League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Los Angeles County, CA March 5, 2013 Election
	Mónica García Answers Questions Candidate for Board Member; Los Angeles Unified School District; District 2

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

Questions & Answers

1. What is the single most important issue facing LAUSD today? As a Board Member, what would you do to deal with it?

We need to reshape the culture of our schools to establish high expectations. We must believe and work so that every child graduates from high School and is able to go to college. This means we need to give our students the tools they need to get there-- counseling, tutoring, summer supports, college fairs and--most importantly--a rigorous college preparatory curriculum.

2. How would you prioritize your local constituency in overseeing LAUSD management, setting District policy, and day-to-day decision-making?

We need to make sure we are evaluating our progress with students, that resources are getting into the classroom, and that the schools are safe. We must measure our 3rd grading reading levels, attendance, graduation, and college preparedness. We set the policy and the goals, and we must make sure day to day decisions, have local input, but work towards those ends.

3. What experience in general management, fiscal management, and budgetary oversight would you bring to the job of Board Member?

As Board President during a period of time in which we have lost billions of dollars in reduced revenue I have worked hard with our teachers, administrators, parents and community to make sure we do everything we can to make the best decisions. It has been tough, but we have made it through and need to continue to work together to make sure we have the resources we need to give our children the best education possible.

4. How should LAUSD deal with its rapidly increasing costs for retiree and employee health care?

There is no question what our schools need, across the country, is a massive reinvestment. The numbers do not add up. We have had massive cuts and we need to restore funding. Yet, I do not support taking away what we have promised our workers. We have lost over $2B in funding over the last few years. We need to restore previous levels of funding.

5. What part should standardized testing play in LAUSD’s educational programs?

Testing is a part of our work. However, we cannot overburden ourselves with testing, and we cannot teach for tests. We must focus on key indicators like, 3rd grade reading levels, graduation rates, drop out rates, and college preparation. Testing is a part of what we do, but student success is the goal.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League. 

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

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: February 4, 2013 13:15
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