Candidate for
Trustee; Manteca Unified School District; Trustee Area 5

For A Fresh Start Elect Vern Gebhardt Manteca Unified School Board Philosophy:

• Education should serve both college and vocational education students.
• Educate students as if they were your own children, so you will make every effort to help them succeed.
• Develop programs and strategies that will help all students graduate.
• Education must address the health of today's youth.
• Make sure that teachers, counselors, and administrators have time to collaborate in order to best serve the interest of students.
• Hire and retain the best teachers available.
• Our educational system, in collaboration with parents, should develop youth to be knowledgeable, self-directed good citizens.

• Some programs and strategies are in place to help our students graduate, but we should continue to explore elementary and high schools models that are having successful graduation rates. If these programs fit the needs of our students, we should incorporate them. We should also encourage the Give Every Child a Chance program in all of our schools by actively recruiting peer students to work with younger students. Reading and math skills are essential if we expect our students to succeed in school and in life.
• We all know that obesity is a huge problem, and if we expect our children to grow up healthy we must explore ways to address the problem. I would like to see our District pilot a program of peer tutoring for elementary physical education. Students at the high school would be trained to work with elementary students in aerobic fitness activities. Older peers have a great deal of influence on young elementary kids, and hopefully they will use their influence to convince younger students to develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
• Bring back the elementary athletic programs. Several gyms have been constructed at our elementary schools and they should be used both during and after school. Kids need exercise and sports provide exercise as well as an exceptional learning experience.
• Modify and then restore the Collaboration Day schedule so that educators and administrators have time to work together on educational improvement programs. We must make sure that both high school and elementary teachers have time to collaborate.
• Survey yearly the salaries and benefits school employees are offered in surrounding Districts, and then use this information to retain our employees. Some Districts are now offering incentives to retain employees, so we may want to explore this possibility as well.
• Team up with teachers and administrators to see if there is a possibility to offer additional elective classes in high school. Many students are required to take remedial classes to help them pass the Exit Exam. This is now the State requirement for graduation. Taking remedial classes is preventing these students from taking additional elective classes. This really affects students with a vocational career in mind. These students must be provided the opportunity to take elective classes that provide a foundation for their future vocation. Offering additional classes will also help the college bound students. It will allow them to take advanced classes in their area of interest, and it will also offer them options to expand their knowledge in arts, music, drama, agriculture and industrial technology.