Candidate for
Board Member; Redondo Beach Unified School District

I will have three main priorities as a Board Member.

1) Funding. Money is a perennial issue for every school district. Our own financial condition has recovered in recent years, but our budget faces some significant headwinds. Expenditures to implement Common Core and our technology programs will increase. At the same time, the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) will place Redondo at a disadvantage relative to both the prior funding system and to other school districts.

My plan to address our funding challenges is to make certain we prioritize our spending on the classroom. We must pay our teachers, spend on programs that improve student outcomes, and spend less in areas that are not impactful.

2) Technology. Redondo earmarked $18 million from its 2012 bond issue towards classroom technology like Chromebooks for all students grades 3-12 and tablets for younger children.

I welcome this initiative but want to ensure we properly support and train our teachers to use this technology so we maximize such a significant investment in hardware.

3) Curriculum. The adoption of Common Core standards is a transformational change in what and how our kids are being taught in the classroom. Because the content and pedagogy of our students' curriculum is different than what we knew as children, the notion of Common Core remains confusing to many stakeholders, especially parents.

I want to give teachers the resources they request to help implement Common Core, and I will support the District's outreach efforts to better explain Common Core to the parent community.