Candidate for
Board Member; Los Altos School District

DEVELOP 5 YEAR FINANCIAL BUDGET: Since Proposition 13 passed, our School District has developed and maintained an outstanding educational program, one of which the Community can be proud. In 1989, when our community decided that shrinking state funding was inadequate to support our educational program, the voters of Los Altos passed a parcel tax to supplement the state's base revenue. As a result of this community effort and top state scores (STAR) our School District has been publicly reconized as the "best" school district in California. However, school districts are state "regulated businesses", and therefore local school districts(ours included)are unable to completely control the costs and expenses of their educational "product". While the state and federal governments fund much of our mandated program, these funds and resources are inadequate to assure the high caliber of education the Los Altos School District has provided and needs to continue to provide for our children. Indeed, government sources provide only about 80% of this District's budgetary needs; this translates into funding for only minimal educational needs. While, to date, the parcel tax funds and the Los Altos Educational Foundation donations have enabled the District to provide our superior programs. The Los Altos School District knows that a gap between revenue and the children's needs is present and will continue to widen unless wise decisions are made in the near future.

FUNDING PHASE II CONSTRUCTION Four years ago, our district commenced preparation of a Facilities Master Plan for needed renovation of our 40-50 year old schools, additions to the schools and reopening Covington School. The Board spent over a year designining, estimating and refining that Plan before approving it. The voters of our community overwhelmingly passed a $94.7 million bond issue to fund its costs. The first of the Master Plan "projects" (renovations of and addition to Egan Middle School) began 18 months ago. Currently, renovations of and additions to Blach and Covington schools are in process. Based on 1977 inflation rates and historical information, the Administration, District and Board justifiably felt that the Master Plan,s estimated and budgeted costs were conservative and sufficient to complete all Master Plan work. Alas as all are now painfully aware, over the subequent years, construction and related costs escalated at rates and a pace greater that ever imagined. Thus, it became clear to the District and Board that the Master Plan had to be "re-visited" and alternatives considered. The Board led this change of course. With the assistance by and recommendations of the Citizen's "Construction Oversight Committee", the Master Plan was revised and remaining Master PLan work has prioritized and schedule as follows: complete Egan,Blach and Covington Schools (as originally planned) and, then complete the revised Master Plan work on the District,s other schools. First doing the renovations of the existing buildings, PhaseI and later in PhaseII complete the new construction at the other schools. In, the next few months, the District's "mission" willbe to assess and estimate the likely costs of and then formulate and adopt a plan to fund the remaining badly needed additions to the District's remaining schools.