Paul Seitz for RSF School Board

Author: Paul Seitz

Date: October 2, 2022

My name is Paul Seitz, and I’m excited to be running for Roger Rowe School Board. My wife and I moved our family here to raise our children nearly a decade ago so that our youngest could attend Roger Rowe. Our daughter started in kindergarten in 2017 and is now in 5^th grade. I am thankful to have experienced firsthand what an extraordinary school looks like, how it operates, functions, and how warm and inviting it feels walking into the school on any given day.

From the professionalism of the administration to the dedication and smiling faces on all the teachers’ faces, it was clear Roger Rowe was a special place. Two years of excellence enabled me to recognize the extreme contrast when the entire school turned on its head, forgoing all of what made Roger Rowe the extraordinary, unique, boutique-style school that rightfully garnered such a renowned reputation for years.

Over the years, Dr. Rowe and then Linda Delaney would invest thousands of dollars to further educate and invest in the latest and most innovative science curriculum. Until the 2019 school year, your elementary-aged student was learning science with an educator who held a single-subject science credential. Both elementary and middle school students enjoyed learning science in a dedicated science lab equipped with science tables and equipment.

Your elementary-aged, advanced math student would be challenged beyond their classroom and peers by a math coach who held a specialized credential in mathematics, assuring our mathematically gifted students were continually engaged and learning at an advanced level.

A team of literacy teachers dedicated to K-5 students worked hand in hand with the classroom teachers in small groups of three or less paired together according to each student’s reading level. This literacy program gave more than ample attention from an early age through Grade 5 to provide all children with a head start and a love for reading that traditional public schools did not. Within these groups, advanced readers are challenged continuously, and readers who need a little push or additional help receive extra attention.

These are just a few of many examples of the caliber of education R. Roger Rowe would provide to our students year after year. In other words, our children received an extraordinary, individualized education. Every student had access to what they needed to perform to their highest capabilities, and our test scores were high.

Our school is not what it was a few years ago. Our test scores are down, with our records showing that many students begin struggling with math in 5^th grade, our enrollment numbers are down, and we are being sued by families because we cannot supply them with basic necessities that we are required to by law.

In terms of school safety, we’ve invested heavily in security cameras that are often inoperative. We’ve had people break into our school in the middle of the day and steal school property, and had a substitute recently arrested by the FBI.

We have to get back to that school that we all love and can be proud of, and that change starts with the board.

As a member of the board, I would:

• Hire credentialed specialists for STEM
• Invest in literacy and library programs
• Improve school security
• Revive our once nationally renowned after school robotics program
• Listen and collaborate with teachers and utilize them properly per their credentials
• Inspire the parents who no longer donate to the foundation to open their wallets again
• Continually review what other public school districts are providing students that we are not
• Be forthcoming and provide hard numbers with what we spend on consultants, board membership clubs, legal representation and accounting firms
• Make difficult decisions after extensive consulting with all stakeholders
• Ensure that board meetings will not be used as PR sessions to receive complimentary write-ups in the Rancho Santa Fe Review, and instead provide clarity to the public on how the school receives its funding and how much money we spend per student compared to other districts

We have the funding and can achieve all of this, all while still being fiscally conservative as we are grossly overspending in certain areas where we can easily cut costs. I want the Education Foundation to thrive and proudly promote what the school has to offer, and I intend to intensively review where we are spending money and renegotiate with vendors to bring down costs.

Dr. Rowe used to say, “We don’t compare ourselves to other schools, as we are a school in and of itself.” I plan to get that back.

We need to restore trust between the community and the school’s leadership. We need board members that want to make this school the best it can be, not dumb it down then send their kids to a private school. We need leaders that can make a decision and do what they say will do, not someone that is playing Mr. Politician with no real answers. We need people on this board that will stand for what they believe in, and when the vote doesn’t go their way, they back the board up and make that decision the best it can be because we’re a team.

I am hard working, driven and not afraid to make things happen. What you see is what you get. I will tell you the truth, I will always be open to new ideas and will answer your questions with 100% transparency.

Kids first!

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