League of Women Voters of California
Santa Clara County, CA November 5, 2002 Election
	Ellen Wheeler Answers Questions Candidate for Board Member; Mountain View-Whisman School District

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of Los Altos/Mtn. View Area and asked of all candidates for this office.

Read the answers from all candidates.

Questions & Answers

1. The California High School Exit Exam results showed that a number of Mountain View-Whisman graduates did not pass the Exit Exam on their first try. Given that the math portion of the Exit Exam tests mostly seventh grade math standards and the English Language arts portion requires strong English language skills, how do you plan to address these related issues at the kindergarten through eighth grade preparatory levels?

It's clear that MVWSD needs to stress "Standards" instruction from the 1st day our kids come to school. Each grade has its own "Standards," and the new MVWSD report cards will be grading with specific reference to those Standards. Now, kindergarteners shouldn't feel pressure to perform in some test they'll take many years from now, and should be doing developmentally appropriate work for their age. And I know we still need to do some work on how best to transition from our "A - F" system of report cards. However, I believe the new Standards-based report cards will help teachers, students, and parents understand how well they are all doing related to these State Standards. Thus, these report cards will be able to be used as a tangible tool to determine where each child needs help. Using these, the teachers and school staffs will be able to focus on who needs what specific help and then give it. The last thing we want is for our kids to be unprepared for their tests, and to have trouble passing them.
Kindergarteners today are our high school graduates or high school dropouts of tomorrow. Starting from day 1 with knowledge of the Standards and working towards those Standards will help all our children in MVWSD succeed.

2. Where do you want the Mountain View-Whisman School District to be five years from now? In your view, what steps should the district take to get there?

Five years from now I'd like to see that MVWSD succeeded in its goal of becoming a "District of Preference." Ways include:
[1] For everyone to understand and buy into the Standards-based report cards and the follow-up work that those report cards involve (per above). This will happen through intensive parent and staff education. We know that all parents want their child to succeed; it will be the District's job to show them that this is the way to do it.
[2] Continue to work hard at our finances. I know from going to Distirct meetings that the District is already working on creative solutions to working with a shrinking budget. MVWSD has already commissioned a survey to assess whether a parcel tax vote is appropriate for our district. We also need to work hard at involving parents and staff in this process, both to educate them as to financial realities and to have them help problem-solve for ways to work in a shrinking budget while keeping a high quality educational and social environment for our kids.
[3] I think it's essential that MVWSD do outreach to the parents in our community so that parents feel like their views are valued and respected. Additionally, MVWSD needs to give parents information about what's going on at their children's schools and the District. Communication is a two-way street. I believe if parents and the District all feel like they're in this together, and everyone listens to and respects each other's viewpoint, we will go a long way towards people feeling like this is a "District of Preference."

3. How would you create a climate of inclusivity, respect, and openness so that diverse members of the community could be brought together to address the educational needs of Mountain View-Whisman children?

This is why I am running for a seat on the MVWSD School Board - so that parents feel like there is a climate of inclusivity, respect, and openness. A simple statement I make to my family law clients and friends in education is this: "Most parents are doing the best they can for their child, and want their child to succeed." Now we know that not every child has the same level of parent income, of parent participation, of parent comfort level in meetings with teachers and the District. Some children come home to an empty house because their parent has to work and cannot provide maximal child care. Some children have to do homwork by themselves, and don't have someone to read them bedtime stories. On the other other spectrum we have parents who can provide those things for their children. But, I'll go back to my simple statement: "Most parents are doing the best that they can for their child, and want their child to succeed."
We need to do outreach in our community so that every parent knows that we value their opinion, and that we want their child to succeed, too. We need to do the best job we can as a District to include all of our children in our expectation for success, and help them get there.