League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Los Angeles County, CA May 21, 2013 Election
	Candidates Answer Questions on the Issues Board Member; Los Angeles Unified School District; District 6

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles and asked of all candidates for this office.     See below for questions on Specific Goals, Teacher Performance, Decision-Making Click on a name for candidate information.   See also more information about this contest. 1. Describe your specific goals if you should become a School Board Member. Answer from Antonio Sanchez: I have lived, attended schools and worked in the Valley my entire life. As Board Member, my priorities are: 1)Leadership training/teacher development: ensure resources for educators to work and grow together to strengthen instruction. 2)Parent involvement: ensure parents are equal partners and empowered with quality school options. 3)Increase classroom resources: ensure voter-approved Prop 30 dollars go directly to support schools. Answer from Monica Ratliff: I will focus on the safety and health of our students; college or vocational readiness for all; fiscal responsibility and budgetary transparency; bringing back the arts; collaborating with parents, teachers, administrators, and community stakeholders to create effective evaluations and professional development(s); and recognizing the schools that work within the Valley as models and fixing the schools that are floundering. 2. Do you believe that teachers should be paid based on their performance? If so, how would you weight student test scores in determining a teacher's effectiveness? Answer from Monica Ratliff: Any highly skilled and effective employee should be recognized and rewarded. Parents and staff at a school site often know who are the most effective teachers.  Once we have a system that accurately measures performance in the many areas that impact our students' lives, we can effectively discuss recognizing, rewarding, and best using our highly skilled and effective employees. Answer from Antonio Sanchez: Teachers are the builders of tomorrow, and as a whole, are underpaid given their significant contributions to society. We must elevate the profession by increasing compensation levels for all teachers, while simultaneously rewarding those who are most effective in educating students + determined through multiple measures that must include student performance data and classroom observations as core weights. 3. What kind of decisions can the Superintendent make on his own and what matters should require approval by the School Board? Answer from Antonio Sanchez: As the district's educational leader and chief executive, the Superintendent should be empowered to make decisions regarding instructional practice; program design and implementation; personnel; operations; and preparation of the annual budget and policy recommendations, among others. As the governing body, the Board is primarily responsible for hiring the Superintendent, setting district policy, and approving the budget. Answer from Monica Ratliff: The Superintendent should be free to select his staff and oversee administration in a manner fitting his understanding of board policy. School Board members are elected and charged with setting the policy and direction of the district and overseeing the budget. The Board and Superintendent must work together to implement the voters' vision, goals, and expectations for the district. Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.