League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Santa Clara County, CA November 2, 2010 Election
	Viola Smith Answers Questions Candidate for Trustee; Santa Clara Unified School District; Trustee Area 2

The questions were prepared by the Leagues of Women Voters of Santa Clara County and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. How would you determine that the schools are using federal, state, and local funds wisely and fairly and how would you report your findings to the community?

School finance is a critical issue and one of the most important factors in education. While working to obtain my master's degree in education administration, I was often told by fellow classmates that the one class they did not look forward to taking was the School Finance course because it was `so complicated.' A district's budget definitely requires some level of familiarity and understanding in finance to manage and allocate wisely. School funds come from various sources and are classified into certain "pots." As a result, the monies can only be used for specific purposes and in a particular manner depending on which pot or category the funds come from, or are earmarked for. Therefore, my number one priority would be to make sure that the monies are being spent in the manner for which they were intended. The ultimate purpose of school funds is to provide services, resources, materials, and programs for our children so that they can have everything they need from the school, in order to have the opportunity to do well. I would want to have a good working relationship with the assistant superintendent of business services, and make myself familiar with the working budget in order to ensure proper use and allocation of funds. I am also an advocate of financial transparency and would be amenable to having an occasional outside audit of the budget completed, which would be a useful tool in determining if we are using our monies in the most efficient manner, and getting the biggest bang for our buck. I definitely believe in financial accountability in regards to the funds of this district. As stakeholders in this community, we deserve full disclosure of the budget (expenditures and allocations) and I would want that information to be made available on the district's website. Additionally, I would make sure that ample notification be made to the public by mail, televised announcement, or telephonically, to inform them of when the adoption of the district's budget would be on the school board agenda and discussed. During these uncertain economic times, we cannot afford to make financial decisions that will have negative implications in the classroom and, ultimately, cause our children to pay the price for our carelessness or short-sightedness. I would work together with fellow Board members to use deliberate, sound judgment, and rational reasoning in the allocation and use of all funds.

2. Are the schools offering instruction appropriate to the diverse educational abilities of all the students?

Santa Clara schools are a work in progress because education itself is a work in progress. Being a unified school district, we have the responsibility of educating children at every grade and ability level, and as any parent of school age children knows (or will soon find out), children grow and change -- physically and academically -- over this period of time. Therefore, it is a huge task for schools to meet the diverse educational needs of all students. I believe that all students can learn -- and learn well, regardless of their socio-economic condition or status. That being said, I definitely believe it is the responsibility of schools to provide intensive, basic instruction in the core subjects in order to build a strong foundation for each child in the earliest grades. As a high school math teacher, I am fully aware that there are no subjects more crucial to the academic success and development of students than reading and math. Although our schools offer instruction in these areas, the question is whether the program or curriculum being used is the most effective for all students. Our district offers a few great alternative school programs for our youngest learners, but I do not believe that all students have the opportunity to take advantage of these programs, should they choose, or if their parents believe the local school is unable to meet their diverse educational need. All children are not the same and definitely vary in their abilities; however, given an equitable education at the earliest stage (K-5), many of the problems encountered later in the adolescent years can be mitigated. The most important task of schools during this time in a child's life is to engage all students through various teaching strategies and methods, and to provide support and intervention programs as soon as the child begins to fall behind their grade level standards. This is something that our district has focused heavily on and has now put into practice within all of our elementary schools and we are definitely seeing the results of those efforts reflected in our API scores throughout the district. This is something that teachers, staff, and administrators have invested time and great effort in, and it is paying off. In the secondary grades, the same type of effort is being made to support each student at their respective academic level, and provide interventions in the areas of reading and math, as needed. Teachers are able to use data to determine where a student may have gaps in understanding of a particular content area and, as a result, can work to begin filling those gaps so the student can eventually reach grade level proficiency standards. Meeting grade level standards is the first step towards ensuring students have the opportunity for academic success and, eventually, going to college. However, there must also be educational options available for the student who does not wish to attend college upon graduating high school. As a district, we owe it to every student to provide them with the opportunity to participate in the education process, through whatever mechanism best suits them. Although we have several wonderful programs, they are limited as to the number of students that can participate and benefit from their innovative approach to education. Many students in our community do not fit the typical student profile that traditional schools are designed to serve. As educators, our job is to provide equitable options for every student and meet their specific academic needs.

3. Where do want the district to be 5 years from now? What steps should the district take to get there?

Because I am not only a parent in this district, but am also a teacher, I have very high hopes, standards, and expectations of excellence from our schools. I don't believe that we as a district need to `wait for Superman' to improve our schools. As Geoffrey Canada stated (9/24/10 on the Oprah Winfrey show), "We need to be the superwomen and supermen..." that our children need us to be. So, in five years, I would want our district to have no less than 90% of our schools with an API score greater than 800, while continuing to show annual growth within all diverse subgroups (which the Federal government requires within the No Child Left Behind Legislation). Additionally, I would want to see a significant and consistent increase in the number of students graduating with university eligibility. I also would like to see the district create stronger parent relationships throughout the SCUSD community, especially in the communities most impacted by the achievement gap. There are many steps needed to accomplish these goals. First and foremost, we must put students first by making sure we are able to retain and recruit the best teachers we possibly can. The greatest impact to a student's education, aside from their families' influence on them, is the quality of the classroom instruction. The teacher makes a difference. Second, we should utilize the best teaching strategies and programs proven to produce results in the primary grades, while offering meaningful options for our students, especially at the high school level. I believe this would allow more students to be engaged in and excited about the education process and, therefore, less likely to drop out. Third, we must partner with students and their families to empower them to take ownership of their education. More opportunities should be made available for parents to participate within the school system to impact their child's education. Finally, given that our district will be looking to hire a new superintendent with the impending retirement of our current superintendent, it is crucial that the Board chooses a person who is a great instructional leader with a proven track record of the same; one who is able to motivate and inspire; one who is of high moral character and who is able to work with all stakeholders in the community. She or he must also respect the voices and concerns of students, parents, teachers and staff, and work to truly make Santa Clara a `unified' school district. That is the type of district I would want to see in five years and as a school board member, I would work towards that end. Ultimately, the best way to elevate our community is by elevating our school system. Not only will we produce a better `product' so to speak (high performing students), but we will attract more homebuyers to our community because of our great schools, leading to an eventual increase in property values and tax revenues, which will eventually come back to our schools. It's a win-win situation.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' responses are not edited or corrected by the League. Answers must not refer directly or indirectly to another candidate.

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

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 12, 2010 11:55
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