League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Santa Clara County, CA November 6, 2012 Election
	Candidates Answer Questions on the Issues Board Member; Evergreen School District

The questions were prepared by the Leagues of Women Voters of Santa Clara County and asked of all candidates for this office.     See below for questions on Use of Funds, Appropriate Instruction, District Goals Click on a name for candidate information.   See also more information about this contest. 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? Answer from Bonnie Mace: School districts need to be accountable, fiscally responsible and follow the letter of the law when using federal, state and local funds. There needs to be a clear structure of oversight to ensure that funds are spent wisely, fairly, and according to the law. In terms of accountability, the Board has policy oversight over the Superintendent, and the Superintendent has the daily management responsibility to ensure that students receive the education they need in a timely and fiscally prudent manner. The Superintendent, in turn, has oversight over the Cabinet, including the fiscal services department which disburses and manages funds. At each level, there is a balance of power to ensure that funds are managed properly. A wise use of funds means that money is distributed according to our strategic workplan. The workplan is determined by participation of all the stakeholders, and our current 3-year vision stipulates goals such as closing the achievement gap, improving communication with stakeholders, attracting and retaining a high quality staff,and ensuring safe schools. The fair use of funds means that money is distributed equitably across all the schools within the districts so that each school has the opportunity to provide a high quality of education to its students. Money should also be equitably distributed within schools so that all subgroups benefit from our educational programs. Teachers and classified staff should also receive fair compensation relative to the overall budget health of the district. It is important to have transparency with the community regarding the use of funds. Communication can occur through several pathways: regular reports by the Chief Financial Officer at the Board's monthly meetings, regular updates on the school district's website concerning how funds are being spent, and outreach by the Superintendent at neighborhood and community group meetings. Our district also has regular audits by independent auditors who can determine whether funds are being spent legally. Answer from Balaji R. Venkatraman: Our school district relies heavily on state funding to provide educational services to our students. With 15 Elementary Schools and 3 Junior High Schools serving more than 13,300 students, we take our fiduciary and legal obligations to manage the public funds as directed by law. As a district, the Board and Administration work very closely to follow the budget development and reporting cycle. The district is fortunate to have a highly qualified CFO as a full time employee. Along with the Superintendent, we rely on the expertise and judgment of the CFO in the day to day management of the district finances. Using the 3 year vision and objective that was developed in collaboration with the board of trustees, administration, community leaders and representatives from the bargaining units, as the guide, we allocate resources (funds and staff) to programs that have the potential to make the highest positive impact on 1)student achievement, student safety and development 2)staff compensation and career development 3)a welcoming and clean school campus to foster learning 4)Supporting families so they can support their children's academic achievement with programs such as Parent University Public meetings are held to educate the community about the arcane school budget and gather the community's input on goals and priorities before each budget cycle. Whenever a discussion about budget is in the board agenda, we take extra effort to invite all the stakeholders and the community at-large to attend the meetings so that everyone understands the fiscal climate of the district and can give us feedback. Finally, we hire independent auditors to review and report on the fiscal state and the integrity of the process and controls on an annual basis. I am proud to note that EESD has not had any adverse findings in the auditor's reports. 2. Are the schools offering instruction appropriate to the diverse educational abilities of all the students? Answer from Balaji R. Venkatraman: Our goal is to offer differentiated instruction so that we meet the educational requirements of each student, in the context of their intellectual development and emotional maturity. We hire the best qualified teachers and give them the class room resources and training to identify the needs of each individual child and tailor the classroom instruction accordingly. The teachers are also augmented with "Prep teachers" (specialists) who come into class for Science and Arts. We are introducing technology in the class room so that teachers and set up self-paced lesson plans and help child learn and understand the materials. Recognizing that different students learn and absorb information, we are introducing Project Based Learning where learning takes place within the context of larger projects or problems. Our teachers design challenging projects, tied to the state standards, that meet the needs and interests of their students. Students collaborate to acquire and apply knowledge for solving real-world problems. Our approach to teaching fundamentally changes the role of the teacher and student. Teachers become facilitators and coaches who guide students to take charge of their own learning, invent their own solutions, and develop self-management techniques. Evergreen school district also has an excellent Special Ed and English Language Learner (ELL) programs; last year we graduated more than 525 ELL students to Advanced or Proficient. Answer from Bonnie Mace: Our mission is for every child, regardless of his or her background, to be successful and productive in the workforce of the future. There are three legs on this stool of offering appropriate instruction to students. First, the EESD relies on differentiated instruction in order to ensure that each child receives what he or she needs in terms of understanding and achieving proficiency in the curriculum. Second, teachers are given professional training and development so that they understand how to use the tools available to teach students. Some of these tools include new technology in which students can learn at their own pace using iPads, and some of these tools are more traditional such as the use of differentiated workbooks. It is also important for teachers to learn effective class management so that they can teach students who are at different levels; sometimes teachers use small groups, and sometimes they use a lecture setting. Third, in addition to the teachers and the tools for learning, there are also specialists who can focus on students with very specific needs. In our Categorical Programs, our district has ELL (English Language Learner)and Migrant Education programs. Our district also has RSP or resource specialists who help children with learning disabilities. 3. Where do you want the District to be five years from now? What steps should the District take to get there? Answer from Bonnie Mace: Five years from now, the vision is that the Evergreen Elementary School District, in partnership with the community, will be recognized at the local, state and national level as a model for excellence. There are several ingredients in this vision: First, the achievement gap will be closed among all subgroups in the district. This means that proficiency levels within schools and across schools will be relatively consistent without the large gaps that currently exist for several subgroups. We can achieve this through differentiated instruction, technological innovation, and innovations in the structure of the traditional classroom setting through project-based learning. Second, students will have safe and healthy schools in which they can learn in a nurturing environment that is free of physical or psychological harmful influences. This means that we will increase programs such as Project Cornerstone and anti-bullying initiatives, in addition to including health and wellness programs promoting physical fitness and healthy eating. Students will also have safe transportation to and from schools, including bussing. Third, the district will have longterm fiscal stability with substantial financial reserves that can cushion the district in rough economic times. Given the repeated state budget cuts in recent years, the school district does not currently have a longterm stable source of education funding that can provide needed educational programs for students. We need more community partnerships to bring more resources into our school district, and we need to advocate for a more stable source of education funding from the state. Prop 30 and Prop 38 are two steps in this direction, but more advocacy needs to happen at the state level. Fourth, our district will be able to attract, develop and retain high quality teaching and classified staff. The staff is the support structure for the students and the schools, and we want the best and brightest teachers and classified staff to come to Evergreen and teach our students. Having a more stable source of education funding from the state can help to achieve this goal. We also need to collectively work with the teachers and classified staff to address some of the budget challenges. Answer from Balaji R. Venkatraman: 1.Continue to focus on student achievement This has been and will continue to be the primary goal of Evergreen elementary school district. To achieve this, we will hire the best teachers, coach and train them and provide them the resources to offer differentiated instruction to each student. We will closely monitor the testing and other data to see if we can identify any sub-groups that require additional help (instructional, emotional or otherwise) and make those resources available so that every student can achieve his or her potential. 2.Introduce 21st century learning in each classroom, every school Starting with a pilot program this year where we introduced "Bulldog Tech", a school within a school offering 21st century learning environment via Project based learning, we want to expand it to every school. This requires a district wide technology refresh/adoption program and we have developed and approved a plan to accomplish this. Now we need to invest in the staff and train them in the new instructional methodologies and invest in the facilities and upgrade them for the 21st century 3.Hire the best staff at each level EESD has one of the best staff (administrators, teachers and classified) of any district in Santa Clara County; we are also in the top 10 % in terms of overall compensation. Our goal is to continue to hire the best talent on the market (within and outside the district), encourage career development and training of the staff, recognize the contributions of individuals and promote from within the ranks. I want our staff to see employment at EESD as their preferred career choice and a place where they can excel at their craft and provide for their families, and contribute to the community that they live and work in. 4.Achieve fiscal stability in the face of severe budget cuts In these economic times with severe and continuing budget cuts, maintaining the fiscal stability becomes a singular challenge. We face on going revenue pressure while expecting to cater to the education needs of a diverse student population, evolving curriculum and teaching paradigms (21st century learning) etc. The biggest challenge we face here is the just and fair allocation of resources to the various stakeholders in EESD, in particular, the compensation package of the teachers and classified staff. We have to address the growing healthcare costs and the unfunded retirement liabilities. We strive to develop and maintain a cordial and working relationship with the bargaining units; working with them, we expect to arrive at the right allocation of resources over the long term. Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. Please answer each question in no more than 400 words. Direct references to opponents are not permitted. The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.