Candidate for
Governing Board Member; Paso Robles Joint Unified School District

After 19 years as a Board member, you would think I would have a lesser degree of enthusiasm when it comes to Paso Robles Public Schools and the education of students. You would think that with all of the changes that occur in education, all of the challenges that must be met each day in our schools and often the uncertainty of what "tomorrow" brings, I would throw up my hands and retreat to the sidelines. I cannot do that, because, you see, along with the requirements that must be met, I am able to see the thousands of faces of students who are our "shining stars" each and every day. I experience a staff filled with enthusiasm for how they can help students succeed. I watch parents attend their child's school with a sense of pride and involvement. I believe the Paso Robles Public Schools offer an outstanding education that constantly strives to provide our students with the tools necessary to become a lifelong learner. For this reason, I look forward to having the opportunity to continue to serve for another term.

One of the major issues that our school district must address is the growth of our community. We look around and see many housing developments in many different stages. We know that with people buying houses, comes students. We are in the process of building a Kermit King Elementary School, across from Cuesta College. This school should have been built with the support of the community through the passage of a Bond Measure. However, the community felt differently and we, as a district, knew that this school MUST be built. Our other elementary schools are already impacted. So, in order to build this school, we borrowed the money. We also have 11 classrooms to be built on the high school campus which will be built with hardship money. I, as a Board Member and a member of this community, have always supported the Bond measure to help meet the needs of our students education. I will continue to do that. Perhaps we can begin to understand the need to plan for the future and provide for our young people. Unfortunately, we cannot build schools with developer fees (not enough-legally charging the max). My suggestion is that we meet as a community and discuss some of the suggestions on how to meet the needs of growth and, together, we will learn from each other. I believe in being proactive when it comes to education and this certainly is an area that demonstrates what that means.

I have always believed in public education. If you look back in history, you will see that public education was the mainstay of the country and the community. At one time there was a strength in the local School Board, who worked together with the community. Now we see that the State is removing much of that local control with demands. There are numerous mandated programs which the State does not provide adequate, or no, funding for. The fact that districts are not receiving the funding needed to meet all of the needs of Special Education students is yet another issue. Now we are faced with administering an assessment test to our students, mandated by the State and reward dollars given to individual teachers or schools who have raised the bar. I believe we definitely should be monitoring our students progress. But I also believe that local school districts are professionally able to perform that task. We hold our students accountabe in many ways through district testing in reading, math, language arts/writing and many other areas. It is a shame that our State felt it necessary to attach reward dollars to students learning. Our teachers are dedicated to providing a quality learning environment, reaching out to help students any way they can. The majority of teachers are not in the profession for the money, but for the honor of teaching students. That is their reward.

And, finally, I feel the involvement of the entire community is imperative to the success of our students. I know that numerous parents participate in their child's school. There are community members who volunteer in various areas of teaching. I would like to see many more become involved. I would like to see a program that brings our senior citizens into the schools as they have so much to give to our students. Currently, I know that many of our schools adopt businesses as a partner. I would like to see that expanded. And I would like to see more people mentoring our students. We have many qualified parents who care and nurture their children. However, in this day and age, where so many parents are working, mentoring with someone who can spare the time is a major asset to all. Once again, I truly believe that the education of a child is the responsibility of an entire community. Those students are our "shining stars" in the future.