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Four takeaways from the Paso Robles school board race

April 14, 2023

By KAREN VELIE

San Luis Obispo County political watchers have been fixated for the past three months on the Paso Robles school board special election to fill the seat of an ousted board member. With the election on Tuesday, more than 7,800 of the 30,707 ballots mailed to voters have already been counted.

Kenny Enney is a retired Marine Corp intelligence officer and local rancher. Angela Hollander worked as a neonatal intensive care nurse, a coordinator at First 5 SLO County and as a manager for the community Foundation.

Unions help Hollander lead in the race for campaign donations

Angela Hollander

Campaign finance reports show Hollander outpacing her opponent with the help of two large donations from teachers unions. Hollander collected $43,499 in donations, while Enney raised $27,327.

The California Federation of Teachers donated $13,437 to Hollander, the largest of her campaign. Hollander also received $3,800 from Paso Robles Public Educators and $2,656 from rancher Dee Lacey.

Enney’s largest donor is the Republican Party of SLO which donated $2,177. Enney also received $2,102 from retired Paso Robles resident Sharon Johnson and $1,540 from business owners George and Diana Phillips.

Of registered voters in the district, approximately 44% are Republicans, 30% are Democrats and 18% are decline to state.

Candidates divided on the issue of influence, parents versus teachers

At a recent Paso Robles Joint Unified School District board meeting, two parents argued against a new AP Chemistry textbook because it includes political and controversial references to the United Nations global sustainability goals.

Kenneth E. Enney Jr.

In favor of approving the book, a chemistry teacher said the United Nations discussions were “focused on real world applications of major chemistry topics.”

Enney wants parents to have more influence regarding the process of selecting textbooks.

On the other side, Hollander wants committees of teachers, who she believes have more understanding of the curriculum, to select new textbooks.

Candidates split on issues of social justice, discipline

During a debate in March, the candidates’ differing views on discipline and social justice were striking.

Enney wants a zero tolerance policy. If students are disrespectful to a teacher, they are removed from class without a warning.

Hollander supports a softer approach, with teachers modeling positive behavior. She believes that students should only be removed from the classroom for violent or criminal behavior, such as brandishing a weapon or sexual assault.

In regards to supporting LGBTQ students, Enney wants all students treated the same, without division.

Because of the challenges LGBTQ students face, Hollander wants this protected class of students to be protected.

As for referring to students by their preferred pronouns, Enney says no while Hollander said that if students “are going through a faze,” they should be able to go by their preferred pronoun.

Voters can mail in their ballots or vote at one of nine polling locations on Tuesday


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Get rid of Police unions too. And lobbyists. And religion.


-9

Yes for Enney vote, and a big fat NO for the Industrial Education Machine supporting Hollander, Look no further than here —> https://www.first5slo.org/who-we-are.php


15

I took high school chemistry. I majored in chemistry at Cal Poly. High school chemistry was about chemistry, not politics. In the lab we did titrations, a technique to use a reaction with a known solution to determine the concentration of an unknown solution, put pure magnesium in water to produce hydrogen, fun stuff, especially when the teacher turned a blind eye as we filled dry cleaning bags with oxygen and hydrogen kept in cylinders in the science wing and released them into the sky with lit fuse wire to detonate fuel-air bombs. We bubbled chlorine gas through water to create chlorine water. I once got a whiff and had minor lung problems for a month, could probably still sue SLOHS. Can we please at least contain the wokeness to history and social studies? If they are going to include wokeness in chemistry can we talk about how the US is on the path of environmental clean-up while India and China get worse and have no awareness or regard whatsoever for the environment? What’s the worst that could happen if Enney is elected? The teachers go out on strike? They’re already on strike.


17

Let’s be clear, the textbook is not some left-wing conspiracy against the right-wing parents in Paso.


According to the Sacramento Bee, the mention of the “United Nations 17 sustainable development goals” refers to an effort to ensure “clean air and water, an end to hunger and poverty, quality education for all, gender equality, health care, decent work and economic growth.”


I grew up in an America where these were accepted goals. It saddens me that the ignorant parents in Paso would block such efforts.


https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/article274366480.html


-21

I grew up in America as well. It saddens me to see that one’s freedom speech or opinion is deemed ignorant because isn’t the same as theirs. Those parents have the right to be involved with their kid’s education and curriculum. It’s their right and responsibility as parents.

We should not look to anything from the UN and their selective goals for the world in American classrooms.

Compared to the world, we have clean air, and water. Our food production feeds a large portion of the world. There are plenty of jobs and chances for economic growth despite this failing administration and the restraints they impose on most businesses.

Our quality of education is poor due to union control and the desire to indoctrinate instead of educating. Our healthcare system is on the decline in various ways. There’s a difference between gender equality and forcing one’s lifestyle on to others with different opinions or beliefs, especially in a classroom setting where it doesn’t belong.


17

The UN goals (which were BRIEFLY mentioned in the textbook in question) are set to mitigate the ravages of climate change, which are far greater in third world countries—the problems in Syria, Central America and much of Northern Africa are directly related to the loss of arable land with former populations of farmers now moving to urban areas.


This domino effect is sending refugees to Europe where they face an uncertain reality. Germany has welcomed them, while the fascist regime in Hungary has labeled them as criminals.


In most places in America we have clean water, not so much in Flint, Michigan where the majority of citizens are black. As for clean air, I wonder why it is that Los Angeles, which had the worst air pollution in the world in the 1980’s when the state had a Republican governor is now a solidly Democratic constituency.


And to blame teachers unions for low test scores is to turn a blind eye to poverty and racism—the average Mexican or African-American holds only about 25% of the wealth of the typical white family in California—look it up. You could do away with teachers’ unions and you would not see any increases in test scores until these families are labeled as above the poverty line.


As for health care, luckily the state of California has thoroughly embraced Obamacare which means that only 2.5% of Californians are without health insurance whereas Texas, with a Republican majority denies 18% of its citizens health care because it has not embraced the AHC and would rather see its citizens die than admit that President Obama was right.


-13

What does any of that have to do with Kenny Enney vs Hollander?


It does have a lot to do with indoctrinating over educating. But then again, that’s their goal.


5

Public-sector and private sector unions seem to have a way of screwing up everything that they touch. The UAW can’t even build a reliable car.


34

Public-sector unions in bed with disinformation bureaucrats. What could possibly go wrong?


28

29% proficient in math at Paso schools? It’s obvious the Teachers Union isn’t doing a great job with the candidates that they support and currently employ. Not for my children. We respect authority, accountability, and expect our schools to be the best place possible, if you want us to drop them off every morning. We’ll hire our own teacher or pack up and leave.


42

It not about higher %. For them, it’s all about power and control so they come promote their narrative and agenda. They don’t care about the education of the students, just the indoctrination of their beliefs on them. Sad but factual.


32

66% of property tax dollars go to education, when the teachers want a raise does the union want to raise taxes or shift into cheaper education as in subject matter? Is it becoming a choice of WOKE or BROKE? Another question, how much of that 66% percent fund the unions? Are teachers subject to protection by the civil service board too?


1

Anyone or anything supported by the teachers union is a no, the recent years happenings showed us that.


63

According to the feel-good campaign literature published by Hollander, teachers know best and parents are second class citizens.


45

Don’t forget that this special election has cost the Paso school district $500,000.


As I posted months ago, half a million bucks could’ve paid for A LOT of field trips, art and music supplies, sports equipment, etc.


What a shameful waste of money.


56

Do you need more proof that they care more about their agenda than they care about the kids?


34

That’s right, the teachers and their union get together every summer and devise ways to subject their students to a “woke” agenda.


Ridiculous.


I wonder if you’ve ever met a public school teacher. They come from a variety of backgrounds, cultures and religions. They DO NOT go into teaching to advocate for any political ideology. Most of them are simply out to do their best for the community in whatever way they can. They obviously care about children or they would have gone into higher paying jobs.


When this country starts to vilify its teachers, that’s the day it totally falls apart. I’m sad to say that day is upon us.


-19

Not vilifying teachers. Just the corrupt unions that unfortunately represent and control them. I know a lot of great teachers that dislike their unions.


7

They would never use the money to benefit the students it’s for the so called elite not the students


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