Candidate for
Board Member; Temecula Valley Unified School District

• The educational family is a team. There is really no one part more important than the others. The District Superintendent, Board, Administrative staff, certificated staff, classified staff, parents and students must all work together to assure the best education possible in the safest possible environment. This is best achieved by the wise use of District funds and open lines of communication from all team members. My role on the board would be to make the best possible decisions for the students. This does not necessarily mean blindly agreeing with the other members of the board. It does mean working as a team for the best possible outcome for students, staff, and facilities. These decisions should develop sound policy that moves toward a positive tomorrow for the entire district.
• I believe it is important to pay one's employees a competitive wage within one's budget. This competitive pay scale should cultivate retention and recruitment of employees from the area served. Our district is ranked #1 in the county. We should be paying our staff the wages that reflect that excellence. The classified staff and teachers should have parity within the top four paid districts in Riverside County.
• My policy is an open door, team concept. I expect the input of all staff on safety issues for school campus sites, disaster plans and facility emergency plans, facility maintenance issues and transportation concerns. This would include input from the union concerning designs and layout of future schools to be more staff safety friendly; which will allow custodial staff and maintenance workers to provide even more efficient care to school facilities. My door will always be open for input, voicing concerns and assistance with the decision making process that might impact the safe working environment for the public and school personnel.
• The information the district is showing the public will lead one to believe that no educational improvement is needed. However, there are students who are struggling in our district. These may not be students who qualify under special programs but may be caught just outside. I would like to place more emphasis on these students so that they may be successful in our schools. Additionally, I want to bring the Humanities (art, music, drama, and band) back into the elementary system. I feel financially, I would like to review the accounting books to see if addition funding for facility maintenance and classified personnel would be possible at campuses with larger student populations.
• I would like to see the formation of a TVUSD Board Parent Review Committee to grade the actions of the board and garner opinions. I would also encourage the formation of a Special Education Parent Committee to bring suggestions to the board.