Our Kids Are Always First

By Hugh R "Richard" Coz

Richard Coz for M.V. School Board P.O. Box 7599 Moreno Valley, CA 92552-7599 (909) 850-6121 hrcoz@earthlink.net

Our Kids Are Always First

A few months ago when I was asked to run for Trustee on the Moreno Valley Unified School District School Board, I asked myself how I should focus my efforts if you granted me the privilege of becoming a Moreno Valley School Board member. After talking to my wife Stephanie and with many of you, I knew that the goal was to provide the best education possible for our kids. We all want to provide the best education for our kids. You and I believe that our children deserve the opportunity to receive the finest education possible so that they can succeed in life. We know that every child deserves a chance to succeed. We believe that education is the key to our children's success.

It is my hope that this handout will introduce me to you and let you know how I will work to improve our schools. If you would like more information, have any questions or want to help us succeed, please call or email me at the addresses below. A member of my election team or I will contact you as soon as possible. Remember to vote on November 4th. I ask you to vote for me, Richard Coz, for Moreno Valley School Board.

My wife, Stephanie, and I have two children. My daughter, Jennifer, just graduated from Valley View High School and begins college in September. My son, Richie is an incoming freshman at Valley View High School. Our family has lived in Moreno Valley for more than seventeen years. We are active in our church, our school, youth sports, the Boy Scouts and a great service club, the Optimist Club of Moreno Valley.

I have been privileged to be endorsed and supported by members of the Moreno Valley Unified School District Board of Education, members of the Moreno Valley City Council, Riverside County Board of Supervisors Fifth District Supervisor Marion Ashley, Eastern Municipal Water District Board Member Dave Slawson, business and civic leaders, and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. I am seeking the endorsement of the Moreno Valley Educators Association, the Moreno Valley unit of the California School Employees Association, and civic and business leaders in our community.

On the backside of this handout I have outlined some of the important tasks that face our schools. Please take the time to read them and give me your observations and comments. I appreciate this opportunity to present my views. I look forward to the opportunity to hear from you. I will always be available to respond to your concerns. I ask for your support and endorsement so that I may help make the Moreno Valley Unified School District and our students the best that they can be.

Campus Safety and Security # During my seven-year tenure as your Moreno Valley Police Chief I worked closely with our schools and the District to insure the safety of students and staff. We must always keep our kids safe. I will work to maintain a high level of safety and security for our students, educators and staff. This will allow our children to learn in a safe environment in a climate free from fear and retribution.

Students Must Follow the Rules # Continue to work to provide a reasonably structured environment where teachers can teach and children can learn. This effort must be done in a fair, equitable and consistent manner.

Quality Education # We must continue to improve the quality of education throughout our district. Class size reduction should be continued and enhanced.

Attendance - Children cannot learn unless they attend school. The district must continue to implement meaningful policies towards eliminating truancy and improving attendance. Our goal should be 100 percent attendance. Attendance is a fundamental issue.

Fair Treatment of All Students - We must strive to achieve fair and just treatment for all. No exceptions.

Community Participation # We must continue to encourage and support community involvement between parents, the business community, the PTA, the District, and our neighborhood schools.

Employee Professional Development - Highly trained and motivated educators and staff are a critical component to educational success. We must continue to improve our efforts in this area.

Class Size Reduction - We should always strive to lower class sizes so that all classes have the lowest number of students to teacher ratio that the district can provide. There should be continued professional review of how this applies to the different educational programs.

Budget - The district must operate a successful educational program within its budget. This goal is in the best interest of our community. Every dollar spent must further the goal of educating our children. Budgets should not be a mystery. We must have open and honest dialogue about how budget dollars are allocated to the various programs.

Curriculum - I understand that many of the standards in curriculum and evaluation are set by the State. To the extent we are allowed to affect the process, all of us must have input into the development and implementation of curriculum. We are a diverse community with a variety of educational needs and concerns.