Candidate for
Governing Board Member; El Dorado Union High School District

Amanda Nugent Divine is passionate about...

CREATING A SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT THAT IS INFORMED AND SUPPORTIVE ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENTAL TASKS OF TEENS Due to age, the high school years are a time of numerous developmental changes for how teenagers think, feel, and interact with others, and how their bodies grow. It's a time when teens attempt to identify their uniqueness and try on opinions they can call their own. It's a time teens may try to become more independent, try working and disagree with their teachers and parents more to assert their own separate identity. It is a time when teens begin to learn "how they learn". In the right school environment, teens can begin to develop more defined work habits. With the right support, teens will show more concern about future school and work plans. With the right encouragement, teens will learn to identify and verbalize reasons for their own choices, including what is right and what is wrong. I will strive to support the ongoing development of a school environment that is supportive to our teenager's development process.

GROWING FUTURE LEADERS Recent research suggests that the current generation -- more than any other generation before them -- desires to "start their own businesses". It is the school's responsibility to get our students college ready and/or career able; whichever they feel is the right path for them.

RESPONSIVE HIGH SCHOOL CULTURE Any company that endeavors to deliver a successful product (ie. Education) must have a Quality Assurance system driving its core processes. I will use my experience in Quality Assurance management to contribute to the development of policies and procedures that bring measurable results. I will strive to ensure that mechanisms are put in place that give students, parents, staff and other stakeholders a voice in what is and is not working in the school environment.

REAL WORLD KNOWLEDGE AND PREPARATION by USING 21st CENTURY TECHNOLOGY and TECH SUPPORT We cannot prepare our children for the "world that is" with equipment from the "world that was". We need 21st Century equipment in our schools and in our classrooms and we need the tech support to ensure that it works effectively and efficiently the way it should. We have to teach our kids how to build on today's technology for tomorrow's needs.

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY I have extensive experience managing multi-million dollar budgets in both the health care arena and the world of entertainment. It is imperative that our school dollars are spent efficiently with a scrutinizing eye to each line item of the budget. I have often been in the position of being required to do a lot with very little funding as a result of my work in both the non-profit sector as well as independent film. I enjoy the challenge of figuring out ways to stretch a budget and brainstorming innovative solutions to fiscal challenges.

SAFETY Children cannot learn if they are worried about their safety. Bullying cannot be tolerated. There must be both administration led and student led efforts that swiftly respond to bullying. These efforts should be organized and consistent so that students can depend on the right to learn in an environment where they feel their safety is taken seriously. Schools must also employ methods to ensure that weapons and those who wish to do harm are never permitted to enter the school environment. I will strive to ensure that a risk assessment is done at every school on a semi annual basis to ensure safety plans and safety measures are relevant, up to date, and communicated to all students, parents and school personnel.

SUPPORTIVE PROGRAMS There are teenagers who struggle with learning disabilities, others who struggle with mental health issues, and still others that struggle with home environments that make simply coming to school a welcome escape. Regardless of the particular reason, no child should have to struggle to get through high school for any reason. I support programs that give these students what they need to have the same chances as their peers at successfully navigating high school and being college ready and/or career able; whichever they feel is the right path for them.

IMPROVED COMMUNICATION Both parents and community want to know how and what schools are doing about problems. But they also want to know what schools are doing right. Since relocating to El Dorado County, I have been amazed at the tremendous quality of El Dorado Union High School District. I want to be at the table of this exceptional school district. And frankly, the community and parents need to know all of the wonderful things this district has to offer. Because of this, I will strive to ensure more information gets out in a systematic way about the unique ways this district is handling issues that most school districts face.