Position Paper

By Joyce Dalessandro

As a member of San Dieguito Union High School District's Board of Trustees for the past twelve years my focus has been to ensure the highest quality education for every student. Our schools have a well-deserved reputation for excellence thanks to the hard work and dedication of our Board, faculty, staff, administration and community.

I have championed the opening of new schools and the modernization of existing facilities. I have worked hard to secure shared-use facility agreements, placing us on the cutting edge of efficient use of community resources.

I work diligently to make our outstanding schools even better. I have embraced exciting opportunities to enhance our programs and add further dimension to our offerings. I will continue my commitment to strong academic programs, technology, and the arts, while making the most of our finite tax dollars.

Twelve years ago I was determined to return music to our schools. Today we have highly successful and varied music programs on all of our campuses. Our newest high school, Canyon Crest Academy, was opened four years ago as a school of choice with an exciting curriculum emphasizing specialty 'strands' in the arts and technology.

As representatives of the lowest funded high school district in San Diego County, and the fifth lowest in the state, we continue to lobby our legislators for 'equalization' funding to bring our per pupil dollars up to the state's average. It remains a critical issue that we preserve the sound fiscal practices that have served the District so well in lean budget years. Our cost saving measures and the efficient use of our resources ensure that not a single hard-fought education dollar is wasted. Sustaining frequent dialogue with our elected officials reminds them of the impact of their policies on each of our students.

In the years that I have been a member of the School Board our District has grown from just over 7,000 students to well over 12,000 students. Keeping up with the growth was an enormous challenge. We have now entered a period of flattened enrollment, presenting a whole new set of challenges that I am eager to help solve!