Educational Opportunity for All Students

By Margaret M. Trousdale

Serving the needs of a diverse population, academic freedom, the "No Child Left Behind Act", safety in schools, the District's budget, and what her role would be as a School Board member.

ACADEMIC FREEDOM I believe that teachers should be as creative as they can to effectively teach. After all, there is no mandate that teachers be on "the same page on the same day". What is happening, however, because of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of Congress is that California teachers are being pressured to show school improvement through the STAR or CAT6 tests. While Lexington and Oxford remain the best of the AUHSD junior high schools, the five other junior high schools in the district have very low test scores and are receiving special federal funds to improve them. I believe that a quarterly test can be a good tool to show areas of weakness for re-teaching. It's like a dress rehearsal. The STAR/CAT6 tests are THE SHOW. Raising test scores for these schools is necessary. In specialized reading programs, however, everyone needs to follow the script as well as possible. Kids need the systematic programming so they can catch up on the keys they missed out in the lower grades. The lower achieving junior highs in AUHSD especially need intervention programs for those students who are more than two years behind in their academic development. For teachers in remedial programs, being faithful to the script does allow for some amount of academic freedom.

SAFE CLASSROOMS All junior high and high school teachers have the responsibility to maintain a safe classroom environment. They need to handle discipline issues in a way that is respectful and that does not escalate a situation. They need to be informed as to their legal limits and liabilities. They need to be supported by the counselors, staff, and administration in many ways, such as by: having students visually screened at the entrance gate every day; and being informed as to the records of students with violent histories or other serious at-risk behavior. All schools need to have a discipline policy in place for the more extraordinary cases. It needs to be consistently implemented.

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND The "No Child Left Behind" Act tries to push for accountability. It wants to hold schools and teachers accountable for the academic growth of the students. Doing this under some duressed circumstances like overcrowding and budget issues, makes the need for funding this legislation even more critical. That's why our legislature needs to be lobbied for more funds to support the NCLB Act. As a board member, I would speak to our local and state congressmen about this.

DISTRICT'S BUDGET The greatest priorities of any school budget are the kids, the kids, and the kids. Everything surrounds their needs. Programs and instructional materials all focus on them. All classrooms need to have textbooks for every child. The number of students needs to be planned for and the teachers and administrators need to report back to the district and the board if this hasn't been met. Planning for programs with the appropriate materials is essential. If a program isn't building character or is ineffective, it needs to be changed or let go. Give the highly qualified veteran teachers incentives to retire early. Just one of their salaries can be used to employ two new teachers. I would also consider trimming some of the after school programs. Because reading, writing and mathematics come first!

AS YOUR ELECTED BOARD MEMBER As a board member, I will strive to not only attend all board meetings, but also to read the school newsletters, see the school websites, go to the Open Houses and view the special events. I will shake hands and listen to those who need my ears. I will weigh the needs of my constituents within the limitations of the AUHSD budget. I will strive to put our children's well-being and success first. I will listen to the teachers and the unions.

APPRECIATION Thank you to the League of Women Voters of Orange County for this opportunity to tell you my views. Remember, on November 2nd: A vote for TROUSDALE is a vote for students and parents in Anaheim, Buena Park, Cypress, La Palma, and Stanton.