AISD School Board Candidate Positions on the Arts and Creative Learning 2020
At MINDPOP, we believe that all students deserve access to the power of the arts and Creative Teaching, as well as in the positive relationship between arts education and civic engagement.
We took the opportunity to invite AISD School Board Candidates to share their views on the arts and the Creative Learning Initiative in Austin ISD.
We thank the candidates for their service to young people, and for taking the time to share their opinions with us.
The candidates in the school board elections are:
District 2: Adolphus "Andy" Anderson, Ofelia Maldonado Zapata, John McKiernan-Gonzalez
District 3: Kevin Foster
District 5: Lynn Boswell, Jennifer Littlefield, Piper Stege Nelson
Trustee-At-Large Position 8: Jared D. Breckenridge, Mike Hershenfeld, Noelita L. Lugo, Leticia Moreno Caballero
The survey responses we received are printed below (complete and unedited), by district and in the order they will appear on the ballot.
Celebrate civic participation!
Austin ISD District 2
Adoplhus "Andy" Anderson
Candidate has yet to respond.
Ofelia Maldonado Zapata
Candidate has yet to respond.
John McKiernan-Gonzalez
1. In what ways, if any, have the arts and creative learning impacted you - in your career, school, or life experiences?
The act of planning, staging, rehearsing and presenting a play, a musical or an event are key skills for this day and age. Learning how to move in coordination with others, share lines with resonance over and over, and - if backstage - coordinating these efforts is key. I debuted as ring #4 in the 12 days of Christmas in Cali, and won my first poetry contest in 3rd grade and never looked back. In my small high school, all students were required to put a themed high school sketch comedy event, with three of these events happening every year. In college, I participated in a Commedia Dell'Arte ensemble piece on the kafkaesque dimensions of financial aid at Oberlin. Our director, Rick Sperling, went on to establish Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit. And, yes, I danced at the Kennedy Center as part of the folclorico ensemble De Colores. As a kid who moved around and started numerous schools, the arts provided a welcoming community where everyone's skills could be valued. Learning to act has been key to my confidence in classrooms and my humility and empathy towards learning with others.
2. What value, if any, do you think the arts and the Creative Learning Initiative have for students and teachers in Austin ISD schools? (e.g. student engagement, academic achievement and preparing students for college, career, life and the 21st century workforce).
My commitment is to students who live in D2 and to schools in the D2 area. I know and am confident that making schools a welcome and learning environment is a key part of raising enrollment and retention. In my experience [and arduous researchers by scholars and foundations that support the arts], work in the arts provides the kind of multidisciplinary multidimensional collaborative effort that schools are meant to provide. I am deeply frustrated with the lack of confidence STAAR test preparation instills in people, when students need to learn the kinds of synthesis, planning and skill mastery necessary to process and respond to the world around them. I would endorse a 'back to basics' approach in the humanities and sciences that helps students meld the arts and humanities with science and tech questions. This arts curricula could provide the kind of wrap-around skills necessary for the challenges facing students upon graduation.
3. In what ways, if any, will the Visual and Performing Arts and the Creative Learning Initiative be a part of your priorities as a school board trustee?
I would love to see Austin ISD break the silo separating Dual Language programming from the work being done in the Arts and Sciences. I would love to see plays written by cutting edge Latina/o and Latin American artists performed in all the high schools. I would love to have students engage the richness of Garcia Marquez' short stories and accompanying papers in their language arts classes and the Ransom Center. I would love to have students engage the rich photography and writing available at the Wittliff Collections. I would love to be part of slam poetry events in Martin Middle School, Mendez MS and Lively. I would be happy to see arts exchanges across elementary schools. To me, the arts provide a frame to understand and connect to the world now, the worlds then and the worlds in the future. It has been made very clear that trustees should not meddle in schools, but they can encourage the kind of cross-pollination necessary to build vibrant arts programs in the more slammed schools and districts like D2, D1, D3 and D6. You know, the majority of the district.
4. What would a visual and performing arts program that values diversity and is committed to inclusion look like to you?
Kreyol-inflected sounds echo down the hallways, as students put together a play about transnational connections based on Edwidge Danticat's Brother, I am Dying.
Middle School students put together visual montages' based NK Jemisin's Great Cities' trilogy.
All across the district, high schools re-stage Don Quixote with a female protagonist, highlighting questions of belonging and mission in their adaptions.
No one leaves elementary, middle school or high school without participating in a collaborative arts venture built around a shared theme, be it the climate emergency, discord, or borders.
When Austin ISD students arrive at college for their required English class, they register shock at the narrowness of reading selections in their freshman comp and U.S. history survey classes.
That these offerings start in Title I schools and make their way across Lamar after proving their success in the diverse and multi-ethnic schools that make up the majority of the district.
I admire McCallum Fine Arts Academy, but strengthened arts curricula should be available on both sides of the other great divide in the city - the river.
5. Please add any additional comments on the arts and the Creative Learning Initiative.
This district and communities linked to Austin and its schools need to push the legislature to invest in the arts and the schools. In a city that prides itself on live performance, the city needs to invest in public schools to enhance and support the arts economy in the region. How can Austin be "the live music capital of the world" when the arts curricula is treated as an afterthought at the highest levels of the district.
Austin ISD District 3
Kevin Foster
Candidate is running unopposed.
Lynn Boswell
1. In what ways, if any, have the arts and creative learning impacted you - in your career, school, or life experiences?
I am lucky to be part of a deeply creative household. I work as a documentary filmmaker, and I am a longtime broadcast journalist. My work bridges journalism and storytelling, writing and research, and the power of images. Video production is not classified as an art in AISD, but it has elements of art in practice. My husband is an architect, so we are surrounded with another kind of visual creativity that bridges genres - both visual and structural. My son, a 2017 LASA graduate, love science and policy, but also found joy at school through theater. For my daughter, a LASA senior, art is as essential as air. It gives her joy, it connects her to the world, it's a form of expression as powerful as any language, and it offers her an endless array of new challenges to explore. She has learned that art can exist for its own sake. And she has also discovered that art has power - to carry a message, and to connect with others. In my campaign for AISD Trustee, my daughter offered to use her art in a new way. She designed my logo, and all of my printed materials. And that brings me great joy.
As a volunteer, I have shared my work with AISD students through a program called the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs, mentoring students at Austin High, at Navarro and in nearby districts. Students in AISD who work in video do so through CTE classes. But there is a strong creative element - both audio and visual - in work in video.
Art has brought me joy as a parent from watching my children explore art at school and at home. It brings me joy as a human through listening to music or visiting a museum. And it impacts me as someone who has chosen to live in New York for 8 years, and now in Austin for 18 - two cities where art is deeply woven into everyday life, into the economies of those cities, and into the reasons people choose to call them home.
Art is also a path my daughter plans to take after she graduates from AISD. She is applying to college, and looking at programs that pair her interest in medicine with her interest in the arts, hoping to use those skills for advocacy and communication about issues related to healthcare. It brings me joy to see her joy. And I hope AISD can do that for every student who has a love for art in any form.
2. What value, if any, do you think the arts and the Creative Learning Initiative have for students and teachers in Austin ISD schools? (e.g. student engagement, academic achievement and preparing students for college, career, life and the 21st century workforce).
I love that the Creative Learning Initiative sees art as something that exists not in isolation, but in conjunction with other subjects. That's a natural and powerful perspective - and one that is especially valuable in schools, where different subjects can be placed into silos and treated as unrelated. And it ensures that every student engages with the art - even students who choose to do only the minimum in arts electives.
For some students who want to go deep, the Visual and Performing Arts offer an essential path - to master an instrument, explore different media in visual arts, or develop a love and ability in theater. AISD has an incredibly rich array of offerings, with many immensely talented teachers and students. We must be sure that students at every campus have access to opportunity in the arts.
In our city, the arts are an industry - a viable and powerful career path that students can experience and see, if they are given that opportunity. I believe AISD must tap into the arts in Austin and connect arts-loving students with mentors and internships, to help them see how something they love can become a career.
For some students, art is a favorite subject. For others, it is something even more - the thing that keeps them coming back to school. We must provide rich arts opportunities at every campus - woven into other subjects, and also with arts electives that allow students to go deep and develop expertise. It is unjust to double block students with extra math or English classes and deny them the chance to explore and enjoy electives. We must end that practice and ensure that rich arts opportunities are open to all.
We must also see creativity, visual communication and artistic collaboration as something that is valuable across many subjects. The process of imagining something and creating it is a powerful skill and develops powerful ways of thinking - things students can carry into higher education and the workforce.
3. In what ways, if any, will the Visual and Performing Arts and the Creative Learning Initiative be a part of your priorities as a school board trustee?
I was honored this year to be invited to be part of the Visual and Performing Arts Strategic Planning Advisory Body. We are taking a deep dive into the arts in AISD, examining what is and imaging what can be. I am excited to be involved because the arts are important - not just to me, but to AISD students, to many AISD teachers and families, and to our community. The arts matter everywhere. But they matter especially here in Austin. If I am elected to serve as trustee, I will be committed to supporting and strengthening both the CLI and the Visual and Performing Arts in AISD. I will be an ambassador for the great work that is happening in our schools. I will encourage partnerships like those that exist with so many groups in our city, like Creative Action and MindPOP. And I will work to connect Austin's art community with the work being done in our schools, and with students who are interested in art as a subject or as a possible career.
4. What would a visual and performing arts program that values diversity and is committed to inclusion look like to you?
We must start with ensuring access to what we are currently offering - across genres and across campuses. All students need access to a full array of arts electives, and the chance to go deep. We must also consider other art forms where there is interest. Mariachi bands at many campuses are a great example of this. So is the Campbell STEP team. Art is as diverse as our community. There should be a place for that in our schools.
We must also look at questions of access when students move to higher grades. At some middle schools, it's hard for a new musician to feel capable when the band is filled with students who have had years of formal musical training. We need to find ways to help all students discover art early, and to feel successful and like they belong when they come to art later than some others.
We must stop practices like double blocking that prevent access for some students to arts electives. That is unjust. And it denies students the opportunity to discover or develop an art that they love. We must do the same with things like band practice before or after school that excludes students without the time or transportation to participate. Students should not be punished by being denied the chance to march at a game, for example, because they need to skip some practices to take care of a younger sibling. Those rules need to be examined and revised.
We must increase access to our city's rich arts for all students - through partnerships with museums and performing arts venues that can give free admission to families on more occasions, for example. And through field trips for students on every campus, not just some.
We must celebrate success in the arts in the same way we celebrate academic success or success in sports. Artists give great things to our world.
5. Please add any additional comments on the arts and the Creative Learning Initiative.
I am so glad to live in a city that celebrates the arts. And I am grateful that AISD values the arts in so many ways. I see art as an essential part of who we are as a community - whether we are creators or consumers. I support greater access to both for AISD's students.
Austin ISD District 5
Jennifer Littlefield
Candidate has yet to respond.
Piper Stege Nelson
1. In what ways, if any, have the arts and creative learning impacted you - in your career, school, or life experiences?
I began singing a capella in 2nd grade and continued through college. I began performing in plays - at school, at KidsActing, at church - at age 10 and continued through graduate school. I began painting in 10th grade and continue to paint through today, even creating an Etsy shop to sell my paintings. I have played the piano, the violin, created interpretive art, attended an arts program in New Zealand, and engaged my children in countless hours of art projects. And each week my team at SAFE and I engage in a creative learning project as team building. I know the importance of music and art and creative learning on developing minds, and on the social emotional health of every human.
Perhaps two of the most salient impacts I have seen of Creative Learning come from my early career as a teacher, watching people learn a new language, and from my work at SAFE and our Expect Respect Program.
When I first started teaching, I worked with a master teacher who used hand movements and songs to teach small children how to learn Spanish. I had not seen that before - but it is common practice now. So when I began teaching Spanish to middle school children, I knew that incorporating movement, creative learning and song were imperative. To that end, we learned the parts of the body with the song, “Cabeza, hombros, rodillas, pies;” we used Mana songs to learn the subjunctive tense; and we even stimulated an Ecuadorian New Years Eve celebration to understand more about the culture of South America. When I think about my years as a teacher, these are the lessons and the impact that come to mind.
As the Chief Public Strategies Officer at SAFE, I have had the honor of working with the Expect Respect Changing Lives program, which partners with Creative Action to teach AISD kids about healthy relationships. Utilizing high school actors, the Changing Lives program travels throughout the district performing their play to elementary, middle and high school students, and then facilitating a conversation after the performance about consent, violence at home, abuse, bullying, and creating healthy relationships. It is one of the most impactful programs we have at SAFE, in no small part due to the creative component.
2. What value, if any, do you think the arts and the Creative Learning Initiative have for students and teachers in Austin ISD schools? (e.g. student engagement, academic achievement and preparing students for college, career, life and the 21st century workforce).
In addition to building more creative thinkers and learners, we know that the arts and engagement in the arts allows students to process thoughts, feelings and lessons in new ways. Not only do the arts lead to increased social emotional capacity, but also to the ability to problem solve and address a variety of problems in myriad ways. I think about my son who hums the whole time that he is doing remote learning. I think about the art project that I did in college to get over a difficult breakup. I think about the graphic designer at work who explains agency successes through visuals and images. Art allows us to process ideas in new and often more impactful ways. Art as opportunity can be particularly true for children that struggle with traditional testing mechanisms, for students that are multilingual or working to learn a second language, and for kids that process ideas in nontraditional ways.
The Creative Learning Initiative provides these arts opportunities for students across the district, especially those in the most marginalized communities. During the 2018-2019 school year, for instance, Title I schools in AISD were almost three times more likely to meet the Creative Campus standard if they were a part of the CLI Program. CLI Title I elementary and middle schools also exposed students to more hours of community arts partnerships than any other schools in the district. I believe that as we work towards a more equitable school district, creative learning is a crucial component to achieve better learning outcomes for all students.
3. In what ways, if any, will the Visual and Performing Arts and the Creative Learning Initiative be a part of your priorities as a school board trustee?
For me, school can never be just about the core academics. Math and reading and science are key. But so many children learn these subjects in ways other than just reading a text and taking a test. I love that teachers now know to incorporate art and creative learning into standard learning subjects - drawing parts of the body, learning phonics through music, creating poems and art to remember math concepts. And I love that art and music and creative learning teachers are working with core academics teachers to bring those lessons into their lessons as well. Incorporating arts and creative learning into all subjects and all classes simply ensures that all types of learners will have better access to the materials and, therefore, more chance of success. While AISD is doing incredible work, there are also key community partners that could be a part of this work, including arts organizations, equity groups, museums, performance groups, and more.
4. What would a visual and performing arts program that values diversity and is committed to inclusion look like to you?
I think of the library at our elementary school library. When I was in school, the books in the library were not that diverse; frankly, there were a few books by African American authors on hand for Black History Month. The elementary school that my kids attend, however, has a library rich with a full range of books by diverse authors. The librarian (and other teachers) brings in authors and performers of all races, genders and ages to talk with the kids. And this could and should be happening at every school - in our libraries, in our music rooms, on our drama stage, in our art classrooms.
An anti-racist visual and performing arts program, implemented throughout the district, would not just study Frida Kahlo during Hispanic Heritage Month, or Jazz in February. A program that is committed to inclusion and diversity would incorporate lessons by a wide range of artists, and ask students to create using a wide range of inspiration. It would bring in art forms and arts from around the country, and around the world. An arts program that is dedicated to equity would hire (and retain) a wide range of teachers by implicitly and explicitly telling those teachers that they are respected and a key part of our learning community.
5. Please add any additional comments on the arts and the Creative Learning Initiative.
The arts and CLI expand the learning opportunities for all students, improve students’ academic and professional success, and ensure that students are motivated to continue schooling. They are key to a healthy student and to achieving a successful school district. Plus they help our district to nurture kids to be more open, more present, more creative, and just better humans.
Austin ISD At-Large Position 8
Jared D. Breckenridge
Candidate has yet to respond.
Mike Herschenfeld
Candidate has yet to respond.
Noelita Lugo
1. In what ways, if any, have the arts and creative learning impacted you - in your career, school, or life experiences?
I believe the arts and creative learning can draw students into life long learning, expressing themselves creatively and expanding their understanding of the world. I love creative writing and it inspired me to major in English when I came to UT. My children love hearing and making up stories, drawing/painting and singing. Creative arts is an essential part of our life.
2. What value, if any, do you think the arts and the Creative Learning Initiative have for students and teachers in Austin ISD schools? (e.g. student engagement, academic achievement and preparing students for college, career, life and the 21st century workforce).
Creative Learning Initiative offers students an avenue to explore their talents and feel more connected to school, learning and self-expression. Today's careers require creative thinkers to solve complex problems in a variety of fields, not just the creative arts.
3. In what ways, if any, will the Visual and Performing Arts and the Creative Learning Initiative be a part of your priorities as a school board trustee?
This is an area that I will need to continue learning more about so that I can better understand how to support the Visual & Performing Arts and Creative Learning Initiative within AISD. I am very interested in seeing enriching academic & creative arts programming provided to all students (pk - 12) across our city, prioritizing communities that have less access to resources & advantages is critical for long-term student success.
4. What would a visual and performing arts program that values diversity and is committed to inclusion look like to you?
As we continue to measure within-school and between-schools inclusive participation in creative arts, we must expand best practices from our high-inclusion campuses to campuses where there is low-participation or significant disparities in participation between student groups (race, SES, learning disabilities/abilities).
5. Please add any additional comments on the arts and the Creative Learning Initiative.
No response recorded.
Leticia Moreno Caballero
Candidate has yet to respond.