Issues and Answers

The Reason I’m a Candidate for the Fullerton School District Board of Trustees

I have been working on behalf of Fullerton children for years, and know that my integrity, skills, and experience will allow me to successfully serve the children and the District.  This is a cause I take seriously, and find very rewarding.  

Parent
As an active parent I know the challenges families across Fullerton experience trying to balance competing priorities to do what is best for their children. 

Community Service
To support our youth I volunteered as a soccer and basketball coach, and then added soccer commissioner responsibilities.  While youth sports teach team building and character skills, a child’s formal education is a much higher priority, so I began to attend Board meetings and eventually served as a volunteer on various school related committees. 

Through this participation I have developed a solid understanding of the dynamics of the District and the challenges it faces.  I believe that the Board must do more to instill fair education throughout the District to appropriately serve all the students.  I am the candidate to instill this change.    

Professional Experience
As a manager of an engineering department responsible for pipeline safety and compliance with transportation codes, I have seen many parallels with student achievement and education codes.  I have applied my professional experience to education to improve policy and foster a better learning environment (see Making a Difference). 

Conclusion

All of my experiences, professional, personal and with the District, when combined with my core belief that public education is one of the pillars of our society, and the fact that I enjoy doing this type of work, drove my decision to run for FSD Board member. 

This is a critical time for the District.  I have the knowledge, experience and perseverance to address the issues appropriately.  I will listen to the public, teachers, and staff to learn the issues.
  
My priority is to support educational excellence for all students through the enactment and enforcement of education policy that focuses on accountability and achievement in a fiscally responsible manner.

Accountability

I will support the teachers and staff in their quest to achieve or exceed performance targets as measured by the California Department of Education’s academic Performance Index, a ranking of each school’s accountability for both state and federal education requirements.  I believe teachers should be encouraged to use innovation in teaching and children should be inspired to learn.  I will work to encourage creativity and innovation in the classroom.  It is what happens in the classroom that matters most, and I will work to ensure the teachers have the tools and resources they need to provide the quality education our children deserve.

Making a Difference

As a Board member I will ask hard questions and get answers, independently if needed, to ensure we are providing the best educational experience possible.  As an independent citizen I have successfully challenged and driven change to District policies to ensure a consistent learning environment for the students throughout the school year.  This accomplishment required research, interaction with the California Department of Education, and working with the existing Board and staff.  As a Board member, I will continue to challenge policies and practices that are not in the best interest of our students.    

Deficit Spending

The FSD has recently had several years of deficit spending.  As a Board Member, I will work to eliminate deficit spending.  One way of doing this is through preventative medicine.  We don’t need more legal battles and related expenses.  Another way is to continually drive to provide services more efficiently.  We need to make the sure each taxpayer dollar is providing maximum value.  It is the Board’s responsibility to ask questions, to research the issues, and, when needed, to get the appropriate expert advice to comply with federal and state regulations.  We can not deplete resources today at the expense of the students of tomorrow. 

Special Interests Groups

I am running for election as an independent citizen.  I believe that local school district elections are nonpartisan.  The only special interest group to which I am beholden is the children in the Fullerton District schools.

Technology

Our students must be educated in the use of technology.  The use of computers and the extensive resources of the world wide web have moved all of us ahead by leaps and bounds and the future is now.  Children need a broad exposure to learning resources and teachers should be able to offer individual students the tools which are right for them at their level of maturity and learning readiness.  The use of the laptop carts and the Arts Buses are two great means of having our children educated in the use of technology.

1 to 1 Laptop Program

The one-to-one laptop program goes beyond having our students educated in the use of technology.  The one-to-one program becomes a means of providing education.  The manner in which the one to one program was initiated resulted in the polarization of our community and a law suit against the District by the ACLU.  As a result, the one-to-one laptop program in the FSD has unfortunately been a distraction to our primary mission of education. 

While the settlement agreement between the District and the ACLU addresses the issue of lap top purchases, it still allows the implementation of the one-to-one laptop program on an unequal basis among schools.  The agreement does not address the costs the District will incur to support the program, such as information technology infrastructure and teacher training. 

As the District grapples with how to provide basic needs such as transportation, which allows our children to get to and from school safely, the one-to-one lap top program can only be supported where the benefits are clearly demonstrated and the cost impact to the District is properly prioritized. 

As a Board member I would support the continuation of the one-to-one laptop programs that are in place at Fisler, Hermosa, and Nicolas in accordance with the Settlement Agreement.  Each year, I will request a report that objectively documents the benefits (pros), deficits (cons), and costs of the one-to-one laptop program.  Should these evaluations be positive, I would work hard to institute a one-to-one lap top program legally at the remaining Junior High Schools (Ladera Vista and Parks) and the remaining middle years program (Beechwood), thus focusing on the 7th and 8th grades as the first priority.  Should the cost of the one-to-one program prove to be greater than the measurable benefits, I would have the District identify other opportunities that will better benefit our children.

Transportation

Students must arrive at school safely, on time and ready to learn.   The District serves the residents within the District boundaries.  The District has established boundaries for each school that defines the school's "neighborhood".  I support neighborhood schools.  In some cases, the neighborhoods are large, and the walking distance to the school for some children is greater than 1.25 miles for K-6, and 2 miles for junior high students.   Currently parents who live beyond these distances are charged for busing their children to school.  I do not feel it is just to charge parents for transportation of these children who live beyond the specified walking distance to get to their neighborhood school, as they did not set the boundaries for the schools, nor determine where the schools are located.  Unfortunately, the District’s budget is very tight and transportation is expensive.  As a Board member I will advocate a comprehensive and efficient transportation system to serve the District efficiently and to reduce costs.  The traffic at many of our schools is significant.  If more students could be served by busing it may have the additional benefit of reducing congestion.  Should budget pressures ease, one of my first priorities will be to provide relief to the residents who pay these transportation fees.    

School Choice and Themes

I support the neighborhood school model used in Fullerton.  I believe that each school can offer its students a quality education.  I also believe that each school, due to its unique mix of students, teachers, and staff must have some flexibility to maximize the educational experience at each location.  I also understand, that, in some cases, the home school of the resident may not be best for a particular student.  This may be due to before and after school child care arrangements, or other equally valid reasons, and I support the school choice transfer policy the District has in effect.  I also support the identification of specific programs at schools within the District that serve the needs of students.    

I however have difficulty differentiating the schools by “themes” and do not support the practice.  Every elementary school should offer similar curriculum, and one school should not be preferred over another because of a “theme”.  I do support having different electives that can be supported by the staff and students, but they should be allowed to evolve as students and teachers change, and not be set to meet the requirements of a “theme”.  Every student should receive a comprehensive education that prepares them for high school and beyond.