League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Santa Clara County, CA November 4, 2014 Election
	Candidates Answer Questions on the Issues Trustee; Santa Clara Unified School District; Trustee Area 3

The questions were prepared by the Leagues of Women Voters of Santa Clara County and asked of all candidates for this office.     See below for questions on Funding, Curriculum, Goals Click on a name for candidate information.   See also more information about this contest. 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? Answer from Michael Helms: It is very important that the Santa Clara Unified School District use all funds wisely. One of the challenges for the SCUSD is to ensure that all resources, assets and facilities are protected from outside special interests. The long-term diversion of RDA funds has drained the district of funds that should have been available for maintaining existing buildings, adding new facilities, and upgrading the technology infrastructure. The estimated total of diverted RDA funds is in excess of $328 million for the past ten years. The actual totals of funds that are due to the district may far exceed that number. A constant vigilance is required to ensure that the district is a wise and fair custodian of the resources. It is important to ask the question "How are we doing?" and perform constant checking on the finances of the district. The recent news of a former district finances employee being arrested and charged with two felonies for embezzling over $40,000 from the district is disheartening. It was reported that the thefts were discovered by a random audit. This may be just one of a series of financial problems that are coming to light. The community is deeply involved with the school district. With over 15,000 students - their families, and all of the people who work in or are affected directly every day - the impact of the schools is felt daily by at least 50,000 to 60,000 people. With an annual budget in the $150 million range - the community and stakeholders all need to have confidence that the money is being spent wisely and fairly - and that is one of my primary goals. The transformational direction led by the new Superintendent, Dr. Stan Rose, is one that will help to improve the district in all ways - including the strengthening SCUSD finances. I support increased vigilance, and better protections for all district expenditures, and will work to make our district the best that it can be. 2. Are the schools offering instruction appropriate to the diverse educational abilities of all the students? Answer from Michael Helms: I've spoken with many voters who are very unhappy with the services provided by the SCUSD. Some families have taken their kids out of the district, and are paying for expensive private schools. Others are supplementing their children's education with after-school academic programs, tutoring, and extra-curricular enrichment programs. A large number of families are looking to other schooling options for their students - including charter schools, home schooling, and more. The facts are clear - the SCUSD must improve the educational offerings that are available to students, and ensure that ALL students are provided with the education that best prepares them for future success. The district has been in PI (program improvement) for several years, and different schools in the district need additional support. The state found that SCUSD has 15% of its students in special ed, which is way above the statewide average of 10%. Most of this discrepancy is due to students who did not receive adequate early reading intervention. It is clear that we can and must do a better job of getting students the support they need at the earliest possible age, so they can progress with their peers and reach their potential. To sell our students short and not provide them with the educational support they need does a disservice to the students, their families, and our community. 3. Where do you want the District to be five years from now? What steps should the District take to get there? Answer from Michael Helms: In five years time - I want the SCUSD to be known for its high quality schools, its leadership in providing appropriate academic programs for ALL students, and for being an extremely desirable place for families to enroll their children. The changes that have taken place over the last five years have shown that we can improve, and that we can place highly qualified professionals in leadership positions in our district. I believe that the SCUSD can continue to improve in all ways - by improving finances, by improving academic programs, by providing appropriate educational support to those who are experiencing challenges, and by establishing goals that use solid data collection to measure our progress. Some of the many steps to be taken are: (1) to identify problem areas, and then implement appropriate solutions. (2) Communicate with all stakeholders - especially those directly affected. (3) Improve district finances, and always ask, are we getting the best value for our tax dollars? The SCUSD needs a trustee who will protect district interests - and take all possible steps to ensure that monies owed to the district are repaid. I am committed to advocating for the 16,000 students in the SCUSD. I am proud to state that I am NOT co-opted by any special interest. Many organizations and people want to control the SCUSD for their own purposes, and do not place the students' interests first. I offer voters a choice - to vote for someone who will speak up for the students, especially those who have no one to speak for them or guard their interests. If voters want a better school district in five years, then I ask - please vote for Michael Helms in SCUSD Trustee Area 3. Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. The answer to each question should be limited to 400 words. Direct references to opponents are not permitted. The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.