by Natalie Hanson
posted Jan. 11
Editor’s note: Gayle Olsen and Teisha Hase joined the Chico Unified School District’s (CUSD) school board this month after winning seats in the Nov. 5 General Election. This Q-and-A with Olsen is the first story in a two-part series. And read our sidebar on what policy under the Trump Administration could look like here.
Gayle Olsen is no stranger to the challenge of fighting for resources for the most vulnerable students.
Now that she’s won the race for a seat on the board in Trustee Area 2, she said she’s ready to leverage that experience to fight for many more students.
A longtime special education teacher, Olsen says she’s ready to step into her new role — especially given how many challenges the school district may be facing within the next two years. On the campaign trail, she previously told North State Public Radio about several of her priorities, including advocating for children’s rights to privacy under the law and pressing for proper funding of facility improvements.
Olsen’s last official day working for CUSD was June 8, after 34 years on the job teaching grades two through 12. She will represent residents in Area 2 – comprising Chico’s avenues and neighborhoods near Chico State – and joined ChicoSol late last year for an exclusive interview.
Why do you think this experience helped set you apart from your opponents and can inform your goals in this term?
For me, it was really a no-brainer as I was retiring, and that I wanted to continue to have those experiences. I feel that there are some areas within special education that are starting to be addressed, and those need to continue to be addressed. And, giving students a safe place to go to school academically and emotionally as well.
Public schools face a myriad of challenges today — from budget crises and possible closures to fights over equity and how our most vulnerable students are serviced. Which issues are your top priority at this time and how would you bring them to the board for discussion as is appropriate?
On my website I address diversity, equity and inclusion, and that’s huge to me. We live in a more diverse community now and every student learns differently. There’s a way to make teaching and learning more equitable for students, and all students need to feel included in all classes.
I also know there are some [school] sites that might either be more challenging to upgrade, or maybe they just can’t be completed and maybe changes need to be made at that point. It is something that needs to be discussed on a continual basis.
You’ve mentioned your stance on the so-called “parental choice” issue, which was a major focus of some board meetings two years ago. Do you consider this election a referendum on the matter, especially given that a Chico parent’s lawsuit — accusing school counselors of improperly withholding information about confidential conversations with their child — has been rebuffed by a federal judge?
I hope that it is a statement. Students need a safe place to have a conversation and know that there is confidentiality. Counselors are not going to counsel a child on “how to be gay” or how to change their gender – that is absolutely not the case. What is true is that the counselor talks to them about whether there is someone they feel safe with … and then practices how the student might have a conversation with them.
This is very personal to me. When I came out at 17 and my parents found out, my mom disowned me for a year. I had no place to go. Unfortunately, parents aren’t always a safe place. I wish they were, but the reality is that they aren’t.
We’re facing what a Trump administration might bring and particularly if the Department of Education is dismantled. What do you hope to do with this possibility looming, with the time you have, on the local level? Do you have a personal take on this approach and what it will do to our students and faculty?
I’ve read up on Project 2025, and I’m very concerned that the Department of Education is going to be completely dismantled, that there’ll be privatization of schools through school vouchers. That means the rich will get funded to send their child to a school of choice and get some financial support for that, but the poor people aren’t necessarily going to be able to do that.
I hope that’s not the case, but I’m really concerned that there’s going to be this true separation of equitable education for all. We’ll have to see how this plays out.
What would you want to leave listeners with, and ask parents for, as they meet their new board, get more engaged publicly and learn about how they might try to support teachers and school sites?
I plan to be available. I plan to frequently visit sites and hear from students and teachers, and I hope to hear from parents and community members. I want to understand different perspectives and have the conversation so that we can understand each other. If it’s important to you as a parent, you have to stay involved and stay informed.
Interviewer Natalie Hanson is a contributing editor to ChicoSol.