Heather Plotzke, 53, a parent and business owner, is running for re-election as Poway Unified School District trustee representing Area C.
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During my service on the Poway Unified school board, I have remained focused on three commitments: striving to prepare students for life after graduation, providing world-class support to families and our employees and protecting the district’s long-term fiscal health.
I see three major challenges. First is ensuring every student succeeds. PUSD is academically strong, but averages can mask students who are struggling. Our goal should be for every student to graduate with a diploma and a plan, with additional resources directed where our data shows they are needed.
Second is rebuilding and maintaining trust. Families and employees deserve clear communication, responsive service and opportunities to be heard, even when we disagree.
Third is long-term fiscal sustainability. Declining enrollment, rising costs, aging facilities and changing student needs require difficult choices. We have begun addressing these challenges through new Board-adopted goals focused on student success, community engagement and fiscal responsibility. We are a year into implementing those goals and working with our new administration. I am seeking another term because I want to help ensure that this work produces measurable results.
I am proud of PUSD’s tradition of academic excellence, but our work extends beyond test scores. Our goal for every student is to leave Poway with a diploma and a plan. With all students being general education students first, I have always supported rigorous instruction while advocating for special support services.
Having Poway Unified school employees partner with families and community members to continue reinforcing trust and transparency with welcoming schools, clear communication and respectful treatment.
Finally, I remain committed to responsible oversight of public resources. Declining enrollment and fiscal pressures require long-range planning and thoughtful decisions that protect classrooms and student opportunities. We must continue improving efficiency while strategically addressing facilities, maintenance, technology, transportation and staffing.
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I am seeking re-election to build on this work, support every student, strengthen community trust and ensure PUSD remains strong for generations to come.
To answer that I first have to ask you what are you using to gauge academic achievement for students, and in context to what? Student achievement data often reflects persistent disparities based on race, income, disability, language access, housing instability and other factors. What strategies or priorities would you support to improve student outcomes while also addressing underlying inequities?
I believe we should begin with a simple expectation: Every student can learn at high levels, and our system should respond quickly when students need additional support. The board and staff are examining outcomes across student groups, schools, programs and areas such as special education to understand where results are inconsistent. We cannot be afraid to direct additional resources to the students and needs identified in our data. Equity means providing the right support at the right time, not providing every student the same support regardless of need. I strongly support AVID in our secondary schools, which helps many students who will be the first in their families to attend college, as well as College Bound, which supports the college aspirations of Black students in response to needs identified in our data. I also support the district’s increased focus on multilingual learners and the recent restructuring of our system to better support those students.
California SB 328 changing the times that middle and high school start and end is causing a large problem with childcare for families of younger children in the district. Parents with young children have to send them to daycare because they can’t drop them off on late start days, or pick them early when it’s an early release day. If they have older siblings, in a lot of instances we have older siblings leaving their schools early for pick up and childcare.
We had success at some schools last year using a variety of new methods thinking outside the box, including creating absentee intervention teams. My job will be to help clear the way for teachers and administrative staff to do what they need to do and make sure they have the allocations and support to do it correctly.
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Technology should serve learning, not drive it. PUSD has a responsibility to prepare students for a world in which artificial intelligence and digital tools will be part of college, careers and everyday life while establishing strong safeguards around privacy, security, academic integrity and student well-being. The three-year technology plan approved by the board last year provides a framework for this work, including infrastructure, cybersecurity, instructional technology, digital citizenship and purposeful preparation for emerging technologies.
I support teaching students how to use AI and other tools responsibly rather than pretending they do not exist. At the same time, not every new technology belongs in a classroom simply because it is available. Decisions should reflect instructional value, age-appropriateness, student privacy, cybersecurity, evidence and professional learning. Our goal should be students who are capable, ethical, discerning and safe users of technology.
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No
