Introduction

Board service takes time and positive energy. It requires ability and desire to listen well and balance sometimes competing needs with fairness and judgment. I believe a board member with knowledge, history, trustworthy relationships and willingness to give time can make a genuine difference. Three things matter to me most:

Excellent Teaching

Children need skilled teaching and quality program.

Quality teaching is the foundation of successful education. The San Carlos district leadership is currently focused on hiring, training and supporting excellent staff. Over 50% of district teachers are new in the last five years. Since fifty percent of the teaching staff was new four years ago, it is not hard to see the district has undergone a sea change in staffing. Newer staff are truly outstanding, dedicated to their profession and developing great skill. The district's leaders are also working skillfully to their limit to provide all teachers with opportunities for collaboration and training.

A board of education is needed that supports this process without diversion.
Many issues demand the board's time. In order to give time to support the teaching staff and support staff who enable their work, the board should act decisively to reduce items superficially treated on its agenda . Too many side issues are distracting the board's focus from the measurement of district goals. The board should set an accountability structure for the district. Once it assures the structure is in place, the board should allow staff to work, report on indicators and act if progress does not occur.

Children deserve access to excellent teaching and quality program that meets their needs. District funding supports core programs at every school. Fundraising provides supplemental positions, a rim of program choice decided by each school's teaching staff and parent community. Generally, the same program additions are desired by every elementary school community and middle school community, although there are some differences.

With site-based management, site or governance councils have greater opportunity for decision making and support of school priorities around program. Teaching staffs and involved parent representatives may together make decisions about curriculum materials and align spending with individual school needs. Individual school achievement and program needs may vary. Schools' abilities to win grants that fund salaried positions may differ. An enrichment program not offered in every school may be piloted in one school first. Fairness principles and equity tests should guide the school board's allocation of resources. These choices require wider discussion since there are many lenses for viewing equity.

Parent and Community Involvement

Support for our children.

Meaningful support of children's growth, learning, teachers and schools makes a critical difference in a child's educational success.

San Carlos schools are healthy, stimulating places for children because of excellent teachers, involved parents and a supportive community, all of whom place great importance on quality education for children.

Our parents and community make a difference. Parents participate in the classroom, on the playground at lunchtime, before and after school, in fundraising, in the PTAs, in site and governance councils. They mentor, tutor, and some become employed in the schools. Many community members once involved in the same ways, as former parents, never feel removed.

Another significant dimension of involvement is in decisions made by the school district. Teachers, classified employees, students, parents, principals, community members, taxpayers, and school neighbors are all members of the community. The school district's process for making collaborative decisions should be open, inclusive, as well as provide information and allow time and opportunity for people to participate. Historically, schools have been natural centers of neighborhoods and people continue to feel a sense of ownership and community as they use them and meet there.

Fiscal Responsibility

Strong management of all resources.

Many people in the schools work hard to stretch state dollars and to raise supplemental funds for critical programs. I work thoughtfully to assure district financial accountability for all resources. The district board must place student achievement needs at the center of spending decisions and construct a budget that tests all spending against achievement needs.

Spending decisions should all be weighed against the achievement they produce. The support and retention of an excellent staff that provides an excellent program deserves heavy investment. While many teachers have difficulty living on the Peninsula and the district has experienced turnover because of it, schools have most keenly felt the loss of retiring teachers. Over 50% of the staff was new four years ago, and the same statistic is still true today as we continue to see retirements and hire new staff.

We have been thoughtful and creative in how we sought to increase district funding. Several years ago, to increase funding all but one of the district's schools converted to charter schools. This brought spending decisions close to students. The schools receive d higher funding because charter schools were funded at 70% of the state average annually. This funding represented an increase since district schools were funded at below 70% of the state average. These same schools received very large competitive charter grants that allowed them to undertake innovative projects. Although the large grants are spent, the schools this year receive a COLA of 3% for charter schools compared to 2.4% for revenue limit district schools.

Today, parents work strategically to support increased San Carlos Education Foundation fundraising. We should continue to study creative approaches to school governance and site based budgeting as the schools transition to centralized fundraising and as we all study concepts of equity and the learning needs of children.

While the parcel tax approved by voters in 2003 generates roughly $915,000 in operating funds yearly and has provided much security that will continue over the next four years, creative and/or temporary solutions should not and cannot fund permanent salary schedule adjustments and collective bargaining agreements.