Candidate for
City; City of Santa Rosa High School District

The following are a few of my views that directly relate to the direction I would like to see the Santa Rosa City Schools - Board of Education proceed, and, to which I might provide continuing significant assistance as incumbent Board Member:

BUDGET:
We are in a time of less school funding and shrinking enrollments, more needs, and more State/Federal mandates.
As both a practicing C.P.A. and a classroom teacher of accounting, I can continue to apply my professional expertise to the inner workings of the District's budgeting system in order to ensure the most efficient/effective application of limited resources to benefit long-range academic program support. School operations follow a special form of accounting called Fund Accounting (a methodology utilizing multiple funds). Each fund is like a separate entity having some special purpose. The program application of these individual funds in some situations is open to interpretation (either broad or narrow). The Santa Rosa School Districts' accounting includes 14 of these funds. I have had years of experience in creating, implementing, and applying budgets, in comparing and analyzing budgetary figures with actual expenditures, and in recommending modification where appropriate.

TRUANCY and GRADUATION RATES:
For every day that a student is absent from school the District loses dollars. Historically, for the Santa Rosa District this amount per year can be in excess of 4 million dollars. A substantial sum for any district. My objective will be to reduce such truancy and thus increase the District's State financial support.

The State of California has expressed disappointment in school graduation percentages through out California. With the adoption of a new student data collection/tracking system we will be able to follow each individual student's academic progress and take corrective action at an earlier and more responsible stage. Timely intervention will improve the graduation rate. I will be requesting periodic progress reports to ensure improved graduation rates actually occur.

READING:

California Universities, State Universities and Community Colleges complain about the number of high school graduates that are required to take remedial basic courses on subjects that are covered in high schools. I have a strong determination to see that our phonics-based reading program will stay focused. It is disheartening to observe that a school's reading program results appear to be geographical + witness the latest published Star Test results. My goal will continue to "level the playing field" among individual schools.

CAREER PATHWAYS:

Not everyone has the desire to go on to a four-year institution of higher learning. Basic skills and understanding in reading, writing, arithmetic, science, and history are essentials to all students. Career pathways, aka vocational programs and career technical education (CTE), are being expanded in order to meet our community's needs and fulfill our students' goals. The "university," the "vocation," the "specialization" do not necessarily require that all students take the same academic path. As a member of the Sonoma County CTE Steering Committee I will be able to continue with the development/ implementation of programs throughout the County. Our society has the institutions already in place for each student to succeed after high school in a path of his/her choosing. The university for levels of higher academic and professional learning, the junior college for vocational as well as higher learning, the trade schools for specific specialization learning, and actual field level active apprenticeships/internships are available for those who are qualified. My goal will be to ensure that those students leaving high school are best prepared for whatever career pathway they have chosen. The diploma must mean something that is more than just a piece of paper. Having taught at the university and the junior college levels I have witnessed too often many students' inability to effectively express themselves in written form and unable to comprehend math concepts essential for adequate career development.

TESTING:

The State's existing academic standards detail what students are to learn in each grade with tests to measure students' mastery of those standards. I support this approach to the K-12 curriculum. In the common core course area I believe that "exit exams" are appropriate. I am indifferent as to whether they should be used to help the teacher determine the course grade. I have no problem with leaving such a decision up to the teacher. In my years of teaching, one system-wide academic goal that was never achieved was to tell a teacher how to grade his/her class. Using test scores as an input to faculty evaluations is fraught with political innuendos and will not achieve their intended outcomes but in fact will cause considerable morale discontent and contests among faculty for classroom and student selections. Our objective as a Board is to ensure that all new teachers come with the highest and best academic qualifications and appropriate references. Progress of our graduates in their career pursuits, as well as review and evaluation of published test scores over the passage of time, should become self-correcting with respect to the common core courses.

STUDENT SUPPORT:

Due to the growing number of "at-risk" students throughout the system it becomes incumbent upon the Board to ensure that there are District-wide intervention and support programs. This requires adequate budgetary assistance. Administration, staff, student, and parent support requires strong leadership, counseling, and dollars. Encouraging more home and community involvement and support is a major step toward improving programs and increasing learning. Commitment and energy by parents in their own child's schooling should result in raising the level of all measurement standards.

SAFETY:

Much can be said about campus happenings throughout the United States and about local campus access and individual security. Students, teachers, parents, and the community should be confident that our schools are secure havens designed for learning.

SUMMARY:

All children should have equal access to a quality education.