Candidate for
Member; Orange County Board of Education; Trustee Area 2

Common Core State Standards

Those who know Mr. Boyd realize that he's not an enthusiastic supporter of Common Core as it was adopted in California. He believes that there was insufficient public input in adopting the Common Core standards in California. But he is a supporter of the standards as they are being implemented in Orange County schools which provide for adequate local control and input from parents, PTA members and others.

With respect to education, Common Core will likely be the most controversial issue in the 2014 elections. Reasonable people can disagree on academic standards. But educators favoring Common Core greatly outnumber those who oppose. They include William Bennett, the conservative former Secretary of Education under President Reagan and Rod Paige, Secretary of Education under George W. Bush.

Additional supporters include (to name but a few):

• The United States Chamber of Commence
• Former Governor Jeb Bush who has been described in the media as "the nation's leading advocate for Common Core."
• The United States Army
• The National Parent Teacher Association
• The College Board (the organization that designs the SAT Examination.)

In an effort to reassure the public that California educational standards will continue to lead the nation, in January 2014 Mr. Boyd co-authored (along with Trustee Elizabeth Parker) an Orange County Board of Education Resolution that encourages Governor Brown to issue an Executive Order to the California State Board of Education which includes the following directives:

●The State of California, not the federal government or any other organization, shall determine the content of California's state curriculum standards.

●The California Department of Education shall continue to develop a regular review cycle for each of the curriculum frameworks , including the opportunity for public comment, to determine the contents of and to continually improve state curriculum standards.

●The State of California, not the federal government or any other organization, shall choose the statewide assessments that will measure how well students have mastered ALL curriculum standards, including but not limited to, standards which are included in the Common Core State Standards.

●The collection of student data by school districts and the California State Department of Education shall be done in a manner consistent with state and federal laws intended to protect student and family privacy. Only aggregate student data shall be provided to the federal government to comply with federal laws.

●No Constitutional right of California children and their families shall be violated through an overreach by the federal government into California's educational system.

It has been suggested that the County Board refuse to follow the law and not implement the Common Core standards. But Mr. Boyd believes that Common Core is the law and trustees have an obligation to implement the law in the most efficient way possible. Paying attorneys to sue the Federal or State governments would take money from the classroom and would not benefit our students or taxpayers.

Support Charter Schools

Charter schools are independently operated public schools, open to all students. They are tuition free and supported by taxpayers.

By working in an environment that values innovation, charter school teachers and staff can have the opportunity to have real impact on students and colleagues. Charter schools sometimes provide teachers with the freedom and flexibility to innovate to best meet their students' needs. Staff may experience less bureaucracy, greater autonomy, and have the support of parents who help to discover fresh approaches to their student's education. And members of the community can be involved, too, by volunteering or serving on a charter school's governing board.

There has been some comments that there are not enough charter schools in Orange County. In Orange County we have 14 charter schools compared with over 200 in Los Angeles County. But what's often missing from this discussion is the fact that charter schools are not started by local or county school boards. They are started by parents and community leaders that are generally unhappy with the educational options available to their children.

By any measure Orange County has excellent public schools, particularly when compared to Los Angeles. Therefore should it be any surprise that Los Angeles has far more charter schools? After all, they have far more under-performing schools.

During Mr. Boyd's term in office, there was only one proposed charter school that applied to the County Board of Education for approval, "The Academy" in Santa Ana. The staff of the County Department of Education devoted many hours to working with the leadership of "The Academy" in insure that their application satisfied the requirements of law. This application was approved by the County Board with Mr. Boyd's support and he was honored to be asked to speak at the ribbon cutting of "The Academy" when it opened in August 2013.

The County Board of Education is also the appeals board for charter school applications that have been denied at the local board.

Charter schools generally enjoy fiscal autonomy giving them greater ability to manage their operations, budget and growth strategy. Charter school leaders get to decide where to best spend their money, from hiring faculty and staff, to renovating current facilities, to investing in educational technology for the classroom.

But with this autonomy comes financial responsibility. Charter schools operate much like businesses. In order for a charter school to successfully fulfill its mission and goals, it must have sufficient financial resources and financial management skills.

The California Charter Schools Association believes that it "is absolutely critical that charter school leaders understand the principles of sound financial management and designate time and resources for the implementation and monitoring of their fiscal practices." Mr. Boyd agrees and his decades of experience as a certified public accountant places him in the unique position to make an informed decision on the budgets submitted by proposed charter schools.

A failed charter school harms both the students and the taxpayers. That's why Mr. Boyd is a supporter of academically challenging, FISCALLY VIABLE charter schools.

Reduce Unfunded Mandates

An unfunded mandate is a statute or regulation that requires a state or local government to perform certain actions, with insufficient money provided for fulfilling the requirements. In public education these unfunded mandates come from both the Federal and California governments.

In Orange County these unfunded mandates total hundreds of millions of dollars. Money that was promised by the Washington or Sacramento but not paid. Mr. Boyd believes that Federal and state elected officials need to be constantly minded of these unpaid obligations and the negative impact on public education caused by these mandates.