League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Santa Clara County, CA November 7, 2006 Election
	Glynis A. Price Answers Questions Candidate for Trustee; Santa Clara Unified School District; Trustee Area 2

The questions were prepared by the Leagues of Women Voters of Santa Clara County and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. How would you determine that the schools are using federal, state and local funds wisely and fairly and how would you report your findings to the community?

I believe that each school district should provide feedback to the funding agent that is both statistical and anecdotal in terms of the programs success. For example, a recent court decision directed the State of California to provide more funding to students at risk of failing the high school exit exam. School districts will have to report how the funds were spent, ie; additional tutoring to students whose first language is not english and the status of their improvement. The Santa Clara Unified School District reports to the community through the Schools Days Newsletter, which due to funding cuts, has unfortunately been decreased to twice yearly. I believe that each of us, parent, student, teacher or district staff member, has the responsiblity to evaluate the academic programs that should provide our children with a well-rounded education.

2. Are the schools offering instruction appropriate to the diverse educational abilities of all the students?

I believe that Santa Clara Unified School District works diligently to provide instruction to students of all abilities. That being said, every parent must be an active participant in their children's education to ensure that they are receiving the appropriate instruction for the student's needs and skill levels. I believe the each district has the challenge to balance the instructional needs of a wide spectrum of students addressing the needs of the average student.

3. Where do you want the District to be five years from now? What steps should the District take to get there?

I would like the Santa Clara Unified School District to have greater financial stability and have a larger percentage of their high school graduates going to and completing their college degrees. As SCUSD is a Basic Aid school district, meaning that the majority of it's unrestricted funding comes from county property taxes, the district must work creatively to increase it's local funding. This may include funding through a local parcel tax that would give the district a consistant funding stream that would again allow for a number of instructional improvements, including the reduction in class size and the increase in the number of school counselors. The increase of school counselors would provide the opportunity to reach more students on a consistant basis and give each student the support they would need to pursue their education past their high school degree. The district must continue to improve our students academic achievement by determining the needs of each student and the resources required for success.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' responses are not edited or corrected by the League.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 10, 2006 14:18
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