Candidate for
Board Member; Palomar Community College District

Here's What I Think This Election Is About

Helping Our Students Achieve Educational Success

• “My campaign is built on ideas to make Palomar College serve the needs of 21st century students. Our job is to help our students achieve educational success by building critical thinking, communication, and technical skills that will make them desirable employees in the job market.”

• “The Palomar College District must be locally controlled. The important mission of Palomar College to prepare local students to be contributing members of the local community cannot be met if decision-making occurs in Sacramento. The efforts by some to take away local control must be fought and defeated. We must be vigilant about local control. That is the only way to ensure quality and diversity.”

• "In these difficult economic times for California, funding for Palomar College poses a severe challenge. Therefore, we must apply a fiscally conservative approach to spending at Palomar College. That approach begins with a thorough review of our current budget priorities and spending practices. As a board member with a fiduciary responsibility to the Palomar College District, I will look very carefully at our finances with a view toward moving more dollars to the classroom for our teachers and our students."

• "I want to significantly increase Palomar College's endowment funds and earmark them for direct support of student learning.”

• “I want to actively engage the business community, philanthropists, and others in our district. Adding community partners to invest in Palomar College is a way to get them to invest in their own economic futures as well as in the future of our entire district.”

• “I want companies that depend on Palomar College for part of their work forces to add their financial support to the development and maintenance of core and specialized academic programs.”

• “The geographic size of the Palomar College District presents some formidable problems both now and for the future. We should look carefully at the possibility of establishing some type of campus in Poway and in the area north of San Marcos, but we should do that in a fiscally conservative way. By employing new technologies intelligently, we can extend the reach of Palomar College to more students in a manner that squares with the district’s revenues.”

• “Students and taxpayers of the Palomar College District deserve much more from the Board than they have gotten in the last two years. It’s time for new leadership, more fiscal responsibility, and a commitment to maintain local control of Palomar College.”

• “The rancor and ill-will and votes of no-confidence must end. It’s clear to me that the relationship between some of the board members and the faculty and classified staff has been irreparably harmed. I want to end the damaging and costly status-quo and restore a good working relationship between the board and Palomar’s employees.”

• “I’m committed to running a positive campaign. Those who care about Palomar College know what the current board and administration have or have not done. They’ve heard and read the criticism. They’re looking for change. I’m asking for your vote to bring about that change. I’m asking for your vote so that, together, we can make Palomar College the absolutely best community college in California.”