League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Santa Clara County, CA November 2, 2010 Election
	Patty Buchanan Answers Questions Candidate for Board Member; Saratoga Union School District; 4 Year Term

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

Our school district does a great job of providing a range of diverse educational experiences to inspire and support learning. Our teachers spend time learning about differentiation, multiple intelligences, pedagogical research and best practices used by other educators in order to enhance their own teaching styles and engage the students in their classrooms.

However, there is always room for improvement. The mission of our district is to educate and inspire ALL our students. One of the biggest challenges we face is how to continue training our teachers and provide relevant educational activities to the students in light of the current budget crisis. It will take creativity, teamwork and dedication to fulfill our mission in the coming years.

2. Where do want the district to be 5 years from now? What steps should the district take to get there?

Our schools have the daunting charge of preparing our students for the 21st century. I believe that includes being academically successful, caring and responsible citizens and culturally competent individuals. Although a tall order, five years from now, I would like to see our district excelling in those three fronts. It will take the concerted efforts of our educators, administrators, parents and the community as a whole to achieve this goal.

In order to continue our academic excellence, we must provide teachers with the tools needed to successfully educate our children. That includes the training, materials, supplies and technology to be able to do their jobs properly. We also need to keep investing in our social-emotional curriculum so that students learn how to be responsible adults. Project Cornerstone is an excellent example of a program that will do that, and it has just been introduced to all our schools. Lastly, we live in a diverse community, which gives us a unique opportunity to learn about other cultures and prepare our students for a global economy. We need to find ways to seize that opportunity and help our students grow to be culturally competent adults.

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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. Answers must not refer directly or indirectly to another candidate.

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

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 5, 2010 17:02
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