School board candidate Q&A: former LGUSD board member Chris Miller

School board candidate Chris Miller’s campaign logo.

In a six question interview, Miller shared his views about staff retention, mental health, the board’s role, the parcel tax and more.

Three seats on the district board are up for grabs in the Nov. 8 election. Five candidates are vying for the seats: former Los Gatos High teacher Steve Chen, Saratoga High parent Misty Davies, incumbent David Guidry, former Los Gatos Union School District (LGUSD) board member Chris Miller and former LGHS teacher Alex Shultz.

The Falcon reached out to all five candidates with a standardized set of six questions to understand their qualifications, priorities and stances on pressing issues.

Miller emphasized his background in education and experience on the Los Gatos Union School District (LGUSD) board. He said his role as a board member will be to provide direction to the superintendent, who should implement the board’s vision. He said he supports creating incentive programs to increase staff retention, incorporating mental health issues in the health curriculums, passing a continued parcel tax, improving community communication and campaigning to reduce substance abuse.

What are your background and qualifications?

In 1999, I graduated from Los Gatos High. I attended Santa Clara University, earning a bachelor’s degree in history, a teaching credential and a master’s degree in education. In 2019, I received a doctoral degree in education in curriculum and instruction and recently graduated with a master’s degree in clinical psychology. I enjoyed working as a substitute teacher at LGHS and SHS. In 2004, I was elected at age 23 to the LGUSD board, serving two terms. Currently, I am a 10th and 11th grade religious studies teacher at a high school in the East Bay.

What are your thoughts on employee hiring and retention?

Staff retention is an essential element of a successful organization, and we need to address the problem’s physical and personal satisfaction aspects. Employee salaries must keep up with the cost of living, and quality health care should be offered to employees and their families. Also, we need to be sure that our teachers are supported by the administration and their departments. As a prospective board member, I will advocate for outside-the-box thinking around teacher recruitment and retention. This includes the possibility of teacher housing and incentive programs within the district.

How can the schools better address student mental health?

The mental wellness of our students, staff and faculty is of utmost importance. Sadly, approximately 40% of students at both LGHS and SHS in the 2020 California Healthy Kids Survey reported that they experienced chronic sadness or hopelessness in the previous 12 months. When students feel safe at school, they can learn. I am honored to have been involved in writing California Senate Bill 224, which was recently signed into law. School districts that offer health instruction must include a mental health component. You can learn more about my involvement with mental health issues at this website: https://steinberginstitute.org/champion/chris-miller/.

What is the role of board members?

The five-member governing board is legally, morally and ethically responsible for oversight of the school district. However, the governing board has one direct employee — the superintendent. Ideally, the superintendent communicates with the stakeholders in a given situation and makes a recommendation to the board. The board then reaches a consensus and gives direction to the superintendent, who works with their administration at the district and school site levels to implement the board’s decision. During my eight years as a trustee, I worked with five different superintendents. I learned the importance of having a superintendent who clearly understood the board’s direction.

Do you support renewing the parcel tax?

I am intimately familiar with the school district’s budgets, having served on the district Budget Advisory Committee (2018 to 2020), the district Parcel Tax Oversight Committee (2017 to 2021) and the district Bond Oversight Committee (2021 to present). The district has an existing parcel tax of $49 per parcel, in which the funds raised are split between LGHS and SHS based on the size of the student body. Most districts in Santa Clara County have a parcel tax. I support such a source of income, provided there is accountability via an independent citizen oversight body and a provision for exemptions.

What are your other priorities?

The district has done a poor job of communicating with constituents in the broader community. In fact, the district has not issued an annual report to the community since 2016. In contrast, LGUSD and Saratoga Union School District (SUSD) mail yearly reports. I will advocate for more communication with the broader community, including issuing an annual report. Also, in comparison to similar communities, LGHS has higher 30-day marijuana and alcohol use rates. If elected, I will advocate for implementing a positive community norms campaign, a research-based approach to reduce substance use among the adolescent population.