Academics First

By Gary Tomak

My top priority is the academic achievement of all children. I believe we must continue to raise the academic bar for all students. We must close the achievement gap between our most affluent and our neediest students. We must continue to provide a variety of choices for students and their parents through magnet schools, charter schools, the International Baccalaureate Program, independent study and on-line learning programs, and career academies.

I support building and modernizing schools with the latest technology which has been proven to promote academic growth. With the California state budget in continuing turmoil, I will work to ensure schools and administration become even more efficient in operations. Additionally, I will work to secure additional educational grants from alternate private resources.

I will continue efforts to select proven and effective curricula, attract and retain excellent teachers, provide improved teacher training and support, and ensure classrooms are conducive to a positive learning environment. By tracking individual student performance, students needing extra assistance can be quickly identified and matched with supplementary programs.