Candidate for
Governing Board Member; Manhattan Beach Unified School District

LET'S KEEP OUR KIDS #1

WE have an outstanding school district. We are 5th in the state and are nationally acclaimed. Vote to keep our high standards intact.

I will focus on:

• Planning for the future while being fiscally responsible- Rebuild our monetary reserves beyond the CA state mandated 3%. We could then utilize the interest to help fund our budget and stop asking parents to pay for the basic needs of our schools. Let's let our fabulous PTA's and the MBEF get back to providing the "extra's" that our children need and deserve.

• Begin an Alumni Endowment Fund- We could tap into the 55 years of Costa graduates by asking our alumni to donate to our schools. I believe that many of our Costa graduates are very proud of the education they received and would donate to the schools in order to maintain that same quality of education for future generations.

• Seek private funding for school development- We have $1.5 million left in the building fund for Costa's new library and performing arts buildings. We need over $5 million. I propose that we seek private/ corporate business investments as well as individual contributions. We could DEDICATE portions of the buildings for large donations and offer a tile for smaller donations. You can do this by using a "Naming Rights" Contract.

• Reestablish music and art programs- LAUSD, Lawndale, and Wiseburn School Districts all have visual and performing arts programs. So should we!! We need to be resourceful, hire a grant writer to apply for grants, and talk to neighboring districts about sharing resources. I asked a district if we could work with them and they have offered us teacher training in teaching the arts through the Social Studies curriculum. They also offered to work with us to write some joint grants. The opportunities are available, we just need to look for them.

• Limit class size at the upper grades- Some 9-12th grade classes have up to 44 students while others have only 17 students. We need to set a cap on class size.

• Bridge the communication gap between the teachers, administrators and parents. Increase collaboration and begin school site meetings with parents, teachers and board members all being involved.Work with Special Education parents to rebuild the damaged relationships.