By Paul J. Ingram

1. I have had two older children K-12 in CUSD. I currently have a nine-year-old at Tularcitos. This means many years of commitment to the district and experience in dealing with issues in the district as a parent.

2. White Rock Club is a 2800 acre cabin retreat, with 100 members, located above the Santa Lucia Preserve. As an elected board member and Club Secretary, I organize the agenda for 7 meetings per year and handle all communications of board business to members and other agencies. Most recently I have been a part of the annexation of White Rock into the Carmel Valley Fire Protection District through the LAFCO process.

3. I have been active in Troop 127 since my son advanced from Cub Scouts. I consider Troop 127 to be the most successful youth program of any kind on the Peninsula. As Troop Chaplain, I have learned to handle religious sensitivities for a troop that is chartered by a secular organization, Carmel Valley Kiwanis. I helped guide the troop through the tragic death of Trevor Principe, organizing and emceeing a Community Candlelight Memorial.

Why am I running for this position?

I have paid close attention to CUSD board elections for many years. In this particular election cycle, with three incumbents up for reelection, we have an opportunity to thoroughly debate many issues of concern to CUSD parents. If common concerns are identified, this is the best opportunity to change the make-up of the board.

What are the three biggest challenges facing the district and how would I respond to them?

1. The State budget and the specter of another assault on Basic Aid districts. I communicate from time to time with Steve McShane, Field Representative for Sen. McPherson, who was of great help in the last crisis. I also worked as a volunteer on Sen. Denham's first campaign for State Assembly, getting to know him first hand. Hopefully, these relationships will be useful should another crisis arise. But most important is to be frank with the parents and teachers associations, letting them know that we are not out of the woods yet and to prepare for the worst. Though I still support supermajority votes on bond issues, we would probably be forced to ask the voters for a parcel tax, which only requires a 55% vote, should Basic Aid be slashed.

2. Declining Enrollment. One of Carmel's unique problems is that, over the years, we have seen a change in our demographic to a significant portion of our households who have the means to send their children to the several private schools in our area. This, coupled with the decline in families with children who are able to afford housing in our area, means that enrollment will continue to decline. Now there is a further trend emerging. Families, who would be considered social or religious conservatives, now have the option of Calvary Chapel High School, which is picking up where the Catholic high schools system left off: A quality education with a strong moral base, at less expense than RLS, York or Catalina. Also, there is a strong movement toward home schooling that I have observed. My election, with the policies I advocate, will send a message to these families that they are welcome, wanted and respected by CUSD.

3. Alienation of certain classes of students. Much of the social structure that prevails in CUSD is centered around the greater Carmel area, that being City of Carmel, Carmel Woods, Pebble Beach, Carmel Highlands, Mission Fields and the area around the mouth of Carmel Valley, and the 93923 area to Mid Valley. Within these boundaries you will find a fairly uniform socio-economic population that tends to be more affluent. As you venture out into the extremes of what is one of the largest districts in the state, you find more of a diversity of classes. We have the small town values of upper Carmel Valley and the Village. In Big Sur and Jamesburg, some families live on 20 or 40 acre parcels with a cabin, a spring and solar power, sometimes just hanging on financially, but paying property taxes like all of us. In Cachagua, you have immigrant families living in caretaker quarters. Also, many are surprised to find out that there actually two trailer parks, Jensen and Prince's Camps. CUSD is often thought of as a population of mainly white collar professionals. The fact is that throughout the district, there are many families whose income derives from the building trades, hospitality, agriculture, including livestock ranching, organic farming and the wine industry. With this diversity often comes a disparity of possessions, opportunity and acceptance that leads to an undertone of conflict within our student population. I am the only candidate with a 93924 zip code. I am a Carmel Valley native and I make my living in the building trades. I hope to give these families representation, also.

If elected, what is my top priority?

After the budget crisis settles down and we know where we are financially as a district, my top priority is to redefine the role of CUSD board member. From the superintendent, down through the teachers and support staff, district employees face situations every day that break their hearts. Many have to stuff the urge to intervene or speak out about the despair they often find in their students. A district employee is often bound by state and district policies that restrict their opinions and speech in many instances. As a constitutional officer, an elected board member has no such restrictions on speech. So long as I qualify that I am speaking for myself and not the entire board, I will take every opportunity to speak out on the social issues that come to the surface in our district. This means guest editorials, meetings with concerned parents and other forms of communication.