League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Santa Clara County, CA November 4, 2014 Election
	Candidates Answer Questions on the Issues Board Member; East Side 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.     See below for questions on Funding, Curriculum, Goals Click on a name for candidate information.   See also more information about this contest. 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? Answer from J. Manuel Herrera: As a Governing Board Member for the East Side Union High School District, I helped create an internal auditor position that reports directly to the Board, to closely monitor our school district's fiscal policies and practices. Additionally, our Board regularly submits quarterly and annual fiscal reports which are reviewed and signed-off by a County Office of Education oversight office. ALL of these reports are sunshined in public meetings and made available to the public. 2. Are the schools offering instruction appropriate to the diverse educational abilities of all the students? Answer from J. Manuel Herrera: Yes, the thrust of our educational strategies is professional development for teachers to master "differentiated" teaching styles to reach our diverse community of students. Equally important are alternative paths to success through magnet programs, career academies, smaller learning communities, career technical education, and charter schools. This provides a critical element of "choice" for students and parents. 3. Where do you want the District to be five years from now? What steps should the District take to get there? Answer from J. Manuel Herrera: Five years from now the East Side Union High School District will have fully restored the operational capacities that were lost during a devastating economic recession. Statewide, the fiscal projection is that revenues will gradually increase over the next 8-10 years. Most importantly, we will have made substantial progress in closing the achievement gap/"opportunity gap", especially for Latino and African-American students and some segments of the pan-Asian/Pacific Islander community. We are accomplishing this within the framework of a newly adopted Strategic Plan for our school district, an earlier adopted "Equity Policy", and a newly adopted "Local Control Action Plan" that allocates increasing revenues for all students and even more resources for students who need it most. Ultimately, we need to teach our kids the basics for a 21st Century world, with core skills in math, English, science, and more. We must prepare them for a new world of opportunity, equipping them with technology literacy, critical thinking skills, and the ability to work as members of teams. 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. The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.