Candidate for
Board Member; Irvine Unified School District

There are 3 main issues that I will address as an IUSD Trustee:

1. The Financing of an IUSD Education

For the last 5 years, many districts including IUSD have struggled with the dwindling government financing of what is the right of all students + a high quality education. I will help grow IUSD out of this constant dilemma and I have the experience, education, and energy that it will take. Here are a few highlights of the problem: a. California is ranked 47th in per pupil spending and that number is threatened to be cut even more in this next budget year.

b. Additional legislation is being considered to provide funding on "tiered" level so that districts like Irvine will actually get less than their fair share.

c. IUSD has wavered between what's called a "basic aid district" (where our local property tax are retained in order fund our district) and a "revenue limit district" (where we are funded based on the state's budget and legislative actions). This has caused great uncertainty and unfair cuts to many districts in California, however IUSD is the largest of these districts and thus our drop in funding is the most dramatic.

d. As a result of ACLU lawsuits being raised elsewhere, IUSD has taken a preemptive measure to suspend almost all required payments by parents for participation in extra-curricular activities and materials and supply purchasing. This has placed a potential $13M burden on an already hurting IUSD budget.

e. IUSD has successfully built up a reserve, however that reserve is rapidly depleting and may be completely used up in as little as 3 years if certain plans and initiatives are not successful.

f. The parent community has been solicited for more and more fundraising year after year and their generosity has never let us down. However, we cannot be dependent on parent donations to bridge the gap between the cost of and the state's funding of essential programs like smaller class sizes.

2. What is an IUSD Education?

Irvine has been ranked the safest city more than any other in the past 10 years. It has also gained great notoriety in Orange County and beyond as one of the best cities to raise children in because of its excellent schools. There is no doubt that an IUSD education is excellent and continues to excel in quality. However this perception of what constitutes an "educational experience" can range dramatically among different groups of parents.

a. Academics + for some, this is likely to be the first perception one has of what an IUSD education provides. It focuses on the highest levels of academic rigor that paves a pathway to the world's most elite Universities with the highest caliber of academic rigor and performance.

b. Athletics + for some, an IUSD education is a pathway toward opportunities afforded to student athletes who seek access to continued athletic experiences at a variety of divisions and levels. For some, these opportunities are their access points to competitive colleges and universities, giving them additional academic opportunities they may otherwise be unable to achieve for academic or financial reasons. For others, those post K-12 educational opportunities may even lead to a career as a professional athlete.

c. Arts + for some, an IUSD education provides the critical opportunities for advancement in the visual and/or performing arts. Similarly, these students are able to utilize the skills they have developed to get access to competitive colleges and universities that can continue to help them develop their skills as well as provide otherwise inaccessible educational opportunities. For others, those post K-12 opportunities may even lead to a career as a professional artist and/or performer.

d. Career + for some, an IUSD education serves the purpose of giving students all the opportunities necessary to immediately enter the workforce or transition to a specific trade education. These options and choices one may prefer must be made available, and beyond that, IUSD graduates must be given the best that can be provided so that our graduates choosing to enter the workforce after graduation are as equally desirable by employers as students in other categories are desired by the most competitive colleges and universities.

e. Military + for some, an IUSD education is a necessary stage before making the noble choice of entering the military. While motivations for serving in the military may vary, this decision requires facilitation and preparation that is unique from the others. Opportunities and facilitation are necessary in order to ensure IUSD graduates entering the military are the most successful, desirable, and prepared.

f. Early College + for some, an IUSD education may serve a mixture of the options already listed, but may also be more abbreviated in hopes that our early graduates can get a head start on the rest of their academic careers. For these students and their families who choose to finish high school early and complete a community college education, a unique pathway is required that is both well-guided, well-supported, and ensures the highest levels of success wherever these paths may lead them.

Each of these options, or a combination of them, is desired by most IUSD parents. However, perceptions of parents and community members are often limited to just one of these categories and at times, even with a sense that their community school or IUSD schools in general do not provide a place for their family's interests and/or the needs of their children. Parents are left with the feeling that their school, PTA or even personnel do not have their interests in mind or feel that other groups unfairly influence the programs and policies at their school.

3. Massive Growth on the Horizon

By 2020, the district is estimated to serve over 40,000 students, nearly double what it is serves today. Such growth must be calculated, planned, and anticipated.

In addition to the technical aspects of large-scale growth, IUSD must ensure that the high quality educational experiences IUSD is known for is adequately replicated with every new brick laid and every new school community that forms. In a district as successfully decentralized as IUSD, it is critical that as our existing school communities expand and new school communities form, our achievement and service to IUSD students does not waver and in fact only continues to improve.