Candidate for
Board Member; Santa Maria Joint Union High School District

• Schools should provide students with the curriculum and learning environment that will allow them to become productive members of society, and to encourage a curiosity to continue the learning process.

• Vocational Education should be expanded to provide students with the requisite skills to prepare them for the workplace. Not all students have the desire or motivation to continue their schooling beyond high school and a viable vocational training program at the high school level will enable those students to receive an academic foundation that will enhance their quality of life and that of the communities in which they live.

• Federal and State mandates for educational accountability result in "one-size-fits-all" situations that are counter-productive. Clearly, teachers and staff must be accountable, but the current environment of "teaching for a test" is an impediment to student education. Local control, within parameters of recognized academic standards, can provide educational excellence without the fear of funding loss. Similarly, acreage requirements for school sites restrict the ability of school districts to locate schools where they are needed. Board members, working within the constraints of the law, must advocate for locally administered programs that promote student achievement in learning environments that fit our communities resources and needs.

• Our area's population is expanding exponentially and we continually face overcrowding of schools and classrooms. The "Charter School" concept has been discussed within the community as a means of ameliorating the situation. Charter Schools provide an excellent learning environment if they are affordable. The concept will not relieve the overcrowding of our schools, and our communities cannot afford the price tag they carry. The District should work with those proponents of Charter Schools to explore the "Schools within Schools" concept. If guaranteed continuing funding sources for charter schools can be identified in the future, that concept should be further explored.

• School Board members, as public servants, are required to take an "Oath of Office." If elected, my oath will be, "I, Victor Danielle Tognazzini, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties upon which I am about to enter." It is a solemn oath that I will take very seriously, but I will also share with the other Board members as solemn an obligation to provide the very best educational opportunities to the students of the District. The focal point of the Board must be student achievement. Clearly, the Board has a responsibility to ensure the stewardship of District resources - human and property - and to provide leadership and governance for the District. In so doing, the Board must set measurable goals and policies for the District Administration and then consistently measure the results and demand accountability from the Superintendant.