League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Santa Clara County, CA November 7, 2006 Election
	Royce Lorraine Peterson Answers Questions Candidate for Board Member; Campbell Union High 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 Board member I would carefully study all the budget documents, including the parcel tax budget, to see whether the district is spending state, federal and local money prudently and in accordance with the Board's budget priorities. I would meet with the business manager and any other appropriate district personnel if I have questions. Any problems that can and should be addressed immediately will be put on the agenda for the next board meeting. I will call for the Board set up a process to reevaluate the District's budget priorities. District and school administration, teachers and the other employee groups will be asked to present their lists of budget priorities. Public meetings at the sites will be held to gather input from parents and community members. The Board will then set and publish the priorities for the 2007-08 budget. The Board will review these priorities yearly.

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

This is an area that the District is working on. The schools are using new programs and new approaches to address the needs of our students who arrive at high school without the necessary skills. We need to constantly evaluate the effectiveness of these and make changes if needed. We need to make sure that our teachers have the training and tools necessary to meet the diverse educational needs of our students. We need to encourage more students to use the daily tutorial, where they can get individual help from the teachers, and the homework centers, which provide teacher and peer tutoring. We need to work with the parents to make sure that their students put homework above TV, video games, etc. To meet the needs of all our students we need to retain, if not expand, vocational, fine arts and performing art classes. We need to encourage our college-bound students to take the college readiness test (EAP) developed by the California State University system. I've already spoken with the District's Literacy Coordinator about using the materials developed by CSU in our curriculum so that our students will be ready for college work.

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

In five years I want the District to be a place where students get an excellent education that prepares them for either college or career. I want it to be a place where students participate in a wide range of extracurricular activities (clubs, sports, homecoming, band, etc.). We must keep our schools safe by constant vigilance and frequent training of both staff and students. I would like CUHSD to be a place that attracts and retains the best teachers. We can do this not only by offering a competitive compensation package but also by creating a climate in which teachers feel that their expertise is valued in making decisions at both the school and district levels. I want parents to buy houses in our district because they have heard of the excellence of our schools. An important component in accomplishing all of this is better communication. The board, administration, teachers, and parents need to work as a partnership to prepare all of our students for the 21st century.

---

Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' responses are not edited or corrected by the League.

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

Candidate Page || Feedback to Candidate || This Contest
SmartVoter Home (Ballot Lookup) || About Smart Voter

---

Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 21, 2006 22:58
Smart Voter <http://www.smartvoter.org/>
Copyright © League of Women Voters of California Education Fund   http://www.lwvc.org
The League of Women Voters neither supports nor opposes candidates for public office or political parties.