My Platform and Campaign Statement

By Lee Winocur Field

A summary of my stance on current school issues.

Laguna deserves to have a world-class school district - one that offers every student a learning environment second to none, with a reputation that opens doors for its graduates. Every child must graduate with the skills and attitudes essential to successfully compete in the technologically rich, culturally diverse, global economy of the 21st Century.

With this vision in mind, I will work to establish sound educational and fiscal policies, hire highly qualified personnel, provide well-equipped and maintained facilities, and secure sufficient financing. I stand for. . .

The best curriculum.

Our schools must deliver a rigorous curriculum in academics while promoting problem solving and critical thinking. Our standard of comparison for achievement must "benchmark to the best" public and private schools in the country. Our students must not only meet State standards, their scores must far exceed national norms.

To accomplish this, we need a seamless system for building skills at each grade level. Skills learned at the elementary level must support and be fundamental to those learned in the upper grades, and curriculum must be consistent in classrooms at the same grade level across the District. Coordination between the middle and high school is critical. Increased attention must be paid to programs that (1) support the "average" learner, (2) integrate reading, math, writing, speaking, listening and thinking; (3) promote the Arts, (4) protect the environment, and (5) coordinate Service Learning # virtues important to all of Laguna.

The best instruction.

Our teachers need training in current learning theory research, instructional programs that work and peer coaching. They need greater incentives to become certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Classrooms must have sufficient up-to-date computers with on-line access and excellent teacher training. Distance Learning presents a viable solution to the problem of how to offer a wide-range of courses in a small school district with limited funds. By using technology, our schools can provide a more personalized program for meeting graduation requirements. We also need smaller class sizes.

The best programs.

~ Diversity - Public education is the last bastion of our democratic system. Students must behave with civility and respect toward those of differing ethnicity, social status, ability, gender, age, religion, class and political persuasion. In keeping with the recommendations of the High School Human Relations Task Force, and the District's Shared Values and Mission Statement we must insure equal learning opportunities for all and foster a culture of inclusiveness throughout the district. We need to raise public awareness about the affects of prejudice and ways to practice tolerance. Working with the staff, PTA and the community, we must join community-wide projects that teach tolerance, provide opportunities for adults to work along-side others of differing backgrounds on school-related projects as well as share their knowledge, talents and personal stories with students, expand district involvement with the Youth Services Council, reestablish a pre-school program so that all children are ready to learn when they start school, expand the after-school program currently at El Morro, and expand our offerings for students with diverse talents as well as cultures.

~ Adult Education - The inclusion of Laguna Woods and the graying of our Laguna citizenry will necessitate the expansion of our adult education program. I support efforts to expand opportunities for life-long learning and deliver quality programs of interest to adult learners. Expansion of the Adult education program will increase State revenues to the District, provide courses currently only available through community colleges outside Laguna, and allow for more community use of the school facilities after hours.

~ School to Career - The WASC accreditation team pointed out the need for our High School to develop opportunities for all students to explore career options, serve internships and get experiences needed for both college and their careers. I support a strong Career Guidance program coupled with the formation of new partnerships with the private sector that result in improved coordination between student preparation and community needs.

~ High School Counseling - To explore fitting careers and to be accepted into colleges and universities of their choice, our students must have highly qualified guidance. In addition, we must implement an in-depth Six Year Graduate Follow-up Study to identify, not only the percent of our seniors accepted into college, but also the percent that are fully prepared for their first year college courses and the percent awarded a college degree.

~ Classroom Research - Knowledge must be gained, not only by children, but by adults as well. We must view our schools as houses of inquiry in which adults seek better, more effective ways of educating children. We need in-house studies designed to find solutions to common problems to be conducted by our teachers and funded by small donations.

The best fiscal position.

Laguna is a city of emergencies. We must have sufficient reserves to insure that our schools will survive any crisis without going into debt again. I support a reasonable long-range savings plan for gradually accumulating reserves equal to four months operating expenses. Each dollar spent must be leveraged to produce the greatest possible gain. Business practices must be continually reviewed for clear paper trails, competent contract management, and efficient use of business office personnel. To increase revenue, we must pursue additional Federal, State and Foundation grant funding and the Laguna Woods project, providing that adoption of this area does not skew control of the District.

The best facilities.

My priority is to have safe schools now. Renovations must assure a safe environment conducive to learning brought about with efficiency and cost-effecitiveness. I will explore every avenue to accumulate the funds needed to repair and refurbish each campus to current school construction standards and I will insist on an accurate and detailed cost estimate so that the community will be fully apprised of future capital need. With construction underway, I am diligent in reviewing contracts and expenditures to limit cost overruns. In the future, if a bond measure presents the best possible means of raising funds to complete essential school modernization, I will support it.

The best policies.

The community must be assured that the Board approves excellent policies tailored specifically for our district with sufficient accountability built-in, followed by extensive staff training and consistent enforcement.

~ Drug Free Schools - Action must be taken on each reported offense and information about a no tolerance policy must be disseminated broadly and understood by all.
~ Attendance - For learning to occur, children must attend school on a regular basis. We need a fair, family-supported, strictly enforced attendance policy that includes individual contracts with repeat offenders. In addition, we need a strategy for absentees to submit homework online from wherever they may be.
~ Promotion - Children must be promoted on the basis of having achieved competency in the skills and concepts taught at each grade level. Social promotion contributes to learners becoming at-risk. We need individualized remediation plans coupled with extra help for children identified as working below grade level.

The best communication.

Education does not stop at the schoolhouse door. Every opportunity to inform the community about our programs and schools must be taken while continually seeking feedback from the community about our progress. I support the establishment of a Speaker's Bureau available to local groups for presentations by Board members and staff, regularly scheduled community forums for discussions about schools-related issues (preferably televised locally), a review of agreements formed with the city and other agencies to insure our continued compliance, and increased representation by the district at local events . To take better advantage of technology, we need to advance our plans to equip all classrooms with online capability and continually update the district website.

I am confident that these expectations can and will be met. Laguna deserves the BEST and together we can accomplish anything!

Vote for Lee for School Board on Nov. 7.

Lee Winocur Field, Ph.D. 949/ 376-4303 slwf@home.com