League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Santa Clara County, CA November 6, 2012 Election
	Juliet Tiffany-Morales Answers Questions Candidate for Board Member; Campbell Union School District

The questions were prepared by the Leagues of Women Voters of Santa Clara County and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. How would you determine that the schools are using federal, state and local funds wisely and fairly and how would you report your findings to the community?

As a current school board member, I use several processes and activities to determine whether our schools are using funds wisely and fairly: visiting schools, reviewing and approving school site plans and budget allocations, and reviewing data on outcomes related to the school plans.

I visit schools every year also allow me to observe first hand, the programs schools are supporting with federal, state, and local funds. As a professional education researcher, I also compare what our schools are implementing with the most current research to determine whether our schools are spending funds in ways that have been shown to result in positive outcomes for students.

In addition, each year the school site councils at each of our 12 schools submit school site plans for board approval. School site plans are aligned to district priorities and outline what schools will be doing to meet those priorities. The plans also include how much the school will spend on each effort. In addition to reviewing and approving school site plans, the board reviews a variety of data each year on the efforts our schools have undertaken with the support of federal, state, and local funds. Board members attend an annual data study session, where we review student results and assess the progress of our schools toward their goals. Principals from each of the schools present to the board annually, providing an analysis of the successes and challenges the schools have had in implementing the efforts laid out in their site plans. District administrators also present their analysis of the effectiveness of programs and activities in our schools at board meetings throughout the year.

I am pleased that the review and approval of school site plans, presentations by principals and district administrators, and board study sessions all occur in open, public meetings; the community is welcome to attend. I also recognize that other means of communicating with our diverse community are necessary. In addition to sending district residents a newsletter highlighting the efforts and successes of our districts' schools, this year the district will host a community meeting in October to discuss the current state of the district and schools. I expect this community meeting to become an annual event.

2. Are the schools offering instruction appropriate to the diverse educational abilities of all the students?

Meeting the diverse educational needs of our students is challenging but there is a commitment in our district to continuously improve and regularly investigate new research findings and programs that may help us better serve all our students.

Meeting the diverse educational abilities of all students has been a priority for our schools, our district, and our school board. During my time on the board, our board governance team has committed resources to support the implementation of efforts that differentiate instruction based on the needs of students. For example, several schools in our district have implemented a structure that groups students based on their literacy level for targeted instruction. The board has supported the implementation of this new structure with resources to ensure that the new structure is being implemented in the most effective way. We have also committed resources to teacher training that supports meeting our students' diverse educational needs, such as Guided Language Acquisition Design or GLAD. Teachers throughout the district have attended intensive GLAD training and are implementing GLAD lessons in their classrooms. The GLAD lessons I have observed engage students at all levels while meeting their diverse educational needs. Our district is also supporting certification training in Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) for teachers throughout the district to meet the needs of our gifted students. In addition to school structures and teacher training, our schools also use a variety of computer programs to target instruction to students' individual levels in language arts and mathematics.

3. Where do you want the District to be five years from now? What steps should the District take to get there?

I want Campbell Union School District to be at the forefront of implementing the new state standards so that we are preparing our students for the complexities of the 21st century.

Over the next five years, we will see some significant changes in public education. We will have a new set of academic standards + the Common Core State Standards + and new statewide tests. Students will take those new assessments on computers (if the technology can be put into place across the state). The new standards and assessments will focus more on critical thinking and require that our students have a deeper understanding of the subjects they are learning. It is not enough for our students to be able to choose the right answer on a multiple-choice test. Our students need to have an academic foundation that will allow them to apply what they have learned in new situations and settings. And that academic foundation should include strong instruction in the core content areas of English, mathematics, sciences, and social studies, as well as in the arts. Strong instruction will necessarily include meeting the different academic needs of our students and implementing instructional strategies and school structures that support this differentiation. I want our instructional practices, our schools, and our district to be seen as models of best practices. I want all of our students to feel connected to and experience success in our schools and to be inspired to continue learning.

Currently Campbell Union School District is an active participant in countywide efforts to prepare for teaching to the new Common Core State Standards. We should continue to participate in this collaborative. Our district is also active in other county and regional efforts as well as professional organizations, and we should continue our participation so that we are aware of new promising practices and efforts. Our district will need to provide the support teachers and support staff need to make changes in their practice through training as well as coaching. District administrators will also need to evaluate whether current structures, policies, and procedures support implementation of the new standards and align with the diverse needs of all our students.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. Please answer each question in no more than 400 words. Direct references to opponents are not permitted.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 26, 2012 12:30
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