Candidate for
Board Member; Fallbrook Union High School District; Full Term

I have had the honor of serving on the Fallbrook Union High School Board of Trustees for the past year. During that period I have participated in all the processes associated with the Board,and have an excellent sense of what I want to see our High School achieve over the next 4 years. Here are my thoughts:

- My philosophy for the District was first and foremost to select the right Superintendent to replace Dale Mitchell. We needed a person with an outstanding cross-section of experience at the teaching level, as a Principal, and as an Administrator. Such person to have a passion for excellence in all facets of education and the ability to effectively lead the District into the 21st Century. I felt that this person would have to effectively address the issues that we face, and make the hard decisions to ensure an efficiently run District. He would have to also ensure that we achieve and maintain an excellent faculty and administrative staff, eliminating within the law and in conjuction with the unions those who can't live up to our high standards.

I'm happy to say that the Board selected and hired an excellent candidate in Doctor Hugo Pedroza Phd, an educator with just the kind of background that we need. One of 16 children, he was educated in the Sweetwater District obtaining the grades to go on to UCLA where he earned a Bachelors, two Masters and a Phd in Education. Moreover, he served as a teacher in several high schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District focusing on English Learners while teaching in the general population as well. In one setting he was not only teaching English Learners, but their parents as well. He also performed as the Principal of Santa Monica High School in the Santa Monica/Malibu District, and as an Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources in the LOMPOC Unified School District. He comes to us with excellent credentials, and we selected him to lead the District in a changing venue because of the loss of students to the Bonsall Unified School District and the gradual change of ethnicity of our District. He is also technology savy and believes in a "systems' approach to managing District activities His record indicates excellence as a teacher and Administrator. Moreover he will serve as a role model to all of our students that with hard work and focus a young person of any ethnic background or economic condition can be successful. We are so proud to have him on the District Team. Mission accomplished!

- In my opinion the most important objective for a member of the Board is to provide ALL students with a quality education that will prepare them for success in a college or university setting or in transitioning into the "work world." This means having teachers that are solid educators with a passion for excellence in teaching every student in the High School be they English Learners or AP students. A number of options exist to support our diverse school population

They include Ivy High School, Fallbrook Union High School, and Oasis High School. Each has a separate mission to qualify/ educate our kids for graduation. I was happy to participate as a member of the Board in building a new campus for Ivy High School which is now serving our students. Ivy High School is a continuation high school setting that serves the students of the Fallbrook Union High School District. The School was established to meet the unique and individual needs of each student. Ivy offers a rigorous program appropriate to each student's interests, skills and capabilities. As a Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) accredited institution, Ivy provides a positive atmosphere that focuses on the academic and social needs of the student. Ivy High enjoys a high graduation rate and boasts a second to none beautiful, park-like campus. Ivy has many innovative programs and classes and has developed an outstanding Garden Project. Students 16-18 years of age, residing within the Fallbrook Union High School District boundaries may attend Ivy High School. The reasons for attending Ivy High School are varied and individual in nature. When students reach the age of 18, continued enrollment is dependent on specific academic and behavioral requirements, good citizenship, effort, attendance and earning credits. During the past year I was privileged to help oversee the planning and building of a new campus for Ivy which was accomplished over the summer and ready for opening when school started.

Fallbrook Union High School plays the traditional role of education for our students. Several issues will be faced over the next four years that I want to help resolve. This year we continue to implement the Common Core Standards. Much controversy surrounds this approach, however, it has merit when combined with the traditional approach, particularly in English and Math. I would like to see the District take an integrated approach to implementing these standards using the best of Common Core along with the more traditional ways of teaching.

Another school within the District is Oasis. It is the mission of Oasis High School to provide its students with an opportunity either to complete UC/CSU approved "a-g" courses, to accelerate credit accumulation, or to make up deficient credits, in a safe, secure, and supportive learning environment, with a well prepared and dedicated staff, with the requisite academic resources to achieve and succeed at an individual pace and in a unique way. This approach has proved very successful for interested student. At graduation this year, a student at Oasis received a 4-year scholarship to attend Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. He graduated at age 15. The bottom line is that I believe that one size doesn't fit all. We need diversification in our approach to educating our children, and the District is working hard to achieve that requirement. I fully support and intend to help expand and improve these opportunities.

Another excellent organization within Fallbrook Union High School is the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program. AVID is a program designed to give the necessary support to students, particularly those in the academic middle, so that they can attend college and achieve their fullest potential. It also serves to level the playing field for minority and low-income students, as well as students who may be the first in their families to potentially attend college. The AVID program serves to support its students by teaching and reinforcing study and organizational skills (Cornell note-taking, 3-ring binder with labeled dividers, etc.), encouraging students to take more rigorous and challenging classes, providing skills necessary to succeed in college (public speaking, team building skills, interaction with professors, etc.), and ultimately preparing them for success at a four-year university/college. My understanding is that of the 45 AVID students who graduated this year, 40 of them have been accepted in a 4-year college or university. That is plain awesome. I fully support this program and would like to see it expanded to more students.

- I would also like to see added opportunities on campus for our students. One such opportunity would be to apply for and be approved to have a Marine Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) on campus. This has been one of my goals along with Board Member Jim O'Donnell for the past year. Acceptance in this program would further instill in interested student love of country, respect for the Constitution, knowledge of military subjects, marksmanship, and an interest in serving our great nation. Reports that I've received from those teachers and administrators that have experienced a JROTC program on campus is that it can virtually transform a campus overnight in student attitudes. Graduates of this program go on to be very successful in future endeavors.

I firmly support Fallbrook Union High School's Career and Technical Education (CTE) program. The High School offers such courses in this program as:

• ADVANCED VIDEO PRODUCTION,
• Advanced Video Production,
• Ag Mechanica, ,
• Auto Mechanics
• Child Development,
• Computer Skills & Applications,
• COMPUTER SKILLS & APPS,
• Fashion, Foods & Nutrition,
• Agriculture Biology,
• Environmental Horticulture,
• Veterinary Science,
• Restaurant Occupations,
• BEGINNING VIDEO PRODUCTION, and
• Health and Life Skills.

- I think it's important to allocate the funds necessary to maintain and improve our campus. We now have a beautiful athletic field and an olympic quality track. We must maintain this facility and provide the security to prevent vandalism. We are also very proud of our new Press Box that was recently dedicated. One pending problem that the school is working on is fixing the main swimming school pump that has been extracted from the pool and is being examined to determine the problem so it can be fixed. In the interim, the Chief Financial Officer of the District has worked an agreement with Camp Pendleton to have our Swimming Teams use one of the pools at the Base. Thanks to our Marines. Always ready to serve the community. I will continue to support the maintenance and improvements of all campus facilities. One ongoing problem is the cleanliness of the campus.

I continue to be baffled by our lack of ability to "get a handle" on keeping the campus clean. Of particular concern are the restrooms. Some improvements have been made to ensure workable soap dispensers, functioning doors on bathroom stalls etc. After a community member made an issue of this at a Board Meeting earlier in the year, the Superintendent hired an additional custodian to focus on keeping the restrooms in good order. This has helped to some extent, but we need more action across the campus. It will also take leadership on the part of the District, Schools, and the students to improve this situation. I pledge to correct this problem and keep it corrected.

- The bottom line is that Fallbrook Union High School like all schools has issues. The Board and the Superintendent are charged with dealing with them and finding viable solutions. On the other hand, we have many outstanding teachers and programs which are often overlooked. Our Ag Program is one of the best in the State. Our Band is going to London during the Winter Break to perform concerts (they're that good), our AP students continue to excel, and AVID is aggressively helping the "academic middle" to achieve success and acceptance in a college. We have much to be proud of, and I'm resolute in addressing the remaining issues and elevating Fallbrook Union High School back to the level that my sons and their friends enjoyed during their high school years. See you around the campus.