Political Philosophy for Susan H. Mayer

Candidate for
Governing Board Member; Campbell Union High School District

Following below are my responses to the four primary questions asked of me by the San Jose Mercury News Editorial Board. Briefly, they asked what my expierence was, what I thought were the three most important issues, what I planned to do about these issues, and why I believe myself to be the best candidate for this position. I felt their questions and my responses were worth repeating here.

1. Describe your experience in and knowledge of the governmental or educational unit for which your are seeking election.

I was appointed to the CUHSD Board of Trustees last summer and have served as an active member since then. I am the Board Representative to the Technology Committee and have participated in meetings with each of the other Board Committees (Finance, Curriculum, CCOC, etc.). Additionally I have actively participated in the District's Strategic Planning Sessions, Visioning and Budget Workshops.

Over the past few years I have also worked on a number of committees within the Campbell Union Elementary School District. I have participated in the District's Strategic Planning Sessions, and have served as an active member of the Bond Oversight Committee, the District Advisory Council, and the Curriculum Advisory and Assessment Committee. At Marshall Lane Elementary School, I have served as a member and Chairman of the School Site Council and as an active member of the PTA.

Prior to my committee or trustee involvement with the school districts, I co-chaired the group Citizens in Support of Students with Laura Moore. Our group helped to successfully defeat the Emerald Hills Property Transfer Petition by circulating petitions, compiling a comprehensive analysis of the potential impact of the transfer, making presentations at public hearings and meetings, and to the State Board of Education and the State Assembly Education Committee. Laura and I both received the West Valley ACSA Charter Volunteer Recognition Award for CUSD.

My MBA and finance course work as well as my past experience as a Controller/MIS Manager (at Eastfield Ming Quong) have enabled me to make significant contributions with regard to budget analysis and development. While undertaking the MBA program at Santa Clara University I worked as a Research Assistant for the Dean of the Business School (Professor Andre Delbecq) - our area of research focused on effective non-profit board configurations and utilization. My experience as an Instructional Designer and Technical Writer for Anderson Soft-Teach has also given me keen insight into the requirements for working within a dynamic, start-up business environment and an appreciation for the complexity of efficient and effective training.

2. What are the three most important issues facing the jurisdiction in which you are seeking election?

There are so many critical areas of consideration currently facing CUHSD, it is hard to narrow the range of focus. However, I believe that the three areas that require the most immediate attention are:

Unification: I believe that one of the greatest benefits to the unification and restructuring of the CUHSD could be the increased sense of community identity and increased level of local control over and local involvement with smaller, comprehensive K-12 districts. I think there is great potential for positioning our schools as Educational Community Centers that not only provide K-12 educational programs but also provide educational and recreational opportunities to our communities at large - including adults without children and our business partners. Unification would provide for greater program flexibility within the unified district. I don't view unification within the framework of a hostile takeover with one district winning over another, but rather one that reflects a true merger - one that benefits both entities and ultimately the consumer or student by providing a better product or educational experience.

Funding: Facilities Renovation and Cost Containment: Our school sites are in desperate need of renovation. I think it is a bit ironic that the oldest school site in our district was selected (at random by the State) to be our Digital High School. It reflects to some degree the lack of comprehensive planning and restructuring our educational communities are in need of (e.g. we should have obtained bond financing for schools first, then rebuilt them and wired them for the 21st Century, then integrated technology through-out the school site while integrating technology through out the curriculum and providing staff training and professional development to our teachers). Our buildings, classrooms, libraries, staff areas, science and art rooms are all in need of major enhancements. I would like to see us step forward and redesign our school sites to better reflect our community needs as well. Funding for additional professional development and teacher training is also of critical importance (see below). While seeking higher funding levels for educational programs and facilities we must also demonstrate greater fiscal responsibility by demonstrating a greater degree of control over health care and related benefits costs (not services).

Realignment and Integration of the Curriculum: I am in complete support of "raising the bar" academically for our students and for increasing the level of accountability. Our core curriculum needs to not only incorporate all of the state standards at the appropriate grade level but also integrate them across disciplines and ensure the utilization of technology through out a student's high school career.

3. If elected, what would you do about these issues?

I would be able to help develop and direct activities of the board and sub-committees within these areas. I will also continue to be active within the community and try to keep the community educated, informed and up-to-date on educational issues. I will also try to remain actively involved with our local legislators.

Unification: Continue to be available to groups and individuals for discussions, make information available on my web site, analyze data and information with regards to what unification will add to the education opportunities for our students and our communities.

Funding: Facilities Renovation and Cost Containment: Every member in our community, and through out the state of California, needs to be made acutely aware of inequities of our basic revenue limit ($1,000 under the average for the US) and that current legislation further broadens that gap by restricting revenue based on ADA (which will probably reduce revenue by about 10% in most districts). We can not provide state-of-the-art courses without providing comparable state-of-the-art funding. We need to draw business and community groups back into our schools so that they can be made more acutely aware of our facility needs. Additionally, by providing more services to our local businesses and community members, improvements at our sites would provide more intrinsic value to all concerned. I will work as hard as I can (within the Education Code's legal constraints) to obtain funding for our sites. Additionally, I hope that we continue to explore possible joint venture opportunities with neighboring districts and businesses and try to establish an educational foundation that could also help to streamline grant funding. The effective utilization and integration of technology through-out our curriculum may be one way to reduce program costs (over time). One area that we as a district must attend to with greater focus, is the reduction in cost of health care benefits (I want to be clear that I am referring to the cost of benefits and not the level of benefits provided).

Realignment and Integration of the Curriculum: We need to ensure that we provide an integrated curriculum that fosters the development of competencies in the soft skills - the ability to communicate effectively, to be self directed, to problem solve, to multiplex and work on parallel assignments (because managers control less and teams are more fluid). We need to use the three "R's" as the foundation for what I call the four "C's":

Creativity
Communication
Critical Thinking and
Computer Literacy

But you can't simply point your finger at our teachers and say, "Teach better, teach more." We need to help obtain funding for professional development and teacher training.

4. Briefly, explain why you are the best candidate for the office for which you are seeking election.

I believe that my education, work experience, volunteer experience and current position on the CUHSD board, as well as my concurrent positions with CUSD and at my children's school site, address both my qualifications and commitment to improving the level of educational opportunities afforded the students in our district. Additionally, I have proven to be an effective board member by being available and accessible to staff and constituents. I am able to communicate well with people from highly diverse backgrounds, can work under pressure to meet aggressive deadlines, can coordinate, manage and prioritize multiple projects. My children are ages 8, 5 and 3 - the community has my assurance that I am making a long term commitment to this position and to them.

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me.