Candidate for
State Superintendent of Public Instruction

Parental rights and values:

• Advocate for the empowerment of parents so they can safeguard how their children learn. My position will render me accountable to the people of California--first and foremost, this includes "parents" (by virtue of their primary care and responsibility for their children).
• One of my responsibilities will be to reform and improve public elementary and secondary school programs. Further, as the executive officer and secretary of the State Board of Education (the SBE is responsible for approving curriculum frameworks, textbooks, etc.), I will listen very closely to parental concerns in what is taught in our public schools. Curricular and instructional materials should be re-examined for academic relevance in light of NLCB mandates. If these materials are deemed inappropriate--or objectionable--by the majority consensus of parents, then I will vigorously advocate for changes in curricular and instructional materials.

• As an online professor, I would advocate for the increased use of existing educational technology to deliver academics through cyberspace. Student hi-tech orientation and neurological pathways are geared to receive and process information via multi-media learning. The participation of businesses in this effort is necessary.
• Synthesize No Child Left Behind (NCLB) mandate (reading, writing, math and science) into arts, music, sports and vocational programs.
• Advocate for increased Career Technical Education, Work Experience Education, Career Multiple Pathways, School-to-Work opportunities, and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs that incentivize (high-risk) student engagement/interaction (learning-by-doing).

• Advocate for initiative to cap school boards from paying county/district superintendents higher wages than state superintendent.
• Explore possibility of having less district superintendents within each county.
• Advocate for removal of the Office of the Secretary of Education. Chief Deputy Superintendent to replicate this (duplicate) cabinet post to advise Governor on all educational issues from pre-school to higher education. Duties and responsibilities of Chief Deputy Superintendent to be spread over remaining 5 deputy superintendents.
• Seek to reduce burdensome educational laws and codes to allow for more cost-saving measures.
• As necessary, encourage collective bargaining agreements with teachers (i.e., tenure stipulations, extended school days to compensate for longer Spring and Winter Breaks, etc.) to make these and other cost-saving adjustments accordingly.
• Advocate for increased use of existing technology to deliver academics online. Open Educational Resources (OER) available online for high-quality course content. Business buy-in for more laptop computers, etc. Tax incentives for businesses that collaborate. Saving in the millions of dollars in textbook purchases.
• Advocate to revise Proposition 98 to lift limitations in funding based on economic indicators. Tie funding (??) to something other than these economic indicators