League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Santa Clara County, CA November 6, 2012 Election
	Christopher R. Stampolis Answers Questions Candidate for Trustee; Santa Clara Unified School District; Trustee Area 2

The questions were prepared by the Leagues of Women Voters of Santa Clara County and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

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?

Given the shocking conclusions of the County Office of Education's audit of Santa Clara Unified School District, the community now demands more transparency and third-party verification than ever before. To restore trust after the outrageous findings of over $100,000 of fraud, we need an Audit and Budget Committee that includes community involvement/oversight.

2. Are the schools offering instruction appropriate to the diverse educational abilities of all the students?

SCUSD must revisit its offerings for three categories of students: 1) special education; 2) high achievement students who have potential for extraordinary academic proficiency; 3) students classified as English language learners, especially those with parents whose English language skills are very challenged.

3. Where do you want the District to be five years from now? What steps should the District take to get there?

Santa Clara Unified needs to prioritize transparency and accountability at all levels. Board meetings should be videocast and available for web viewing 24/7. District policies should be uploaded and board member contact info should be available.

SCUSD should increase "basics plus" and "open" offerings to respond to the more than 900 K-5 wait-listed families. And, the District must prepare response to the desire of these families for similar offerings in the middle school levels.

SCUSD must champion a culture of academic achievement by celebrating a range of student and teacher successes at board meetings. While athletic achievement has value, too often we relegate science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) achievements to side recognition. SCUSD needs to gain a reputation as a high-achievement district that wants parents to understand proficiency trends and expects success.

And, SCUSD must develop partnerships with City government, the business community and skilled community members to target support to struggling schools. Rather than hide low achievement, we should target necessary support so students can benefit from these resources.

---

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.

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

Candidate Page || Feedback to Candidate || This Contest
SmartVoter Home (Ballot Lookup) || About Smart Voter

---

Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 30, 2012 11:15
Smart Voter <http://www.smartvoter.org/>
Copyright © League of Women Voters of California Education Fund   http://www.lwvc.org
The League of Women Voters neither supports nor opposes candidates for public office or political parties.