Candidate for
Governing Board Member; Westminster School District

I have three children, all have been educated in the Westminster School District. I strongly believe that they have recieved a quality education. Their teachers and the other school personnel were always concern about the children, and how they could better do their jobs.

I sit on my front porch reading the paper. The neighborhood children are walking to school,they are in their uniforms. They are excited, you can see it in their walk and their giggles. They have great expectations for the day and the year. I, as a Board member will do my very best to see their expectations of school are never dashed.

There should be accountablity in the classroom, so the student learns the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic. If they can not master these basic skills they will not progress in their education. Every Teacher should make sure that help is available for those in need, and it shouldn't be voluntary. If a student goes on to the third grade and can't read the textbooks or test, this is a system failure of the greatest magnitude.

The Westminter School District will recieve about 4.5 million dollars from the State of California this year. The Governor would like you to believe that this is additional funds, but in reality about $3.5 million is money that he and the legislature withheld in past years. This created cuts in one program to pay for another. The State is not as benevolent or caring about education as they would like you to believe in this election year.Such tactices place large challenges on local school board. The Federal government has done the same thing with funding for Special Education progams.