother of three also wants to emphasize art in school and create a well-rounded educational plan for students to achieve their potential.

When it comes to making decisions, Perry wants to get students involved, not just board members.

Polling graduates about their experiences at Laguna Beach High School, and what best prepares them for college and in the workforce would be a start, Perry said.

“We have a very educated, vibrant community that would add a lot if we figured out ways to use them with our students,” Perry said, adding that she would like to create a program that invites guest lecturers from specialized career fields to encourage students.