League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Santa Clara County, CA November 6, 2007 Election
	Melissa Baten Caswell Answers Questions Candidate for Board Member; Palo Alto Unified School District

The questions were prepared by the the League of Women Voters of Palo Alto and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. What problems do you see facing the school district and how do you propose to address them?

PAUSD is a distinguished district, but we must plan carefully to maintain excellence. Our enrollment is growing, and we are outgrowing some facilities. Some stakeholders are sharply divided. We must work smoothly together.

To tackle these challenges, our Board's first project must be the District's strategic vision. We need clear guiding principles that will set and keep our direction. I will use my business skills to help the Board work with our superintendent, staff, and community leaders to hone this practical, long-term vision and then enact it in a clear, rigorous, and measurable strategic plan. Finally, we must track progress regularly with timelines and metrics.

2. What steps need to be taken to foster better communication among the school board, superintendent's office, and local school management?

Last year, our Board found problems in PAUSD'S working climate. It's crucial to move to the next stage: specific, tangible systems and agreements so that all stakeholders--administrators, staff, families, and especially kids--feel welcomed and respected.

As a related issue, I strongly support a culture of collaboration, both within schools and across the district. PAUSD includes some of the most talented educators in the Bay Area. We need to help them thrive here. In addition to encouraging cooperation and the sharing of best practices, I will push for clear pathways for professional advancement at all levels of the organization.

3. What approaches would you support to help all students achieve their educational goals, whether they are college bound or not?

Now more than ever, we must work together so that all PAUSD students graduate with the academic and social skills they will need to succeed in a changing world. I will push for strong, well-sequenced, standards-based curriculum taught in creative and effective ways. I will also advocate that students receive the academic and emotional support they need to help them make good choices and handle stress. Finally, we must expand our strategies for ending our district's achievement gap. Every child in PAUSD deserves a first-rate educational environment which includes both challenge and support.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates in this race must limit their answers to 300 words total so that a paper Voters Guide may be published by LWV Palo Alto. After 8 p.m. on Sept. 12 word limits will no longer apply. Candidates' responses are not edited or corrected by the League.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: September 16, 2007 18:10
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