Candidate for
Board Member; Alpine Union School District

My campaign slogan is "SAFE Alpine Schools" and consists of four major planks:

Safe schools - Our children's safety will be my first and overriding priority. I have been acquiring and donating Knox Boxes for use by law enforcement to quickly and efficiently enter our Alpine campuses in the event of any threat to our children. I have also been working with the district and law enforcement on additional enhancements to our children's security. I will continue this as a Governing Board Member.

Academic excellence - Except for safety, my top priority for the children of Alpine is a rigorous, relevant curriculum to prepare them for the move to high school and the world. My background, training, education, current employment and experience enable me to address this need as few others can.

Financial responsibility - As you are all aware, Alpine schools face financial challenges in the years ahead. I will help lead a respectful, collaborative effort to bring our district back to financial stability. We are far from out of the woods and a concerted, continuing effort is needed to restore the financial state we in Alpine are used to. As part of this effort, I will forgo any financial gain from Alpine Union School District, including turning down all benefits, reimbursements, and buyouts for my term of office.

Equal access - As many of you are aware, I have a Special Needs daughter in the district. With the help of our new Superintendent, the former Director of Special Education, Bruce Cochrane, I will ensure that Alpine schools provide our Special Needs students and parents with access to quality, relevant education unsurpassed in the County.

For those of you who may wish to research me further, here is my public LinkenIn profile: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/louis-russo/34/b02/3b7/

My reputation in Alpine is that I am a tough, determined representative; that I stand up for the people of Alpine, especially the less fortunate, vice special interests. That's absolutely true. Let me stand up for you and your children. Vote for SAFE Alpine schools this fall.