League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Santa Clara County, CA November 6, 2012 Election
	Ken Dauber Answers Questions Candidate for Board Member; Palo Alto Unified School District

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of Palo Alto and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. What steps need to be taken to foster better communication among the school board, superintendent's office, and the local school communities?

We need to make improvements in transparency, clarity, and accountability of decision-making. Effective parent and community participation requires that the public's business is done in public, and I will make available all communications with district staff. I will also work to ensure greater clarity in decision making, and to put in place clear metrics for communicating and assessing progress against our goals.

2. What approaches would you support to help all students achieve their educational goals, whether they are college bound or not?

In a 21st-century economy, all students need to leave high school with strong skills and the ability to work collaboratively with others, whether they are going on to college or not. We need to prepare students for college and for life. That requires supporting teachers at all levels in differentiating instruction to provide all students with appropriate challenges, whether they are struggling, in the middle, or doing advanced work. It also means ensuring that we deliver high-quality academic advising and college guidance services at both high schools, by improving our teacher advisory system at Paly and making structural improvements to counseling at Gunn.

3. How should PAUSD address potential budget cutbacks?

We are fortunate compared to many districts in the state in having a relatively low reliance on state funding, which in the 2012-13 budget is 3% of total general fund revenues. Further substantial budget cuts are unlikely in the immediate future, particularly given the upward trend in property tax revenues. We should focus on ensuring that we are spending current funds wisely (for example, by fully implementing systems that we have already paid for, such as the student information system Schoology), capturing economies of scale and efficiencies by implementing best practices and reducing unnecessary aspects of site-based control, and building up reserves for possible future structural changes in school funding in California that may threaten basic aid districts.

4. Do you see instituting a pre-school program for children younger than the "early 5s" age, as desirable for the PAUSD, and if so, have you any ideas on how it might fit into the K-12 structure?

Early educational enrichment is a proven technique for improving achievement in later years, particularly for children who come from lower-income or otherwise challenged families. We should improve our ability to reach those children by providing the services they need to take advantage of our existing programs (including Springboard to Kindergarten, Transition to Kindergarten, and Springboard to Kindergarten), such as transportation and extended care hours. We should also ensure that all children in the district have access to excellent nutrition through providing fresh, local, healthy foods for our school breakfast and lunch program. Better nutrition is a cost-effective intervention for young children that is demonstrated to improve both learning and behavior.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. Direct references to opponents are not permitted.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: November 5, 2012 08:20
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