Candidate for
Governing Board Member; Las Virgenes Unified School District

a letter from Cindy . . .

Dear Voter:

I have stepped forward as a candidate to volunteer my professional skills to help solve the lingering issues in the District. As a business attorney, I'm trained and experienced in asking questions, looking at all sides of an issue, evaluating complex problems, thinking of alternative solutions, and negotiating resolutions. As someone who is independent, I am not a District employee, a teacher, a parent of a student needing special services, nor do I have a personal agenda. I can bring a fresh perspective, ask new questions, and evaluate whether there's a better way to do things. As a parent of two children in District schools, I have the best interests of all the District's families at heart and I know that the Board should be responsive to the needs of the community.

As a Board member, I will dedicate myself to improving the educational program for all District students. First, we need to focus on improving communication with parents, teachers and the community. The Board must actively seek out ideas from all these constituencies and respond to their concerns in a timely manner.

Second, we need to find additional sources of funding, by looking both internally at the existing programs, commitments and funding sources, and by building partnerships externally with the business community and the local cities.

Third, we need to develop a program to enhance teacher morale, so we can retain and attract quality teaching professionals. We also need to rapidly complete construction of our new schools, safely and efficiently, and ensure they are adequately staffed and equipped.

Early in my legal career, I read an article about Linus Pauling, the Nobel prize winner and health educator, and something he said resonated with me:

"The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas."

That is the philosophy I adhered to in the business world, and it is the philosophy I intend to bring with me to the School Board. The schools need not only my ideas, but your ideas, the ideas of the parents, the teachers, the local business community, city officials and staff, and even the ideas of our kids. It is only by coming together with all these ideas, and discussing them as a community, that we can identify the good ideas and come up with the right solutions.

I am excited about my candidacy, and I look forward to serving our community as a member of the Board of Education. Please join me in working and thinking together to make our schools the very best they can be! I hope you will endorse my efforts, by voting for me on November 6.