Candidate for
Governing Board Member; Rowland Unified School District

Platform

• Budget Cuts - The district has just finished cutting approximately $5 million from next year's budget. Unfortunately, with the state also in their worst budget crisis since WWII, additional cuts in funding will be expected for the following year. It is important that members of both the Budget Task Force and the Board make sensible, rational cuts that will minimize long-term damage that some of these cuts may produce.

• Address Student Attrition - We can no longer sweep this issue under the rug and pretend it does not exist. There is no quick-fix solution. We need to find out why these students and parents are leaving our school system. Which schools are impacted the most? Which schools are parents/students trying to avoid attending? As soon as we pinpoint these answers, we can work together to gradually improve these impacted schools. We need to demonstrate to parents that the Rowland Unified School District (RUSD) is making a concerted effort to maintain the high quality of all the schools in this district.

• Encourage Community Involvement - Further encourage parent and community involvement. Studies have shown that parents who are involved with their child's education have a higher success rate than those that do not. We need to reach out to the local business community by creating a business/education partnership. Students can gain on-the-job experiences by interning for or shadowing these businesses. We also need to reach out to the community at large. Bring back the people who were once involved with RUSD, such as parents, retired teachers, administrators, classified employees, and former students. In this time of an affront on public education, we all need to band together to help each other out.

• Hiring teachers, support staff, and administrators to replace the large wave of those employees that are retiring. Although the employees of RUSD can never be truly replaced as each has brought something special and unique to our district, we need to hire qualified and enthusiastic individuals that will "hit the ground running" and possess a short learning curve. We need to make sure that our wages are competitive, Happiness = Productivity.

• Success - Preparing those students who do not choose the "collegiate path" for success. Job training programs should be stressed, such as computer proficiency, hands-on training, and excellent oral and written communication skills. However, we should continue to prepare and encourage all students to attend college, and seek success after they have completed their education with the Rowland Unified School District.