League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Alameda County, CA February 4, 2014 Election
	Amal Smith Answers Questions Candidate for Board of Education Member; City of Piedmont

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of Piedmont and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. What is your opinion on the School District’s use of Capital Appreciation Bonds versus Current Interest Bonds?

CABs have higher costs than more traditional CIBs, but, if used in moderation, can be an effective and useful tool in financing.

The bad press around CABs is from more recent use by school districts who have issued CABs with maturity dates as long as 40 years and with bond retirement costs as high as 10+ times the amount borrowed. Local and state officials who have expressed opposition to the more irresponsible financing strategies involving CABs do, in fact, recognize the practicality of responsibly-issued CABs. Many of the concerns about CABs have been mitigated to some degree by recent legislation (AB 132) signed by Governor Brown that limits CABs to no more than 25 years and a maximum debt repayment ratio of 4-1.

PUSD and the School Board work with their finance team to monitor interest rates to look for opportunities to refund or convert existing bonds when financing terms are available and more attractive.

There are several factors that the school board must consider when they time comes to decide how to structure debt:

• Managing the tax rate in accordance with statutory requirements as well as its impact on Piedmont taxpayers;
• Balancing the need for facilities with construction, inflation and interest costs;
• Weighing the costs of building facilities today versus waiting to build at a future date when construction costs and/or interest rates may be higher.

2. How should the School District support implementation of the Common Core Curriculum?

The District is using this school year to prepare for the Common Core standards that are required to be implemented in the next academic year. It has already put into place a thoughtful and measured approach to prepare teachers and to inform parents and the greater community. The District is working with teachers to assess the requirements and make necessary changes to program and classroom strategies. Additionally, the District has provided and will continue to provide educational forums for parents to understand what Common Core means to the District and in the classrooms.

There is great potential in Common Core to achieve critial thinking skills. There will be challenges to implementing Common Core standards in the early years, not just in Piedmont but across the country. The School Board and the District must make sure we meet the requirements while maintaining our commitment to an excellent and robust K-12 program that prepares our students for higher education and other challenges.

3. How will the District’s budgeting process be different under the Local Control Accountability Plan?

First there are the implications of Local Control Funding Formula which gives local control to school boards to decide how best to spend their money. While there is flexibility in how the money is spent, the law requires that spending be aligned with eight priorities: test scores, graduation rates, Common Core standards, measures of college and career readiness, parent involvement, school climate and student engagement. The impact of the LCFF requirements should be relatively minimal for District budgeting as, in recent years, the emphasis has been to budget for the most robust program possible to prepare students for college and beyond, already focusing on the eight LCFF requirements.

Local Control Accountability Plan mandates community engagement and open communication. By July 1, 2014, the District will be required to develop a three-year plan outlining its goals and priorities; the plan must be updated annually. Our school district is in very good shape for meeting LCAP requirements. First there are the Board's goals and action plans that are reviewed and updated annually at public meetings. There are also the long-established forums for community input including school board, site council, parent club, Budget Advisory Committee and curriculum forum meetings. In addition, the District periodically organized community-wide meetings to facilitate input from the wider community: the first Shaping our Future in 2009 and Shaping Our Future 2.0 in fall 2013.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. Direct references to opponents are not permitted.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: January 13, 2014 11:47
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