Candidate for
Council Member; City of La Palma

I am a graduate of Chapman College earning both a Bachelors and a Masters degree. My family, wife Sally, daughter Tiffany and I, moved to La Palma in 1978. My son Logan was born 2 years later. Both children attended Miller Elementary, Walker Jr. High, and Kennedy High Schools. I retired from the Cypress Elementary School District in 2005 after 38 years of teaching. I taught at Luther and King schools serving La Palma for 25 years . I was elected to 5 terms as a trustee of the Centralia School District, and served 14 years as the trustee representative on the Greater Anaheim Special Education Local Program Area board. I served as board president 4 times on each board. I continue to volunteer my services to King School and the Centralia School District.

I was a Youth 20/20, City of La Palma 1st year member. I was an AYSO and club soccer coach and supporter, and a score keeper for Little League and Bobby Sox. I have been an interviewer for J.F.K. High School Scholarship Foundation. I served as treasurer or auditor for Walker Jr. High and Kennedy High School PTA's for 4 years. I have and continue to support the King School Musicals by acting as the sound technician and providing student vocal training. I continue to assist with the organization and maintenance of the King School Computer Lab. I installed the first student computers in the Cypress School District in 1982 at Luther School followed a few years later with student use of online communications and the development and maintenance of the Luther School computer lab for over a decade.

Among my most important accomplishments while a trustee of the Centralia School Board was the moderization of all the schools. I worked diligently to assure that all the schools had equitable facilities, resources, and services for the students and insisted that the modernized facilities had the infrastructure necessary to support the full use of technology within each school and classroom. In both the Cypress School District and the Centralia School District, I was an active member of the committees that designed the newly constructed Landell and Centralia Schools as well as the initial designs for the Cypress schools computer labs and classroom workstations. I continue to serve as a member of the District Technology Committee of the Centralia School District.

As a classroom teacher in the Cypress School District, I had a primary role in the creation and negotiation of the Association of Cypress Teachers certificated employees contract. I served on the negotiation team for over 30 years, and as the chief spokesperson for most of those years. I worked on behalf of the district as a member of the budget and finance, and insurance committees for decades representing the teachers. I was honored by my colleagues at King School by being selected as Teacher of the Year in 2004 and 2005. I served twice as President of the teachers association. I was also selected at various times to serve as a Master Teacher, Mentor Teacher, and Support Provider to new teachers.

As stated elsewhere, I was an Honoree of the Passkeys Foundation Outstanding Character Educator of Orange County. The Orange County Board of Education presented me with the Outstanding Contributions to Education in Orange County recognition in 2005 following my nomination by the King School PTA. I had previously received a PTA Honorary Service Award and the WHO award from the California Teachers Association. I believe in the importance of a sound education for our youth and in the public education system, in general.