Watch Sonoma County Questionnaire

By Albert Lau

These are my answers to the Press Democrat's Watch Sonoma County Questionnaire http://www.watchsonomacounty.com/their-words-piner-olivet-union-school-board-candidates/

Q: What is the URL for your campaign Web site?

A: I have a Facebook Page: ALau4POUSD

Q: How old are you?

A: 41

Q: What is your occupation and where do you work?

A: I am a Civil Engineer for CAL FIRE here in Santa Rosa. I help the Department develop its Capital Outlay Program for facility replacements. In addition, I take care of infrastructure repair and new construction.

Q: Please list any educational degrees:

A: Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering, UC Davis

Q: What is your political party affiliation?

A: Non-partisan

Q: Please list any endorsements that you have received:

A: The Piner-Olivet Classified Association (POCA)

Q: Please list civic, professional or other organizations to which you belong:

A: Structural Engineers of Northern California; California Emergency Management Agency (CalEMA) Safety Assessment Program.

Q: Have you been elected or appointed to a government position? Please list the position and dates of service:

A: This will be my first public office.

Q: Why are you running?

A: I am committed to improving the education of our students by strengthening our schools and involving our community. We need to bring everyone together with the common goal of producing strong schools with excellent students.

Q: What sets you apart from your opponents?

A: I will use three ideals to guide me in my decision-making:

Transparency - Our public education system is a service-oriented institution. The students are its clients; the community is its investor. The community invests its tax dollars and time in the School District to ensure the students are well educated. I will strive to ensure that everyone sees how that investment is being spent, making it a priority that there is transparency in Board decisions, increasing credibility in the School District.

Consistency - As an engineer, I research the pros and cons of a situation to come up with solutions. I will bring this approach to all the issues that the School District will face, thoughtfully listening to all sides before making a decision. Consistency in this process leads to the implementation of a common vision for our schools.

Balance - A student's education is built on a foundation with three parts. Students themselves are ultimately responsible for their actions and decisions. Families provide the emotional support to become good citizens. Schools teach the content and the skills to learn. All three parts are equally important in order to produce educated children. The task of the School Board is to provide the best schools and staff possible, in facilities that are safe and secure. A balanced set of funding priorities is essential, especially in challenging economic times.

Q: If elected, what would be your top priority on the school board?

A: My top priority would be the students. As parents of two girls in the District, my wife, Jodie, and I are actively involved in the schools of POUSD, having lived in the district for over 16 years. Together, we have volunteered for various activities such as Parent GATE Coordinator, Talent Show Director, Carnival workers, and other PTO activities. To serve students well, we must effectively use our limited funding while investigating alternative funding sources. I would also encourage staff to continue to look into innovative ways of teaching to provide the best education to our children.

Q: Should Sonoma County's 40 school districts consolidate? Please explain your reason.

A: The matter of school district consolidation should be left to the school districts themselves. I believe the Piner-Olivet Union School District (POUSD) provides a distinct alternative to the larger districts in terms of smaller community schools. Our three K-6 campuses have enrollments of 270 to 400 students. We also have Charter Schools that allow for furthering a student's education through grades 7 to 12 in a similar close and structured environment. This allows for more intimate interaction between students, teachers, administrators and parents. If families are looking for something other than a large school district, then they have a choice that best fits their situation.

Q: Should open transfer policies be tightened? Please explain your reason.

A: No, open transfer policies do not need to be tightened. Competition among the schools actually benefits the students. Students do not force the schools to do better, the competition does. When one school does well in test scores, the other schools should ask themselves, "How did they do that, and how can we learn from them as well as re-evaluating ourselves." Only then can we improve ourselves and grow, by sharing ideas.

Q: Is class size reduction worth the expense? Please explain your reason.

A: Class Size Reduction (CSR) was a program that was initiated by Gov. Pete Wilson in 1996. It started as a voluntary program to help pay districts to reduce class sizes in K-3, 20 students per certified teacher. Yes. It is worth the expense. It has benefitted the students in many ways, in particular the lower grades. It allows the students to have better interaction with the teacher as well as with other students, stronger connection to a class, greater emotional stability, more self-confidence and better development of social skills. As class size grows, it becomes more difficult for teachers to reach every student.

Q: Should teacher pay be linked to test scores? Please explain your reason.

A: It is better if we looked at a teacher's overall performance, including but not limited to test scores and overall student achievement. Test scores are only a partial reflection of how well a teacher is doing. Part of education is the learning of facts and information. More importantly, education is about teaching a student how to learn, how to become a productive adult. I view a teacher as successful if that teacher has engaged a student, challenged the students to be passionate about learning and thinking, and this will generally be reflected in test scores. Factors such as socio-economic group, knowledge of English and individual student challenges are powerful determinants in testing.

Q: Should completion of A-G courses be required to graduate from high school? Please explain your reason.

A: The California Education Code identifies 13 yearlong high school courses that all students must complete as well as passing the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE) in order to receive a high school diploma. The A-G Coursework (Subject Requirement) identifies 15 yearlong high school courses, certified by the University of California, which must be satisfied to enroll as a freshman in an UC. No, completion of A-G courses should not be required for graduation. Not every student will go to college upon graduation from high school, but all students should have the preparation to pursue college, if they so desire, through the junior college or other avenues. A high school diploma should be the minimum education goal.

Q: How can the structure of how education is funded in California be improved?

A: Currently, the system is complex, developed over time for various reasons, which may or may not be appropriate now. We are in a fiscal situation that requires economy of expenditures, clear prioritizing of educational programs and creative searching for alternative funding sources.

Q: Sonoma County school districts have seen a drop of approximately 20 percent in funding from the state over three years. Looking back over those three years, where would you cut that 20 percent? A: POUSD has been severely impacted by the lost of funding. The District has made the hard decision of closing a school (Piner Elementary) as well as reducing staff through attrition and lay-offs. Funding of the music program and GATE ceased. I agree with these cuts only in light of the fiscal situation. But now, POUSD is cut to the bone and we cannot go any further.

More importantly, what does the next three years look like? I believe that the District is at the start of a reboot of sorts. We have a new Superintendent, teachers in new positions and campuses, and a new outlook. We now need to become a leaner system, doing more with less. We have to find other funding sources. We will find ways to innovate the way we teach by looking to other schools that have become successful in similar situations.

The community has to engage to help our educational system remain sustainable. We are talking about more than money; we are talking about time and effort. A strong school district is an indication of an involved community.

Q: How would you add more arts and music to the regular day curriculum?

A: The Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) measures academic progress in English-language arts, mathematics, science, and history-social science. It does not measure creativity. Arts and music stimulate the brain and complement the learning process. Music is directly related to mathematics. Reading, writing, painting and creating is tightly linked to English and history. You cannot learn without encompassing the use of both linear and creative sides of the brain.

In talking to teachers, administrators and parents in the district, I have noticed that every one of them had differing interests that went beyond the required subject matters. Some teachers had a love of painting, others had expertise in ancient civilizations, and still others for jazz. The passion to share those interests and the passion to teach are powerful tools to engage students. I would encourage the staff and parents to work together to find ways to incorporate the arts. There are ways of working as teaching teams or carving sections of time within the school week to be creative. With arts, music and creative outlets, we augment all learning and create new paradigms of thought.