League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Santa Clara County, CA November 4, 2014 Election
	Wendy Dillingham-Plew Answers Questions Candidate for Board Member; Campbell Union High School District

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

Questions & Answers

1. How would you determine that the schools are using federal, state and local funds wisely and fairly and how would you report your findings to the community?

I have a strong background in school finance and a history of requiring transparency. With categorical programs now largely eliminated with the Local Control Funding Formula, we have an opportunity to maximize our dollars to provide the best education for our students. Working collaboratively with staff, teachers, parents, students and community leaders is the key to determining the needs of our students. The Local Control Accountability Plan (the plan which aligns funding to goals) is a good vehicle with an outlined process of engagement and public reporting. Aligning funding to needs, then using data to determine if we have met our goals is key. Reporting those results to the community is the final step and will be done each year.

2. Are the schools offering instruction appropriate to the diverse educational abilities of all the students?

I think we do a good job but we can always do better. As a former classroom teacher I understand the difficulty of individualizing instruction for each unique student. Educators receive a lot of training and education to be able to do just that, which is the art of teaching. Students have varying interests and talents, and it is our job in a high school setting to provide an offering of courses and activities for each student to flourish and achieve their greatest potential. One area I think we can do better is providing more Career Technical pathways. Studies show that when exposed to career technical skills, along with academics and "soft skills" job training students graduate from high school in higher numbers, go to post-secondary education in higher numbers and on average earn more than their peers who did not have the opportunity to take these courses.

3. Where do you want the District to be five years from now? What steps should the District take to get there?

This year we began an International Baccalaureate program at Del Mar HS and planning for Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing Pathways at Del Mar and Westmont. I would like to see more innovative programs to make sure we are engaging every student. Increasing student engagement is key. Attracting and retaining the best educators, administrators and staff is also key. I would like to see us be more competitive with surrounding districts in five years, while still maintaining our fiscal health. In five years I would also like to see more community and business engagement to make sure we are partnering to prepare our students for the jobs and careers that are available.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. The answer to each question should be limited to 400 words. 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: September 19, 2014 15:42
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