Board Candidate Cochran Focuses On Student Needs

Calls for smaller classes, more attention to each student

Reeve T. Schley
Mirror staff writer

   Drawing on her experience as an administrative assistant and eight years of volunteer work in the Santa Monica/Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD), Ann Cochran, a 60 year-old African-American grandmother, is making a bid for a term on the District’s school board.
   She’s one of six candidates seeking to fill four open seats.
   In an interview last week, Cochran stressed her connection with children and the importance of minority representation on the board.
   “There are needs that children of color have that other children might not have, that as a minority I would be able to present to the Board,” Cochran said in a phone interview, adding, “A lot of times our children are not placed in the types of classes that they should be. They are put in classes that will not prepare them for higher education. They are typecast, because they might look a certain way.    They are classified as something that they are really not. I think that we need to change that image.”
   Allegations made by Mothers for Justice (MFJ), a group of African-American and Latino parents, that there is “racial profiling” within the District have had a definite impact on this year’s race for Board seats.
   At a June 27 meeting, the MFJ told the board that District schools discipline minorities more harshly than Anglo students, and demanded reforms in District disciplinary policies. The board quickly created a Task Force to investigate the charges and recommend policy changes, which it has done.
   Cochran believes that part of the problem would be eliminated if teachers better related to and understood the needs of minority children.
   “We need well-trained teachers that will be there for all of our children. Sometimes you have teachers that do not identify with children of color. They need to be trained, and know what their issues are and how to deal with them,” Cochran said. “Children need to make a personalized connection with someone that looks like them, and is willing to help them move forward.”
   Cochran also stresses the importance of open communication between the Board and students.
   “I am product of the District, a parent of children who also came through the SMMUSD, and a volunteer. I think I have the unique experience that will serve me well in being on the Board,” she said.
   “There are a lot of things that kids have to contend with these days — peer pressure and gang violence. There are also a lot of things that they want. Sometimes, adults don’t hear what they are saying. I think that every young child wants to succeed. I hear what they are saying, and I think I could be a voice for them. I could bring their concerns to the Board.”
   She sees the benefit in the coalescence of City agencies, which she feels are becoming more and more disparate.
   “I think fiscally sound management is an important role of the Board, as well as effective partnerships between the City, District, College, parents, agencies and the broader community. Santa Monica and Malibu are the type of communities where it is easy to connect with the people that make up the various entities,” she said.
   If elected, her most important job, contends Cochran, is making sure that each student meets his or her potential.
   “I think all children can succeed, and I would love to be a part of helping them succeed. We need to reduce class size, and make sure children are having that one-on-one relationship with the teachers, so they can succeed at the rate that they should, ” she said.
   Cochran supports a youth commission for Santa Monica, much like the one already in place in Malibu, which advices the School Board on issues relating to students.
   “Young people have a better sense and feel for what their issues are. They come and talk to me about their issues and their fears, and would benefit from talking to other adults and the School Board. They know what it is like to be there now. Their issues are not the same as what I went through,” she said.
   With three grandchildren, the oldest of whom is currently attending Will Rodgers Elementary School, Cochran is in full support of Proposition EE, which if approved by voters November 5, would levy a tax of up to $300 per year — adjusted annually on a cumulative basis for inflation — on each parcel of land located within the District.
   “I think Prop. EE is very significant to Santa Monica and Malibu, because it will assure access to various programs and the continuation of the programs it has now. It will maintain and attract good teachers, and help to reduce class size from kindergarten through 12th grade,” she said.