{"href":"https://api.simplecast.com/oembed?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheviewfromhere.simplecast.com%2Fepisodes%2Fzestyharper-NX1XArN8","width":444,"version":"1.0","type":"rich","title":"The View From Here With Jared Sinclair: Zesty Harper On Putting Students First","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_url":"https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/9f9b0766-bcf0-4b8d-8d91-deaabddd4322/859a603a-8f97-4b10-babd-2e131ba3716d/cropped_1792563354682.jpg","thumbnail_height":300,"provider_url":"https://simplecast.com","provider_name":"Simplecast","html":"","height":200,"description":"Jared Sinclair sits down with Zesty Harper. Zesty is the president of the Escondido Union School District board.She is a former middle school teacher, a mom of three, a lifelong Escondido resident.\n\nZesty describes how she went from the classroom to special needs education, nonprofit work, and one-on-one tutoring with students in difficult living situations. That path led her to run for the school board in 2014. She shares how a high school trip to lobby Congress showed her that politicians are \"just people.\" She also explains why she wants every Escondido family to trust their public schools as much as a charter school.\n\nIn this episode:\n- How a district with about 14,000 students and 23 schools is run, and what a board member can and can't do\n- Why she ran for office: closing the gap in perception between charter and public schools\n- Staying grounded under public criticism, including why she stepped away from social media\n- Why the board holds its discussions in public, and legal constraints on what it can share\n- Programs that give kids new experiences: project-based learning at Conway Elementary, a state-funded after-school and extended learning program, swim lessons at the YMCA, and fully funded summer camps\n- The hardest lesson she's learning right now, and some lighter advice for her 10-year-old self\n- Zesty's closing message: get involved in your community, get out of your bubble, and assume good intentions\n\nTakeaway: Keep the focus on students, stay grounded in common sense, and show up for your community."}