League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Santa Clara County, CA November 6, 2012 Election
	Candidates Answer Questions on the Issues Board Member; Alum Rock Union Elementary School District

The questions were prepared by the Leagues of Women Voters of Santa Clara County and asked of all candidates for this office.     See below for questions on Use of Funds, Appropriate Instruction, District Goals Click on a name for candidate information.   See also more information about this contest. 1. How would you determine that the schools are using federal, state and local funds wisely and fairly and how would you report your findings to the community? Answer from Esau Herrera: Wise use of our limited taxpayer dollars is critical to maintaining the high level of academic success that we have achieved over the past 4 years. Four years ago we had only 2 schools that scored in the high achievement range of 800. Now we have 14 schools in that range, with another 3 schools scoring in the 790+ range, just a few points behind that 800 level. Thus, the school board and the superintendent have been good stewards of our tax dollars, using those funds to support high academic achievement. We have regularly reported to our community, in written reports and in public presentations, how we spend public funds and how we focus on academic achievement for our students. 2. Are the schools offering instruction appropriate to the diverse educational abilities of all the students? Answer from Esau Herrera: Yes, our school district has expended great effort to ensure that ALL of our students, at various levels of learning abilities, are receiving the education they need to be life-long learners in high school and beyond. 3. Where do you want the District to be five years from now? What steps should the District take to get there? Answer from Esau Herrera: Four years ago, I said we should focus on providing more educational choices for our kids, to support higher academic achievement. We have succeeded in that, as evidenced by going from only 2 schools to 14 schools scoring at the "high achievement" level of 800. Five years from now, I would want our school district to repeat that tremendous growth in academic success, with ALL of our schools scoring at 800 or above. We have already shown that it's completely possible with many of our schools, by focusing on children first and disregarding the politically minded adults among us who wish to distract us from what's important for kids. Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. Please answer each question in no more than 400 words. Direct references to opponents are not permitted. The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.