League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Santa Clara County, CA November 4, 2014 Election
	Soma Bhattacharyya McCandless Answers Questions Candidate for Board Member; Cupertino 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?

My key principal when managing the complexity of a public school system budget will be to put students first. As a member of the district's Budget Advisory Committee, I regularly review the CUSD budget and fiscal processes. As a member of the Citizen's Parcel Tax Oversight Committee, I review and certify that tax expenditures are made in accordance with the law. As a Trustee, I will participate in the budget process and engage regularly with teachers, students, administrators, parent and community members.

We all have a stake in keeping our schools great for Cupertino and surrounding cities. This is why I've been a leader in the CUSD, advocating for excellent education, supporting capital expansion and securing stable recurring funding. I am passionate about seeing our children succeed and I am ready to contribute further.

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

As the economic environment improves, CUSD has the opportunity to expand what and how it teaches. The new common-core standard has the potential to enhance our students' primary educational experience, challenging our students to understand concepts, apply them to novel situations and articulate their reasoning. The standard promotes collaboration and embraces diversity of background and thought. Once adopted, our District will have an even greater capacity to serve a diverse community and generate excellent outcomes.

Like any large change, adoption will continue to require additional training and diligent management. CUSD has improved its performance even during the most challenging economic period in generations. As a board member, I will continue to be a strong financial steward while managing the adoption of the federal and state standards.

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

By 2019, the state will be nearing the end of the LCFF restoration timetable, restoring the schools' per ADA funding to 2008 levels. I want our District to be fiscally at least as well off as we project now, given the funding restoration and the prudent steps we've taken so far. In the intervening time, I will continue to advocate for stable sources of funding, including the continued provision of contingency funding to stabilize our forecast.

I also want CUSD to remain one of California's most sought after districts, and enhance its academic and enrichment programs to offer our students even more. Part of what motivated me devote so much effort to Project Cornerstone, was the program's mission to help students learn about character traits that lead to academic, social and emotional wellness.

With a stable budgetary forecast, we have the opportunity to improve not just what we teach, but how we develop confident, capable citizens for the next century.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. The answer to each question should be limited to 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 1, 2014 07:53
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