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The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles and asked of all candidates for this office.
See below for questions on
Most Important Issue,
Transfer Preparation vs. Workforce Training,
Management/Budget Experience,
AB 2572
Click on a name for candidate information. See also more information about this contest.
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1. What is the single most important issue facing LACCD today? How, as Trustee, would you deal with it?
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Answer from Mike Eng:
The historic budget cuts must be reversed with increased funding for community colleges now that the economy is giving evidence of recovery
Answer from John C. (Burke) Burke:
The single most important issue facing the LACCD today is the quality of instruction. As a Trustee, I would provide leadership to improve discipline knowledge and teaching skills of LACCD faculty.
As budget cuts are restored the LACCD must provide professional development activities that allow faculty to improve discipline knowledge and teaching skills. This can be accomplished by planning a series of district-wide "Conferences on Instruction" in English, Math, Science and the Humanities. Each Conference on Instruction would be followed by a series of "In the Trenches Seminars" held at four year institutions including UCLA, USC, Caltech and CSUN.
These seminars would provide opportunities throughout the year for LACCD faculty to develop relationships with four year faculty and administrators. The goal would be to improve teaching at the nine District colleges in order to increase the number of students prepared for success at four year institutions. As class completion rates increase State funding will be focused on student success.
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2. What do you think should be the balance in LACCD between preparing students for transfer to four-year institutions and programs that provide workforce training?
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Answer from John C. (Burke) Burke:
The goal of work force training is to prepare students for short term employment and long term education. Once students are employed they will be enrolled in general education courses that will prepare them for transfer to four year institutions. In accordance with 2010 State Legislation the 112 California community colleges must develop associate vocational education programs that include general education certification. Students who complete vocational education programs that include GE certification will be prepared to transfer to four year institutions if that is their choice. The responsibility of community colleges is to give them that choice.
Answer from Mike Eng:
Community colleges most do both at the same time
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3. What experience in general management, fiscal management and budgetary oversight would you bring to the job of Trustee?
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Answer from John C. (Burke) Burke:
A review of my Resume will reveal that I have thirty nine(39) years of full time experience as an instructor and administrator. For four years, I managed the District instructional television program. For seventeen(17) years I was Director of the Tech Prep Program. Each year I wrote the Grant application, met the quarterly reporting requirements, wrote the final performance report and implemented an array of programs that motivated high school students to graduate and continue their education at a community college. I created the Afternoon College and the School to Career Program. Twenty-six (26) School to Career Academies graduated more than 2,000 LAUSD middle school and high school students preventing them from dropping out of school.
The total funding for these programs exceeded 3.5 million dollars.
Answer from Mike Eng:
As a former mayor and city council member I have presided over and attended 4 years of budget hearings; as a state legislator I have faced 6 years of difficult "fiscal cliff" state budget management issues; as chair of the assembly business and professions committee, I co-chaired the historic oversight hearings on a state consumer affairs board that had been improperly managed in very serious ways.
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4. AB 2572 (Furutani) seeks to give the LACCD Board of Trustees authority to make changes in the way Trustees are elected (e.g. by district instead of 'at large') and make it possible to eliminate one round of the two-round LACCD election. Where do you stand on this legislation and the issues involved?
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Answer from Mike Eng:
I will not prejudge this matter which may come up in the event I am elected. I would like to hear more about how this affects democratic governance as well as any budgetary issue.
Answer from John C. (Burke) Burke:
I support AB2572 which provides the LACCD Board with an alternative method for certifying new Board Members based on the highest vote in the Primary election. It eliminates the cost of the General election to the LACCD and the Candidates. Further consideration should be given to the method used to elect members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors where members are elected by 'District' rather than 'At Large'.
Responses to questions asked of each candidate
are reproduced as submitted to the League.
The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.
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League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
