League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Santa Clara County, CA November 4, 2008 Election
	Vance Vuong Answers Questions Candidate for Board Member; Milpitas Unified School District

The questions were prepared by the Leagues of Women Voters of Santa Clara County and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. How would you determine that the schools are using federal, state and local funds wisely and fairly and how would you report your findings to the community?

I have confidence in the judgments of our District's competent Superintendent, accountants and controller. The District's current financial state is well documented and the distribution of funds is well planned. Various reports are also regularly presented at School Board meetings, which is televised live on Milpitas community channel. If elected, I would work closely with Board members, administrators and principals to evaluate each school's needs and programs. Of course, my findings would be reported at School Board meetings.

2. Are the schools offering instruction appropriate to the diverse educational abilities of all the students?

Regardless of students' abilities, I think there must be a minimum standard that all students are required to meet so that they can be prepared for life after high school whether it is college, or vocational training, or work. The proficient students need more challenging projects. The average students need more encouragement. The below-average students need to be further empowered; they need more counseling and active tutoring.

3. Where do you want the District to be five years from now? What steps should the District take to get there?

I often think about our children's academic achievement which is a result of the quality of classrooms, instructions, assignments, tests, and policies. Here are my practical plans for boosting our children's competitiveness.

The most advanced High school juniors and seniors need opportunities to excel. I propose a Science Field Study program. For two weeks per school year, with their teachers' and parents' approvals, they would intern at local hi-tech companies to gain excitedly applied knowledge and exposures.

The English learners must be further empowered. Their inadequate English have hindered their performances and schools' rankings. I propose mandatory after-school English classes whereby able High school juniors and seniors would tutor them + extra credits for tutors, big savings for the District, and improved test scores for younger students.

Another High school and Elementary school might be needed to ease congestion. The lower teacher-to-students ratio sustains the quality of classroom instructions. The building costs would be mitigated by fairer shares of funding from the Redevelopment Agency and higher builder's fees. We, the parents, also need to partially invest in our children's education and community.

Furthermore, enthusiastic and resourceful teachers indeed influence deeply our students' intellectual curiosities. And at home, we, the parents, must redouble our participation in our children's educational efforts.

Milpitas students certainly deserve it.

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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: November 1, 2008 19:03
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