My Views.
It’s All About the Students
Since first being elected as a school board member, I have always put students at the center of all decisions. This remains my entire focus. The only thing that motivates me as a candidate in this election is the successful education and wellbeing of our students.
The school board should not be a stepping stone to run for higher office or to advance ones personal political agenda. The success of our school district is too important to play host to political ambition.
I have served my entire adult life in public service. I understand the importance of listening, engaging with the community, and being collaborative with the important and vital decisions that affect lives.
Understanding and Reversing Declining Enrollment
One of the major issues facing EUSD, is the continuing trend of declining enrollment. As the population levels out and families are presented with more choices in education, more and more parents are choosing to send their students to charters and private schools as opposed to EUSD.
While I have sent all of my kids to local public schools, I can understand the decision to send students elsewhere. EUSD has some incredible teachers and schools, but the only way we can reverse the trend of shrinking enrollment is by making EUSD a sought-after competitive choice for parents.
Too often, the issue of declining enrollment is discussed in the framework of attacking local charter schools. Instead of attacking school choice, we should instead be looking at what makes those schools an attractive option for parents. Our strength should be in the development of attractive new modes of learning, stronger parental engagement, new technology and its use in the classroom, and innovative, sound and well-rounded curriculum models.
We should make EUSD the best option for parents pondering the educational options for their children. Only then will we meet this challenge.
Fiscal Responsibility
Like many in modern America, EUSD faces tough financial times. Recovery from the pandemic with the associated economic downturn, has public entities adjusting financial forecasts. Revenue available for Escondido public schools and other public agencies will require careful management moving forward.
Now more than ever, it is critical that we have fiscally responsible decision-makers on our school board to ensure that our taxpayer dollars are being spent efficiently and effectively.
As a public sector executive, I feel I have unique experience in developing and executing budgets in a balanced and responsible way. Sometimes budgetary and fiscal decisions are tough to make, but we must think about the long-term future of our public schools at all points in the process.
