Responses to Questions from the Piedmonter - which subsequently endorsed me

By Jon F. Elliott

Responses to Questions from the Piedmonter - which subsequently endorsed me. We were limited to 3 sentences.

"In recent years I've pushed hard for the District to review its policies on providing spaces in our schools for non-residents. Since public review is just beginning, the District is only now starting to provide information about the actual costs and benefits of existing policies, which provide access for about 40 students at Millenium High and approximately 140 children of District and City employees. We count on resident grandparents to support our schools by voting for and paying parcel taxes, so unless we find out it's too costly to provide spaces for at least some grandchildren, I would support allowing the opportunity, perhaps with a lottery if demand exceeds the supply of spaces."

2. Aside from the 'Every 15 Minutes' anti-drunk driving program, what more can the district do to stem the use of alcohol by students?

"Every 15 Minutes is a powerful one-time event, which focuses student attention on the "worst case" outcomes of drinking and driving. The PEP (Parent Education) program in our elementary schools provides a good early grounding in the effects of alcohol and drug use, peer pressure, and related issues. The District, working with parents and law enforcement, should continue to remind students that drinking and driving will likely result in less catastrophic but far more common outcomes, including non-fatal accidents and DUI convictions, to negate the "it can't happen to me" attitude so prevalent among our students and (frankly) parents."

3. The law mandating a pro-gay curriculum in California schools to teach children about the roles and contributions of homosexuals went into effect this month. What are your views on this legislation?

"What the new 'California FAIR Education Act' actually does is to expand prohibitions against discriminatory and adverse references -- which already included race, religion and gender -- to provide the same protections against slurs based on sexual preference. It also adds gays to the list of diverse people to be acknowledged for their roles and contributions to our state and country. I fully support these admirable goals, which are consistent with the School District's ongoing efforts to encourage mutual respect."

4. Is the district managing its money wisely or not? Give two examples.

"The District does a much better job managing our money than most other governmental agencies I'm familiar with, primarily because its leaders are cautious. This has led to prudent management of seismic bond projects, and successful efforts to minimize program cuts during the recession while moving incrementally toward a balanced budget. However, this caution sometimes translates into a willingness to make the "easy" cuts rather than conduct a more through investigation of the effectiveness and community acceptability of alternative adaptations to changing circumstances -- music and library cuts are recent examples."

5. Are Piedmont students pushed too hard to achieve?

"Some Piedmont students are pushed too hard by their parents, "the culture" and/or their own unrealistic expectations. Others are insufficiently challenged and may not even realize that they're under-achieving. I support expanding the current Individual Education Plan program, used for special ed students, so that all students work with District staff to identify their own strengths and weaknesses, and then challenge themselves to achieve their personal best."