Responses to Questions Posed by the North County Times

By Beckie Garrett

The candidate answers questions on the district budget, land acquisition, student achievement, specific programs, and challenges the district faces.

1. What suggestions do you have to help get the district out of its $3.2 million deficit?

This is the key question: How does a district that has been fiscally responsible for years and currently has a bare-bones budget reduce expenditures even more? With school funding often erratic and unpredictable, budgets must be constructed with some inherent flexibility. In this election year, for example, schools are receiving unanticipated funding from the state. Next year, with elections over, schools may well lose money.

The NCT's original question, however, is flawed. While San Marcos does have a deficit, it is closer to $1,168,000, not the $3.2 million as stated above. At the August 28, 2006 board meeting, Assistant Superintendent for Business Services Gary Hamels reported there was no deficit for the 05-06 school year. He also indicated that the deficit will be further reduced by $150,000 in new state funds and an additional $138,000 when new health benefit figures are finalized. The district will also receive a portion of Prop. 98 funding owed by the state, but no one knows when this payment will be made. According to Hamels, the deficit for the current year should settle out at approximately $670,000 in ongoing costs...hardly $3.2 million. The district also has one of the healthiest reserves in San Diego County, even factoring in the one-time cost of the buyout of Dr. Brand's contract.

Still, it's clear that cuts must be made. The district is not top-heavy with administrators who could easily be released, nor could it eliminate teachers without raising teacher/pupil ratios to unacceptable levels. The district must also be careful not to cut good programs when the likelihood exists that funding will ultimately arrive; once a program is cut, it is difficult and often costly to resurrect it.

Since salaries and benefits make up the largest portion of all school districts' budgets, these expenditures must be examined, and employee organizations must come to the table with their own plans to help restore the district to robust financial health. In addition, pressure must be put on both state and federal governments to fund big-ticket programs they mandate such as Special Education and testing. It is also essential that board members do their homework, scrutinizing every budget request for areas that can be trimmed.

2. Do you agree with the district's plan to acquire the land for the 11th elementary school site (Oleander) through eminent domain? Why or why not?

There are very few fans of eminent domain; however, when the property owner already plans to sell, the offer is at fair market value, the sale will benefit the larger community, and no agreement can be reached, using the process of eminent domain may be necessary, as is the case here.

The district's objective in building the Oleander school is to mitigate the current overcrowding on other elementary campuses, not to accommodate students new to the district. Thus, the new school will benefit children in several other neighborhood schools, not only those in the Oleander-Smilax-Poinsettia neighborhood.

3. How well do you think Brand's "Partnership for Success" will do even though the board did not approve financing for a coordinator for the program this year? Also, what other ways can the district improve its number of college- bound students?

I have high hopes that the Partnership or something very much like it can go forward. With Dr. Brand's unexpected departure, it is difficult to anticipate what will happen to this program, as the family who was providing a great deal of the funding has not yet determined a course of action.

However, if the university and the school district both want such a program, they will work collaboratively to make it happen. A viable program of this magnitude should not be dependent upon one person. The district may be able to tap into grant money for something like the Partnership. In addition, with new funding designated for additional high school counselors, it may be possible to implement coordinator positions for the program in each high school's Counseling Office.

Regarding increasing the number of college-bound students: The district currently has excellent Advanced Placement and AVID programs in place, both of which have outstanding four-year college acceptance rates. It can further increase college admission rates by beefing up the rigor of classes for students in the middle who are often under-challenged and thus under- prepared for four-year colleges. This population needs far more attention than it has received in recent years. In my opinion, the students in the middle are under-served.

4. Do you think the district has been responsible with its handling of financial resources? Why or why not?

Historically, yes, the district has an excellent record of solvency. One of the fastest growing districts in the state, it has managed to provide modern physical facilities and sufficient staffing for a burgeoning and diverse student population.

However, improvement is always possible, and when growth slows, board members must be prudent and vigilant to ensure that the district does not head down a path of deficit spending. Once again, it will be necessary to secure the cooperation of employee organizations to ensure district-wide fiscal responsibility.

5. Do you agree with the district's decision to demolish the FFA site on Discovery Street and San Marcos Boulevard and rebuild only the horticulture part of the program at San Marcos High?

I would love to save the program if it could be done without being fiscally irresponsible. I've seen many students whose lives were devoted to the activities of the farm. Unfortunately, the district cannot afford to spend close to $1million for a program that serves approximately 100 students.

Those students and their supporters gave a compelling presentation at the August 28th board meeting. They contended that the district has neglected the facility and their numbers are down because of it. They also proposed a conceptual plan to keep pollution out of San Marcos Creek, pointed out that 80% of their students go on to college, and reminded the board that the program teaches business skills, money management skills, and responsibility. Having watched the program and its students for many years, I know these statements are true. I certainly hope the district can find a way to save the program without being financially imprudent.

6. In your opinion, what does the district need to do to improve secondary level test scores, which have been consistently lower than primary level test scores for years?

These tests must impact students' individual academic records. Secondary test scores could be brought up statewide if we could find a way to connect them to the individual student's grades. Except for the CAHSEE, test scores have no impact whatsoever on the student or his/her future. In elementary school, students do their best because their teachers ask them to. At the secondary level, students are far more cynical and often suffer from test burn-out. They know that a poor performance on most state mandated tests will not affect their G.P.A., graduation, or college acceptance. While many middle and high schoolers do their best on such exams, many others, including some at the very top of the academic ladder, do not. As a long-time high school teacher, I have watched this phenomenon for years. These exams must have repercussions for the student.

Increased rigor will also help bring up scores.

Another difficulty peculiar to secondary schools is the fact that when English language learners newly arrive in our schools at the middle or high school level, it is much more difficult for them quickly to master English, the language in which they are tested. San Marcos Unified has many such students, and it is targeting that subgroup by ratcheting up professional development, increasing benchmark assessments, utilizing best practices and proven strategies, and increasing staffing with content specialists.

7. Do you support the district's long-term plan to make San Marcos Elementary school a "model school" through the use of student teachers and a new administration?

I heartily endorse the concept of a model school as long as resources and personnel are equitably drawn from schools throughout the district. All parents, students, and teachers deserve great schools.

8. Do you feel the district has done a good job of focusing on the success of English language learners? The group has been steadily increasing every year and makes up the bulk of those who did not pass the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE).

The district puts many of its resources into serving its ELL population, and it is increasing its focus even further with the addition of part-time teachers at the secondary level to work exclusively with English language learners. In addition, it is increasing benchmark assessments and professional development.

It is only logical that ELL students would make up the bulk of those failing the CAHSEE since the exam is given in English and they are, by definition, not yet proficient in the language. Still, the majority of the district's English learners do pass the CAHSEE.

9. What are the biggest challenges facing the San Marcos Unified School District in the next five years?

The district must

• focus on student achievement while bringing costs into line

• close the achievement gap within its sub-groups

• ensure that facilities keep pace with growth

• ensure that our students graduate with the skills they need to follow their chosen paths, whether college or work

• meet the needs of a growing ELL population while increasing rigor for all students

• find ways to increase government help with underfunded mandates in big ticket areas such as Special Education and testing

• establish new school boundaries - always a painful process - as the district adds additional elementary schools

San Marcos is a modern day boom town. It is crucial that its schools mirror the community's vitality. The short answer is yes, the district has planned well, but its leaders must not become complacent.

The planned Oleander school will mitigate overcrowding at Paloma, Carrillo, and Alvin Dunn. The San Elijo and Carrillo Ranch neighborhoods continue to grow, but new schools have just opened to handle their increasing populations. New growth will probably be coming from San Marcos's section of the planned Stonegate community in the Twin Oaks-Deer Springs area, and plans are being developed to handle that growth.

Successful schools are a hallmark of a successful community. Working together, we can create a district that prepares its students well to compete in a global economy - a district to make us all proud.