Ahead of the November general election, the Southern California News Group compiled a list of questions to pose to the candidates who wish to represent you. You can find the full questionnaire below. Questionnaires may have been edited for spelling, grammar, length and, in some instances, to remove hate speech and offensive language.
MORE: Read all the candidate responses in our Voter Guide
Name: Farnaz Pardasani
Current job title: Education Foundation Boardmember, Former Management Consultant
Political party affiliation: Non-Partisan
Incumbent: No
Other political positions held: None
City where you reside: Seal Beach
Campaign website or social media: http://www.Farnaz4LosAl.org
Gov. Gavin Newsom has called for heavier restrictions on smartphones in schools, pointing to studies that show the harmful effects of social media. How do you see schools restricting smartphone use? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)
As the only candidate with children in elementary, middle, and high school, I can confidently say that our district’s current smartphone policies are not serving our children well. Emerging research is clear: excessive smartphone use harms students’ mental health and academic performance.
While our district has a policy, it is not well understood or consistently applied. I believe our schools should strictly enforce a policy that limits smartphone access during school hours and designate specific and limited times and places for use.
Earlier this year, I initiated discussions on this topic with our administrators and the school board, and conducted a survey of parents and community. The overwhelming sentiment was that change is needed especially at the middle school level, though there are real concerns about access in emergencies.
How can your district better harness artificial intelligence technology for learning while also protecting kids from another tool that can be used for bullying? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)
Artificial intelligence is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it’s crucial for our children to learn how to use AI for future success, which is why I’ve been advocating for more STEM programming. On the other hand, unbounded use of AI can cause our children to miss out on building critical skills such as synthesis, writing, analysis, critical thinking, and understanding historical context.
While I’m not an educational or AI expert, I know that our district cannot take a laissez-faire approach to this topic. Doing so puts our children at risk, places undue burdens on our teachers, and prevents thoughtful testing and learning across our district.
We must develop guidelines that ensure AI is used responsibly and effectively, with clear definitions of where and how AI should be integrated. These policies should be adaptable, informed by expert opinion, and allow us to learn and adjust through structured use.
What are the top two needs of your school district, and how are you prepared to address them? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)
Our priority must be on issues that directly impact our students’ education and future success. While broader cultural discussions have their place, our focus should remain on ensuring academic excellence and preparing our students for the future.
“Raising the bar for our kids” is a moniker I launched my campaign with, as I firmly believe this should be our priority. We must systematically share best practices across the district — what works in one place should be brought to another. There should be no disparities in performance or experiences based on the school or the teacher your child is assigned to. We must invest aggressively in innovative programs, particularly in STEM and vocational training, which prepare students for future careers. I have been strongly advocating for STEM education for the last two years as a parent and a board member of our Education Foundation.
“The trusted voice” is how I have been described by many in our community. I believe we need to have a much stronger Vvice of the parent included in the decision-making process. Decisions are being made without adequate input and consultation from those who are closest to our children — parents and teachers.
What experiences and priorities do you bring to the table for this role? What have you learned in prior leadership roles that make you the person for this job? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)
As a parent with children at different levels in our district, I am the best candidate to champion solutions aligned with parents’ perspectives.
I have an unrivaled record of service and volunteering: PTA executive board, PTA president, School Site Council member, district advisory member and current role as a member of the executive board of the Los Alamitos Education Foundation (LAEF). This alone gives me the understanding, network, and credibility to meaningfully drive change and challenge the status quo.
Furthermore, my professional experience advising Fortune 100 companies on large-scale transformation and organizational topics at Deloitte and IBM brings much-needed financial and management acumen to a $100 million budget undergoing significant financial strains.
There are no other candidates with this combination of insight and skills.
California has a new law, set to go into effect in 2025, that prohibits districts from enforcing what’s been called parental notification policies, rules for school employees to contact parents if their child may be changing their gender identity. What do you see as the role of parents in education? Is there a limitation? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)
As a parent, I see firsthand how critical the role of parents are in education. Personally, I have been highly involved in our kids’ educational experience since preschool. I’ve worked inside the classroom, volunteered for various activities, taken on leadership roles, helped fundraise, donated to sustain our STEM and Arts programs, and more.
My husband and I feel strongly that our most important job is to raise good humans and responsible citizens. I don’t see that ever ending. In turn, I see our schools as partners in this journey. Partnership requires transparency and two-way communication throughout the relationship.
As for the new law in California, I’m taking time to educate myself. I’m talking to our community to better understand perspectives. Sometimes, in trying to do good, we lose sight of the unintended consequences of a regulation.
In our district, we generally get it right over time — balancing the need to meet the demands of our state’s legislature while staying true to our community’s values. With me on the board, I will work on behalf of all parents to ensure our policies reflect our community’s values.
What role do you see your district playing in combating climate change? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)
I believe the district’s role in combating climate change has a few layers.
At a macro level, as we update our facilities, we should work toward solutions that mitigate our CO2 impact while also creating cost savings for our district. Recent projects, such as installing solar panels at all nine schools and leveraging tax incentives with innovative financing structures, have been a win-win for our district and the planet. We should do more of this.
At a micro level, it’s about education. Educating kids on the importance of reducing waste in their school and home environments. During my tenure on the PTA executive board, we partnered with a local vendor and implemented a green program to educate students on reducing waste during lunch. Kids of all ages learned how every action and choice impacts our planet. They learned simple trade-offs like using glass or metal lunch containers versus plastic bags as well as the difference between recycling and composting.
As a board member, I will continue to look for innovative opportunities to educate our students and staff, to create win-win opportunities for our district and our planet.
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