League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Santa Clara County, CA November 4, 2008 Election
	Colin Rudolph Answers Questions Candidate for Board Member; Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District; 4 Year Term

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of Los Altos/Mtn. View Area and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. What would you recommend to better address parking at both high schools and the neighborhoods around them?

The fundamental problem is not parking, but rather it is transportation - getting educators and students from homes to school and back. Parking is merely a symptom of an inadequate transportation system. Thus, we need to review how we can optimize transportation and subsequently reduce the number of cars that need to park. Three areas to consider include: 1) Promote carpooling for all students who are eligible under California Driving Regulations. 2) Work with the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) to optimize public transit. 3) Limit parking permits and strongly enforce offenders.

2. What would you do to improve the passing rate for the high school exit exam and the high school graduation rate?

A priority must be placed on the Exit Exam as one cannot graduate without passing the exam. There are two areas that our District can address and one that we must partner with our Elementary Districts: 1) Work with our Elementary Districts to ensure that all students are on track to meet the Exit Exam's requirements. Identify any students that are "at risk" and develop a plan (or roadmap) to ensure success. 2) Educate families and students of the importance of passing the Exit Exam. We must also balance the benefits of passing with the consequences of failing. 3) Continue to promote volunteer tutoring to bridge any gaps in test preparation.

3. How will you cope with the state budget cuts?

As a basic-aid District, State budget cuts are not catastrophic, but still impact many programs. There are three areas that can be used to reduce the exposure of State funded programs: 1) Establish MVLA Endowment Fund in which accrued interest can be reinvested into the fund in good economic times or used to off-set State shortages in poor economic times. 2) Continue to require "rainy-day" budgeting 3) Invite local State Representatives to address the District (and community) on their State Budget position prior to the Budget deadline and each month the budget is not ratified.

4. What steps would you take in the near-term to prepare for the foreseeable future challenge of a teacher shortage resulting from so many baby-boomer teachers retiring en masse, especially in math and science?

Forecasted retirements are something that will affect many areas of our Government and Educational System. MVLA is not exempt, but forecasted retirements in the District are not as massive as other areas. However, we can address any potential short-falls in three ways: 1) Continue to offer one of the highest pay ranges in the State and competitive benefit packages. 2) Focus on making the District a "Top Place to Work" and ensure that there is a focus on the Educators. 3) Support and promote grass-roots programs for attracting potential teachers to the industry.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' responses are not edited or corrected by the League.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 6, 2008 18:10
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