League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Santa Clara County, CA November 2, 2010 Election
	Monet Goldman Answers Questions Candidate for Board Member; Fremont Union High School District

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?

By frequently visiting resources that show how funds are being used in the district, we can keep our budget in check. Websites such as www.ed-data.k12.ca.us report where funds are going. Comparing our findings with other neighboring high school districts would be another way to see if funds are being allocated as efficiently as possible. The conclusions made from our investigation would be presented to the community through e-mail groups, newsletters, and websites.

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

The district has put up roadblocks that keep FUHSD students from learning and achieving academically. One of these roadblocksis the "no doubling up" policy. I would like to see the "no doubling up" policy removed so that FUHSD students will not be blocked from taking two classes in the same subject. This policy blocks students from taking Biology and Chemistry the same year. This policy acts as a roadblock to students trying to get a taste of what their major will be like in college. Students should have the choice to take classes offered without restriction. Another roadblock to our student's education is our highly paid administration. Right now we have one of the highest paid administration in the state of California. We rank 7th in administration $/student, but only 209th in Instruction $/Student. We have the worst student-teacher ratio of any school district in Santa Clara County because of this. In the past four years, money going towards administration has doubled from around $500/ pupil to over $1000/ pupil. As a result, money for instruction has shriveled. Since 2006, our STAR test scores in key subjects such as 9th grade Algebra have gone down, while the California average has increased. If support is not given to the disadvantaged, then they will not succeed in school. If they do not maintain a healthy G.P.A., then they will be forced off of their sports team. By removing a positive outlet for these kids, you replace it with a negative one such as drug use and gangs. This district can not afford to turn its backs to both the economically disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged groups. An efficient use of the budget, by providing the kids with the greatest academic support and extracurricular outlets, will be a great challenge but one I will work towards with fellow board members, administrators, teachers, students, and parents.

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

Being able to properly allocate the budget to maintain art, music, sports, and academic programs while hiring enough teachers to keep a low student to teacher ratio. To achieve this goal, we will have to reduce the tremendous amount of money going towards the administration, and redirect those funds to the students and teachers.

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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 18, 2010 15:57
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