Candidate for
Board Member; Alum Rock Union School District

We must put the children of Alum Rock School District first. We must always remember that, as a school district, we exist to educate our future generations. Without children there would be no need for schools. If we focus our resources on our children, believing and supporting them every step of the way, we will succeed in giving them the educations they deserve. I believe in the children of Alum Rock School District. I know that they can succeed, and reach greater heights, if they know that we believe in them. It is that belief that has motivated me to continue to be involved with the district. I will work to insure that every child in the district has the resources and support they need to succeed. And I will work to improve parent involvement through teacher training, parent education and outreach programs that help to develop parent-teacher partnerships for the education of our children.

We must continue to work toward improving our students' test scores. Future tests will focus more and more on the adopted state standards, and we must be sure we are teaching those standards. Our curriculum should be consistent throughout the district so that moving to a new school does not negatively impact any child's education. We must also insure that our teachers have the training, supplies and flexibility necessary for them to do their jobs. We must keep in mind that education is a process that requires continuous evolvement to meet the changing needs of our district. We must never rest on our laurels and assume that what we have is, "good enough." We must always strive to be and do better. We must be sure that the programs we have are the best to serve our students' needs. I will work to insure that Alum Rock offers a standards-based curriculum, and programs that meet the needs of our students. The board must continually look, not only at where we are, but also at where we are going. We must evaluate our successes, as well as our failures to see what we are doing right and why, as well as where we can make improvements. We must always keep the goal of a quality education at the top of our list of priorities.

We must improve the fiscal health of the district. A few short years ago Alum Rock paid teachers some of the highest wages in the county. Now we are woefully behind. The drop in wages has contributed to difficulties in retaining and recruiting qualified teachers. Over the last year and a half a lot of money was spent on new curriculums and raising administrative salaries. While there were gains made in our student's test scores, one can't help but wonder if we could have had a bigger impact if we had been more fiscally responsible and invested in the programs we had and our teachers. It is critical that our funding is focused on those that we are here to serve # the children in the classrooms at our schools. As a board member I must walk a fine line between what is best for our students and what is necessary to retain experienced and qualified teachers. There are no simple answers or quick fixes on how to do this. I will stay as informed as possible, review all aspects of the issues and make decisions I feel are in the best interest of the children of the district. I will also work with the superintendent to insure that the budget process is open, and that parents have the opportunity to have input on where the money is spent. Our financial resources must be focused on our students and in the classroom.