Candidate for
Board Member; Saddleback Valley Unified School District

It is my belief that every child must be given the chance to reach full potential, and each child should be promoted according to his/her achievement. SVUSD has a high academic bar. This has served us well in terms of the level of achievement attained by district students. Each year SVUSD high school graduates are admitted to many of the most prestigious public and private colleges and universities in the country. As an alternative, many of our students choose to attend one of Orange County's distinguished Community Colleges.

Regardless of the student's choice, we will continue to offer appropriate and challenging curriculum for all students in the district. All students do not progress at the same rate, but it is my belief that all students can and must progress. When needed, intervention programs will continue to be offered to those students who require additional help. Our Second Language Department will seek to continue securing federal grant monies to provide additional instruction for those students working to acquire English language skills. Summer school programs will continue to be available to children considered to be at risk.

Schools are increasingly called upon to fill many rolls. I will always remember that our first and foremost mission is to educate our students and assist them in being prepared for the future. Our children are individuals with different talents and abilities. While every student can and must achieve to a level of competence, there must remain a variety of options for our students. There cannot be only one "right path" to guide all students along.

Research has shown repeatedly that a parent's involvement in their child's education is a prime indicator of success. As a strong proponent of communication between the district and parents, I instituted Parent-Superintendent Forums and initiated use of the SVUSD web site to increase parental and student access to district forms. It is my intention to continue to cultivate ideas and practices designed to strengthen and improve education for all students.

By continually improving home-school and parent-teacher communication we will inevitably succeed in reaching our district goal of "Preparing today's students to succeed in tomorrow's world."