Candidate for
Governing Board Member; Hemet Unified School District; Trustee Area 3; Unexpired Short Term

I believe that there is nothing more important to the strength and success of our Nation than educating tomorrow's leaders today. The children we find in our elementary and high schools right now will be running our armies and our government in the not too distant future. We all must share in this important task and hold those who teach the children accountable for the progress our students make.

Children should attend schools in their neighborhoods rather than being bussed to overflow schools in other parts of the district. When Mom and Dad buy a house in this district, they should have some assurance that the school they see down the street will be the one their kids attend. Too often, School Districts place schools where land is available rather than partnering with the city to ensure school sites are part of discussions as developers propose several thousand new homes. And under no circumstances should schools be located in or near senior citizen developments.

Achievement and accountability are current buzz words on the lips of parents and administrators alike. API, SAT 9, CAT6, High School exit exams, and any other test someone comes up with in an effort to track student progress seems to attract undue attention. Students should be evaluated as individuals and their progress, or lack thereof, should be charted year to year. Grade level assessments and criterion based exams can all be used to inform parents of student progress without all the hype we now experience at test time.

Finally, do not spend money we do not have. This district is newly out of economic recovery. Decisions made by former Board members threw our district into a financial tailspin. We need Board members that have the ability to say no to excessive budget requests while planning for the opening of the new schools paid for by the passage of Measure "E". I have successfully managed very large budgets and have always kept revenues and expenses within budget projections.