Responses to The Beach Reporter Questions

By Jeffrey K. Hazeltine

2. The district should not even consider cutting the elementary music program. I think it is shameful that Redondo Beach Schools only spend $70,000 on a music program for 3,600 K-5 students. That the community stepped in to save this program demonstrates their determination to do the right thing for kids. That same activism is required to ensure that the school board does the right thing with all funding. Where were we when the board decided to tear down the Tulita administration building and then one month later found they were short 1.2 million dollars for construction of a new one?

3. There will always be some hostility between a teachers association that demands higher salaries for its members and management that wants to protect existing programs. What I would like to see is a long-term contract of 3-5 years. Just recently, an elementary teacher confided to me that there is no time or energy to approach the school board with concerns about inadequate text books until after the negotiations. Negotiating every year, all year hinders the teamwork required to educate all of our kids.

4. I can understand many parents being disappointed that their children will not be attending Mira Costa. Academically, many parents would prefer Mira Costa over RUHS for their children. That is a situation that needs to be addressed immediately. It is unfortunate that there is no longer a local high school for North Redondo. Twenty years ago, community leaders made a mistake and sold the Aviation High School site. It is now time to correct that mistake. We need to locate the future site of a North Redondo High School, shift existing funds, and secure the additional funds to make this happen.

5. We need to improve the core academic programs with the traditional emphasis on Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. The immediate adoption of a Value-Added Accountability system will enable school administrators to quantify the effectiveness of individual teachers. The purpose of this is two-fold: 1.Acknowledge the exemplary teachers while assisting struggling teachers to improve, and 2. Ensure that students do not experience two or more consecutive years with below average teachers. Research has shown that students rarely recover from such bad luck and perform below their peers even after subsequent placement with above average teachers.

6. I will bring common sense to school board deliberations. Currently, common sense is precluded by board policy and it is every teacher, parent, and student for themselves as they negotiate a system imposed on them from above. As a Middle School Math Teacher for the past 11 years, and from leadership positions at school and district levels, I discovered that Federal and State regulations are far less rigid than school administrators lead us to believe. I will bring common sense to the development of board policy and ensure that the district does things for us, not to us.