Responses to Ukiah Daily Journal (UDJ) Questions

By Anne C. Molgaard

The UDJ sent a questionnaire to candidates. Here's what I think. I welcome your comments on my answers. Thank you.

I want to serve on the UUSD Board because I can contribute to improving communication, building trust and getting us back on a path of working together. Every single teacher I speak with is disappointed and dissatisfied with administration. Is it justified? I don't know. But it certainly warrants our energy and attention. I know that we can do better, and everyone I know agrees. I will bring skills in negotiating, funding, and a deep belief that we are capable of serving our students better.

2. Cite three things specifically that you like to achieve during the four years as a Trustee if you are elected?

(1) measurably improved teamwork among the administration, teachers, classified staff, and parents, for example by moving the board meetings to a larger, televised location and, within Brown Act requirements, allow for more interaction and participation. (2) at least a 10% increase in the percentage of students graduating high school. (3) improved median test scores.

3. What, if any, would you change regarding the current administration if you are elected?

I am very relieved that the District now has its key leadership positions filled. For the first time in many years, UUSD has a full complement of Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, Chief Business Officer and Personnel Director.

If not already in place, I would hope to institute a fair 360 degree performance evaluations of administrative staff. This includes a self-evaluation based on goals decided on with the board previously, input from the people who report directly to the superintendent, teachers and classified staff, and feedback from community partners as well. To presume any other changes at this point is premature.

4. Considering the ongoing budgetary issues, what would you do as a Trustee to help provide solutions?

Initially, I want to focus on the decision-making framework -- we must expand who is at the table and we listen carefully to a broader range of ideas.

The state controls the revenue, but locally we can address our drop-out rate and attendance rate. The more students who are in school each day the more money the district receives. Working with parents, law enforcement, community agencies, we can keep students in school until they graduate. (In addition, students in school are less likely to abuse drugs and commit crimes).

I have experience in leveraging dollars and obtaining funding, but more important would be my role in bringing multiple stakeholders to the table.

5. Do you support the UUSD building a new district office? If so why? If not, what would you do differently and where would you spend those millions of dollars?

No, at this time I do not support a new district office. For staff to lead and work together, appropriate office space is important. However, to jump from inadequate space (old fashioned and 4000 sf) to a $5million building (newly designed 15,000 sf) seems like overkill.

Other than 3 district employees located at other facilities and inadequate parking, I do not know of other current space deficiencies. The current board room could be divided into 3 new offices. We could hold Board meetings could be held at the City Council Chambers, as the district has occasionally. There is plenty of parking and attendees do not need to cram in jostling over others' knees to find a seat.

If I am elected, I would respectfully request to examine and discuss the plans that led to the decision so that I could better understand the proposed size and investment.

6. How do you feel the UUSD's redevelopment funds should be used most effectively?

I have heard polar opposite legal explanations of how these funds can be used from the district and the City.

The redevelopment law states that funds are to be used to avert both physical blight and the resulting economic burdens--a very broad definition indeed. Since Grace Hudson Elementary is outside the boundary, and yet was allowed to leverage redevelopment funds, it seems very odd to claim that redevelopment funds cannot be used on the old Montgomery Ward building. Lawyers often tell you what you want to hear. I would first demand to know the extent of the law, and then make decisions to use redevelopment funds to fill in priority budget gaps identified through an open budget process.

7. Prioritize the following issues: Classroom supplies, increasing teacher pay, new administration building, school reopenings, student test scores, class size, curriculum changes, increasing administration pay, avoiding layoffs, maintaining school facilities, building new school facilities.

Without full discussion among many people with different views and analysis of the data, this is my gut prioritization:

class size, student test scores, increasing teacher pay, curriculum changes, classroom supplies, maintaining school facilities, avoiding layoffs, school re-openings, building new school facilities, new administration building, increasing administration pay.

8. What student services would you like to see expanded during your time as a trustee, if elected?

• increased career/vocational/college counseling for high school students
• partnerships with our local artists to increase art and music in our schools and use the equipment and talent that we have (for example, the steel drums sitting in dusty Pomolita storage room is heartbreaking)

(1) use a neutral mediator until the parties (2) learn better negotiation practices and so re-build trust; (3) respect the union contracts so less time is wasted on filing, fighting, and then resolving grievances.

10. What would you like to see done with the currently vacant campuses in Redwood Valley and Hopland?

For the immediate future, I would like to see them used by their respective communities. Recently, a farmer asked me if I knew whether the kitchens were available for rent to process his goods and increase their value. A Hopland resident said that their local athletic teams were denied use of the fields, despite that promise when Hopland School was closed. The Board can monitor the ongoing opportunities as our demographics and the real estate values change.

11. Do you think itıs important for each campus to have a health tech and nurse on campus during the entire school day and why?

Yes. The schools have the entire responsibility for the students when they are on campus. As the Health Techs explained compellingly during budget hearings, they handle everything from bee stings to epileptic seizures to impending diabetic comas. Some children have such serious medical issues that if there is no health tech on campus they could demand a personal attendant to guard their health. For almost the same cost, one health tech is certainly more valuable to a school than one personal attendant.

12. Should it be mandatory that campus libraries be staffed with librarians and open to the students during the entire school day without restricted hours? Why?

The libraries are a resource that we have invested in. To close them at any time during the day is a waste. Some librarians have been re-instated. If funding is still insufficient, we need a trained volunteer pool not to replace librarians, but rather to expand our libraries' use. By high school, most students need access to a computer to complete their homework. Readers who think that every student has a computer at home, are very mistaken. The digital divide starts very young in our community and libraries are a powerful bridge.

13. As budgets continue to be tight, where do you think the best areas are for savings money?

I would look at re-structuring the retirement incentives, examining whether UUSD employees are best served by a health group that is self-insured, or if it could benefit from joining with many other school districts; the costs of the adult school; and legal fees that recently more than doubled.

14. Do you consider the districtıs relationship with its charter schools healthy? If so, why? If not, why not?

Having charter schools chartered through our local district is definitely better than the days when local schools were chartered through Nevada County. That said, there is still tension. One unfairness is that if a student transfers from a district school to a charter school, the state payment for that student (ADA) goes with him. If the this happens in the opposite direction, a student moves from a charter school to a district school, the state ADA stays at the charter school. Charter schools do an amazing job of including their parents--something that some district schools could emulate.

We all know that one size does not fit every child. If we level the playing field regarding funding, we can offer students a variety of options throughout the district.

15. What does the UUSD do best? What does it do poorly?

Best: Many students receive a good education at UUSD schools Poor: Teamwork among the adults Best: There are many outstanding, gifted teachers who are dedicated to their students Poor: Including the many parents who are not strong partners with their schools

Anne Molgaard, 707 468 0338, acmolgaard@pacific.net