League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Santa Clara County, CA November 8, 2005 Election
	Laura Casas Frier Answers Questions Candidate for Board Member; Foothill-De Anza Community College District

Questions & Answers

1. Given the fact that budgetary restraints will continue, what programs do you support and what programs would you cut and why? Please be specific.

Protection of core educational programs is needed so students can either transfer to four-year colleges or earn career certificates. Support networks including counselors, dedicated teachers, updated technology, tutors and mentorship programs (Puente Project, Pass the Torch) are critical. Duplication of services or areas not within the mission of Foothill-DeAnza District should be lower in funding priorities.

2. What do you see as the role of the Board in labor negotiations?

The board sets the policy and direction of the district in order to balance educational and fiscal objectives against the concerns of employees. Direct negotiations are handled by the administration, with recommendations submitted to the Board.

3. To which constituencies and by what process should the Board evaluate the performance of the colleges?

The constituents include the students and the community. Performance of the colleges should be evaluated based on outcomes in student academic preparation for four year colleges and in preparation for careers.

One indicator of performance is the acceptance rate of students to the UC and CSU systems. Eighty percent of the Foothill-DeAnza Community College freshman class is classified remedial. Foothill-DeAnza is funded near the bottom statewide. Yet, our Foothill-DeAnza students have one of the highest acceptance transfer rates to UC and CSU colleges. Our students are academically prepared when they transfer because of the support networks in place. The board should give great weight to the programs that contribute to this outcome.

Another performance indicator would be the ability of the colleges to meet community demands for skilled labor. Our fastest growing academic function is the retraining of displaced workers. There is a nursing shortage. A nursing certificate costs $15,000 per student yet our state funding is limited to approximately $4,000 per student. This year our nursing program had 250 students on the waiting list! As a Board member, I would seek to build the colleges' ability to place more students in these high-demand programs, so they can become successful employees, consumers and taxpayers in our community.