Editor’s note: In the coming weeks, The Coronado News is planning to ask each of this year’s school board candidates questions about the most pressing topics concerning public schools in Coronado. The candidates’ responses will be presented in a different order each week to ensure fairness, starting alphabetical. The candidates are limited to 250 words for each response. There are three positions up for grabs on the CUSD board of trustees in the November elections. Margaret Mary Duncan, Alexia Palacios-Peters, Malachy Sandie and Kaye McCormick Schneider are vying for the open seats.
This week’s topic is board governance and transparency.
Margaret “Peggy” Duncan
Q: What are your top three priorities if elected as a trustee? Why?
A: My top three priorities are student mental health and well-being, thoughtful and practical technology policies and academic excellence supported by exceptional teachers.
First, student mental health and well-being must be foundational. Students cannot reach their full academic potential if they do not feel safe, supported, and connected at school. I am particularly concerned about the middle school years, when students face significant social, emotional, and developmental changes. I want to ensure CUSD is directing appropriate resources toward prevention, early intervention, counseling, and strong partnerships with families and community organizations.
Second, we need practical and reasonable policies around rapidly evolving technology. Cell phones, excessive screen time and artificial intelligence are fundamentally changing education. Technology can be a powerful educational tool, but it should enhance learning — not distract from it or replace critical thinking. I support strong cell-phone restrictions during the school day and thoughtful AI policies that protect academic integrity while preparing students for a world in which AI will increasingly be part of college and the workplace.
Finally, we must remain relentlessly focused on academic excellence — and excellent teachers are at the heart of that mission. CUSD must continue to attract, retain and support outstanding educators. That means competitive compensation when financially feasible, but also meaningful professional development, mentoring, strong leadership and a culture where teachers feel valued.
These priorities are interconnected: healthy students, excellent teachers and technology that serves learning rather than undermines it. Together, they provide the foundation for exceptional schools and prepare our students to thrive in a rapidly changing world.
Q: What is the biggest issue today in Coronado public schools, and how would you address it?
A: The biggest issue facing Coronado public schools is thoughtfully managing the financial transition to Basic Aid. This transition presents an extraordinary opportunity for CUSD, but also tremendous responsibility. Sound financial stewardship is at the heart of good governance, and it is foundational to every other opportunity we have to improve our schools.
CUSD must rebuild its reserves to a healthy level, carefully forecast future revenues and expenses, and avoid making financial commitments that may become unsustainable. But responsible stewardship does not mean simply accumulating reserves. We also have important needs today that require investment.
Air conditioning is an immediate example. When excessive heat forces schools onto half-day schedules, students lose valuable instructional time. That level of learning loss is simply not sustainable. We need immediate relief while developing a fiscally responsible long-term solution.
We should also consider whether increased revenues provide an opportunity to improve teacher compensation. Attracting and retaining exceptional teachers is fundamental to academic excellence and should be a priority as resources become available.
This is also where my experience matters. I have already served for three years as a trustee on another school board (Francis Parker School), where responsible financial oversight was a core responsibility. My legal background has also trained me to analyze complex issues, understand long-term consequences, ask difficult questions, and make decisions based on facts.
Basic Aid gives CUSD an incredible opportunity. Good governance will determine how well we use it.
Alexia Palacios-Peters
Q: What are your top three priorities if elected as a trustee? Why?
A: My top three priorities if re-elected as trustee are rebuilding our reserves, updating our facilities, and implementing the Portrait of a Graduate.
One of the board’s primary focuses has been the “Bridge to Basic Aid.” This is an intentional plan to spend down the district’s financial reserves and manage a temporary budget deficit while transitioning to a new funding model. The 2027-2028 school year will be the first year under the new Basic Aid funding model where the district is estimated to receive an additional $8 million to $10 million in funds. A priority for this funding needs to be rebuilding our reserve fund to ensure the district has enough reserves to cover district spending over a six-month period.
My second priority is to focus on our facilities. This is a large category that includes updating facilities and installing an HVAC system and solar panels. The budget deficit has limited the ability of the district to prioritize maintenance of existing structures as needed without the ability to upgrade our facilities. Now is the time to make our facilities a priority.
The Portrait of a Graduate, my third priority, is a community-driven strategic vision outlining the specific knowledge, skills, and mindsets the district aims to develop in all students. This vision was created with 66,000 data points collected from students, parents, teachers, and community members. This document will guide the programs we develop to ensure our graduates are ready and successful in the steps they take after leaving CUSD.
Q: What is the biggest issue today in Coronado public schools, and how would you address it?
A: The biggest issue facing Coronado public schools is technology. This includes artificial intelligence, phone usage on campus, computer use in the classroom, and student access to social media. Technology is an important and necessary component for students today and for their success later. We want to make sure that students are competent and comfortable with technology.
The board has already begun to take the first steps to address this problem by piloting a phone pouch program at Coronado Middle School. This program prevents students from having access to their phone during the day while on campus. Additionally, the board has asked for a review of technology use in the classrooms. The goal is to see how technology is being used in the classrooms and determine whether that technology serves an educational purpose and whether that is the best resource. As a trustee, I supported both of these initiatives.
Lastly, social media access by kids has shown to have an effect on mental health and focus. Online harassment leads to emotional distress and this spills over onto our campuses. Our job is to balance access to the various technologies and platforms with students’ attention spans and mental health concerns.
Malachy Sandie
Q: What are your top three priorities if elected as a trustee? Why?
A: My top three priorities are to 1) champion public education; 2) prepare our students for higher education, careers, and society; and 3) utilize new Basic Aid funding to rebuild our required reserves, better compensate our teachers and staff, and update and maintain our facilities.
There has been a push to divert public funding to private schools that will hurt public education as evidenced by both Project 2025 and the recent Presidential Executive Order (signed Jan. 29, 2025) that both seek to redirect taxpayer money into private or religious school options. We rely on $4.9 million in Federal funds this year to supplement our $60 million budget. I will continue to champion our public schools and fight any attempt to redirect funds elsewhere.
I will keep all board decisions focused on our goal of preparing our children for higher education, careers, and society. The school district, with the support of the community, did an extensive project called Portrait of a Graduate that further defined how we achieve these goals, and we need to stay focused on this.
Next school year, we will shift to Basic Aid that is estimated to increase our annual funding by roughly $8 million-$10 million per year. However, we have been spending down our reserves (deficit spending) roughly $6 million per year, so we should see a net increase of $2 million-$4 million per year. With these additional funds, we will need to rebuild our required reserves, properly compensate our people to attract and retain the best and brightest personnel, and update our facilities.
Q: What is the biggest issue today in Coronado public schools, and how would you address it?
A: There are many issues that we must deal with, so it is difficult to narrow it down to one or two. These issues include climate change, personal electronics, mental health, the vilification of science, economic downturn, gun violence, book banning, and White Christian Nationalism, to name a few. This week our biggest issue is climate change which will only get worse as our nation has unfortunately retreated away from renewable energy and back to fossil fuels. We must address the heat issue to protect our students and teachers and create an optimal learning environment. I will continue to push for air-conditioning powered with solar energy, but this will be expensive and will take time. Also, for the past four years I have advocated to limit personal electronics in our schools, and we have begun to see some success especially with the middle school.
Kaye McCormick Schneider
Q: What are your top three priorities if elected as a trustee? Why?
A: My top three priorities are as follows:
1. Protect a high-quality, well-rounded education
It is essential to preserve the programs that make CUSD strong — academic, creative, and extracurricular opportunities — while making thoughtful decisions as enrollment and funding change. This includes navigating the transition to Basic Aid responsibly, rebuilding reserves, and addressing capital needs without compromising student opportunities.
2. Develop resilient, compassionate, lifelong learners
This aligns with the Portrait of a Student as a priority. I desire our schools intentionally teach relationship skills, resilience, communication and respectful collaboration. Programs such as debate and relationship-building opportunities can help students learn to disagree without attacking, understand different perspectives, manage difficult situations and reduce bullying and division.
3. Strengthen the partnership between schools, parents, and community
Our district places a high value on listening and collaboration. As a trustee, I would want parents to have more meaningful opportunities to communicate with teachers and the district, particularly working families who may not be able to participate in volunteering. I bring a valuable perspective from my experience as both a parent and educator, as well as my Family Life Educator work. I desire to be a bridge between faculty, families, and the board.
I am committed to listen, learn and to navigate differences and build stronger relationships.
Q: What is the biggest issue today in Coronado public schools, and how would you address it?
A: I believe the biggest issue facing Coronado schools is navigating the transition to Basic Aid responsibly. We have an exciting opportunity ahead, but we need to remain financially healthy while protecting the excellent academic, arts, and extracurricular programs that make CUSD special. CUSD will experience declining enrollment as fewer interdistrict-transfer applications will be accepted.
We need to wisely determine admission of new interdistrict transfers. In the past, our interdistrict students have helped sustain specialty programs such as Career Technical Education, Coronado School of the Arts and our National Junior ROTC program. The board, with faculty, must determine educational value, program viability, and available space. According to our superintendent, the change has a positive impact on TK – 8th grade. This will allow for smaller class sizes which is beneficial to students. There are three groups who are prioritized for IDTs: children of our military, district employees, and those who are currently participating in the high schools pathways programs.
As the district approaches Basic Aid in 2027–28, it is expected we will receive approximately $8–$10 million in annual revenue above our current state funding. This affords CUSD the opportunity to rebuild reserves, strengthen our long-term financial health, and plan carefully for long term needs. Ultimately, the goal is to use this transition to strengthen our long term fiscal health, protect academics and extra-curricular opportunities that benefit our students.
