Candidate for
Board Member; Huntington Beach City School District

District Goals

Goal setting starts and ends with the board but embraces input and contributions from every portion of the school community. SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely) goals for HBCSD were adopted by the board in 2006. Instead of patting ourselves on the back for having good schools, we pressed ahead with ambitious goals which pushed the district to aim higher. This led the way toward the impressive academic gains reflected in our current test scores. Presently a new set of specific, measurable goals are being formulated to guide future success.

Financial Stability

Fiscal oversight is one of the most important roles of a school trustee. With diligent scrutiny of expenses, contracts, and the budget, I am able to assure you that your tax dollars are managed to their utmost potential. We are conservative in keeping sufficient reserves to deal with unforeseen circumstances, but at the same time put as many resources as possible to work for the education, safety, and wellbeing of the students.

Curriculum & Program Matters

Our instructional staff, both classroom teachers and administrative leadership, keep current on the most effective teaching techniques and best classroom resources through professional development opportunities and well researched curriculum adoptions. In the current fiscal crisis, valuable instructional programs continue through use of our own staff training each other. Numerous grant applications and our supportive PTA groups and Educational Foundation have also brought curriculum materials into HBCSD schools.

School District Policy

Keeping district policies current with California Education Code and other laws is the board's purview. We spend significant time updating the extensive volumes of school policies to guide district processes. This is not the most exciting task and yet it is a key function of the governing board. I do actually slog through every word of our policy sections to assure myself that they make sense for our district and are workable for our staff and students.

Facilities and Property Matters

The purpose of our school district is too educate our community's children. The approximately 7000 students who enter our schools each day need safe, clean, adequately sized facilities. The 500+ men and women employed by our district also need an environment conducive to health and constructive work. These needs and purposes are what drive any property and facilities decisions I vote on.

Our community's support of the modernization bond in 2002 has allowed each of our school sites to be substantially modernized, so our learning environments are fresh, clean, and safe. But additional work is warranted for the areas that were not as high a priority as the classrooms. School offices and libraries, some roofs, and central facilities like the district office and maintenance department are in need of major work.

Without looking to raise taxes, we have increased the funds available for facilities by renegotiating the leases on our closed campuses, maximizing our rights in local developer fees, and initiating the process of leasing out Kettler Elementary. We are in a prolonged period of negotiations with the City of Huntington Beach over potential sale of the LeBard site. If a solution can be reached which preserves the community sports use of the fields but also provides for an adequate, modern facility for our district education center, I will be overjoyed.