Candidate for
Board Member; Ross Valley School District

Dear Ross Valley Community:

Yes, the Ross Valley School District has a lot on its plate right now. There are dozens of issues to be hashed out. We need to oversee the allocations of Measure A monies as improvement and enlargement projects begin and progress; continue to create practical enrollment boundaries for our four elementary school sites; continue to reduce our budget (in order to remain solvent despite ever-decreasing State and Federal funding) without adversely affecting the quality of our programs; work to attract, retain, and support our top-notch teachers and staff (because without them, there is no education at all); engage the wider community in a conversation about what we want for our kids and how we can best go about creating a stable culture of across-the-board dedication to awesomeness.

Exactly because the tasks involved in running a district are so varied, complex, and interconnected, it is very important to keep the "Big-Picture" in mind, even when dealing with the smallest detail. Our end goal must always be to provide a rich, engaging education for our kids. Every single decision made or discussion had should be towards that end. I want the District and the Board to spend at least as much time talking about what and how our children will learn as we spend talking about where. As a School Board Trustee, I will do my level best to make this happen.

Because ...

I believe that public education is the foundation of a civil society. I don't mean to sound all fancy here, but it's true. What and how we teach our children now goes a long way towards determining the kind of grown-ups they will become. These are the people who will go on to shape our communities. They will be responsible for the health of our economy, the productivity (not to mention happiness) of our population, and the viability of Democracy itself. Really. Education is that important. We need our children to be able to think. We want them to enjoy thinking. Without thinking, we're all in trouble.

So this is a really exciting time for the District. It is an opportunity for us + all of us + to roll up our sleeves and get to work making the schools we'd like to see for our children. All of our children. I, for one, am really looking forward to it!

Thanks so much for your support,

Anne Capron

(Case's Mom)