Candidate for
Board Member; Pasadena Unified School District; Seat 4

Make every school special

• Every school should have ITS own "brand" and offer something different from every other school, because kids respond to different kinds of learning environments and teaching approaches.
• Administrators, teachers and parents should work together to create high performing schools with a special emphasis.
• We need to form real partnerships with the many great institutions in the area -- businesses, hospitals, museums, colleges and universities, cultural groups, and others -- who can provide resources, expertise, student internships and more.

• We have to remove the obstacles that impede good teaching and good learning by offering more resources for teaching and extra help for students in need. Every child can and should be performing at or above grade level.
• Provide coaches in math and reading/literacy to students at risk.
• Quality after-school programs at each site.
• Summer programs for all students + both remedial and enrichment.
• Increased counseling for students to prepare for college.

• Schools work better when all stake holders are heard from and have a say.
• I would like to see parent centers established where volunteers can exchange accurate information to all who are interested.
• Support the many community and parent groups who want to be full partners in our school system. Engage them in decisions before they are made by the board. Help parent groups have a strong voice in the way their children's schools are run
• Give our teachers more respect by providing them with the professional development opportunities they need to constantly improve and the salaries and benefits they deserve to do the difficult work they do helping our children.

• I have a very clear business plan which is "spend less than you take in". Although the concept is simple the application is not. It takes great planning and thorough over-sight.
• Provide parents and community members with clear, concise, and timely budget information so they can be active partners with the school district.
• Conduct monthly open meetings where there is at least one board member and one senior administrator present to hear from parents and community members.
• Insist on better information from the staff before it makes decisions about where to invest, what's working and what's not working.

• The Board must lead an effort that produces an atmosphere of cooperation, trust and efficiency. They must lead by example by being great role models and positive influences, by being well informed, by working together and by not accepting mediocrity at any level.
• We need to show our appreciation and respect for teachers by providing them with the resources they need to meet our high standards.
• The role of management needs to be one where they remove obstacles and impediments for those on the front lines.
• The board needs to reach out and form real partnerships with the city councils of Pasadena and Sierra Madre, the Altadena Town Council and the Board of Pasadena City College and work in cooperation to improve our schools. You have to have a great school system to be a great city.