Sometimes when it comes to politics, we get caught up on one specific issue. The issue for this election seems to be Common Core. I am opposed to it, but guess what? I have no control over it and neither does the Alpine School board. That is something that the State School Board has control over. I fear some people are so focused on this one issue, that they fail to ask questions about things that school board members DO have control over.
So, what questions should we be asking school board candidates?
Here is my list and my answers:
How many school board meetings have you attended?
I do my best to attend the school board meetings as well as the study sessions. I have not missed a school board meeting since I filed to run in March. I have attended 12 school board meetings in 2014 and also attended many in 2013. I also read all of the documents associated with each meeting and send questions to the appropriate people at the district. The last board meeting had 200 pages of documents attached to it.
How have you been involved in the schools?
I have 4 school-aged children and have volunteered at their schools since they started attending (11 years). My children have attended Snow Springs, Harvest, Saratoga Shores, Riverview, and Vista Heights in the Alpine School District. I have done just about every volunteer job from Take Home Reading Library to book fair volunteer. I have been a room mom, chaperoned field trips, graded papers, helped judge Battle of the Books, cut out things for teachers, laminated papers, helped with reading, helped set up classrooms with teachers, and been a weekly math volunteer. I create monthly budget reports and make sure the money that is raised goes back to the classroom where it belongs. I have cut out and counted Box Tops, served sno cones, counted and shipped printer cartridges, and helped organize reading programs. I currently serve on 3 PTAs and 2 School Community Councils. I have also been a substitute teacher for the last 2 years.
What are your concerns with the budget? Are there things you see cutting? Are there things you see putting more money into?
I e-mail the district business administrator often about the monthly claims. For the last board meeting, I asked about money spent on drug testing, field turf expenses, and a specific nutrition services vendor. As far as the budget, there are items I would like to see cut. I think the $60 monthly stipend given to board members for internet is unnecessary as is the $42,000 in dues for the board members to the USBA and NSBA. I do not have full access to each individual budget, but I believe that the NSBA conference in March of 2015 costs about $900 per person plus hotels, meals, and airfare. I am guessing that adds up to about $2,500 per person and that for 7 board members is $17,500. That seems excessive to me. Can we not just have 1 or 2 people attend? Is what we get out of the conference worth $17,500? If elected, I would go through each individual budget and look for things that may not benefit our teachers and students and make sure we are investing money directly in the classrooms. I would like to see us put more money into AP classes, concurrent enrollment, and gifted and talented services. I think addressing class sizes is essential for our students and our teachers.
How much time do you spend on education?
That is a tough one to put an actual number to. I volunteer several hours at schools every week and also read...a lot. In the last year, I have read The Homework Myth, Boys Adrift, and Genius Denied as well as reading articles online at the New York Times, Washington Post, and CNN. I also do my best to keep an open dialogue with parents and teachers about issues facing our students and the educational world. When I have questions, I look for answers. That might mean calling the director of transportation about a bus issue or calling the director of research and evaluation about AP pass rates.
What have you personally done to better our schools?
These are a few examples of ways I have tried to better our schools: I advocated to put the Mandarin Immersion program at Riverview Elementary and I believe its success contributed to Black Ridge Elementary opening their own Mandarin program. I also worked with parents to organize a petition and protest to get a canal crossing built so that students could walk safely to Riverview Elementary. I also spoke out about changes to a policy involving children who self-administer life-saving medication. The changes I requested were approved and I truly believe that children with life-threatening conditions are safer because of it.
What other questions should we be asking school board candidates?
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