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Sacramento County, CA November 7, 2006 Election
Smart Voter

Making Our District Competitive

By Eddie L. Kirby

Candidate for Board Member; San Juan Unified School District

This information is provided by the candidate
I strongly believe that the way to shrink our budget gap, and improve the education standards in our schools is by putting our district at the forefront of innovative ideas in education, and by pressing to make our district competitive in the region. I will do this by enhancing our academic achievement in the district, and by putting together a community supported vocational program in our high schools.
As a member of the school board, I will work to enroll more students in honor level courses. I will take a more nuanced approach than simply categorizing students as either "average" or "gifted." There are hundreds of students in each one of our district high schools that could take a single Honors/AP/IB course in an area that they were interested in and achieve. The key to this approach is recognizing that every student has an intrinsic ability to succeed; it's simply a matter of finding a subject that the student is interested in, nurturing their interest in that subject and then use that subject as a springboard for academic excellence in other areas. The current system, which takes a bifurcated view of students, is outdated. My approach recognizes that all students can succeed, and challenges our teachers and administrators to find creative ways to maximize the student's interest. This will help to motivate those students that are currently stuck in classes which they find "boring" and "easy". Further, it will equip these students with skills that they need to achieve at a higher level in their other courses, and in college.

Second, I will build partnerships with local businesses, trade unions, and other community groups that hold a stake in our student's success, and build a comprehensive vocational program in our local high schools. By utilizing businesses, unions, and other elements of our community, we can build a self-sustained vocational program that motivates those students which don't enjoy traditional courses. This will motivate more students to come to school, and will help put the traditional education courses they are taking in perspective.

Together, these two steps can build a truly revolutionary high school program. These common-sense policies will increase student motivation, attendance, and improve standardized test scores across our district. They will make San Juan a staple for good education for every student, and help attract students from around the region into our schools. As a result, we will help turn back the clock on our declining enrollment problem, and improve our fiscal situation.

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ca/sac Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 30, 2006 12:42
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