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The questions were prepared by the Leagues of Women Voters of Santa Clara County and asked of all candidates for this office.
See below for questions on
Experience,
Labor Negotiations,
Goals
Click on a name for candidate information. See also more information about this contest.
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1. What experience and training would you bring to this office?
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Answer from Buck Polk:
My career in public education spans 36 years as classroom teacher, coach and school principal. For the last two years, I have proudly served you as a member of the District Governing Board. As your trustee, I have worked diligently to elevate West Valley and Mission Colleges as incubators of Silicon Valley's next leaders.
Answer from Mark Little:
I bring a fresh perspective with a business-minded education. I was a student athlete at West Valley College and understand the issues that face our students. I have worked on large budget projects for nearly ten years now and understand the importance of responsible budget spending. I also have a background in financial services which gives me an edge in the financial matters.
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2. What do you see as the role of the Board in labor negotiations?
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Answer from Mark Little:
I see the role of the Board in labor negotiations to be one of a fair mitigator. I want to see these great colleges continue to attract top teaching talent so that the students will get the best possible education. I feel that we are responsible for maintaining a balanced budget, much like a large business project would. I would seek out unneccessary spending and reallocate funds to the proper areas. These areas logically seem to be faculty compensation and student classes and programs.
Answer from Buck Polk:
West Valley and Mission cannot succeed without a quality staff that is compensated for the great work that they do. The Board's role is to balance the inevitable budget contraints with fair and competitive salaries for the College staff.
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3. What are your goals for the college? Are students, faculty and staff currently meeting those goals?
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Answer from Buck Polk:
- Career Programs- I will look to broaden the range of critical service career programs, such as fire, law enforcement, nursing and paramedic.
- Core Class Expansion- I want to facilitate a quicker and smoother transfer process to 4 year colleges for our students.
- Recruitment Campaign- I want to bolster the amount of high school seniors that choose to continue their education after graduation.
- Vocational and Innovative Career Enhancement Studies- I want to expand the breadth of study/career options for our students.
- Fiscal Responsibility- I have and will continue to bring discipline and accountability to the management of district funds.
Answer from Mark Little:
The goals for the college are to educate minds, young and old alike, and aid students in achieving their academic goals. For most, this will be the ability to learn and advance to a 4 year degree program. We want to create an open atmosphere where faculty and students can work together to achieve academic greatness. Faculty should enjoy their time at West Valley and Mission colleges and be rewarded for the great job they perform. At this time, these goals are not being fully met. Budget spending has been somewhat irresponsible with attempts to cut faculty benefits in the past term.
Responses to questions asked of each candidate
are reproduced as submitted to the League.
Candidates' responses are not edited or corrected by the League.
The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.
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League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
