general

1.Why do you want to be elected to the School Board?

I want to be elected to the School Board because my children will be attending San Leandro schools and I want our schools to offer the best education possible to my children and all of our students.

2.If elected Trustee, what would be your top three goals and how do plan on accomplishing them?

My top three goals are 1) increasing parental, community, and business involvement in the schools, 2) improving the academic performance of all students, and 3) maintaining and enhancing vocational education programs.

To increase involvement in the schools, I will let parents, the community, and businesses know that their involvement is welcome and is important to the schools. I will work to communicate with and listen to parents, the community and businesses in order to learn their concerns and ideas. Improving academic performance at our schools will result from greater parental and community involvement, improving the facilities, providing our teachers with the resources and training they need, hiring quality personnel, ensuring that every student is adequately nourished, and improving and modifying programs to address the unique needs of our students. In order to maintain and improve our vocational education programs, we need to pass Measure B and ensure that we maintain adequate funding in the budget for programs, equipment, and personnel. We should also look for other opportunities for vocational education, such as with nearby San Leandro Hospital and other local businesses and unions.

3.How do you plan to balance your personal and work obligations with the need to prepare for and attend board meetings as well as visit school sites, and attend school functions?

My work schedule is flexible enough that I can attend meetings and school functions during the day.

4.How long have you lived in San Leandro? Do you have, or have you in the past had children attending school in SLUSD?

I have live in San Leandro for 6½ years. My two children, ages 4 and 1, will attend McKinley Elementary.

5.What endorsements have you obtained?

Alameda County Central Labor Council
City Council Member Tony Santos
School Board President Pauline Cutter
School Board Vice President Stephen Cassidy
School Board Trustee Louis Heystek
Peggy Combs
Tim Holmes
Jim Prola
Craig Williams
Daniela Leamer
A more complete list of endorsements can be found at http://www.electmikekatz.com/endorse.html

6.Name your three largest campaign contributors and the dollar amount of the contribution.

Myself - $1,000
George and Jill Rogers-Quaye - $250
Ricki Klos - $250

qualifications

1.What professional, civic, educational, and life experiences do you possess that makes you qualified to be a trustee on the School Board?

First of all, I have a vested interest in the quality of San Leandro’s schools, since my two children will be attending McKinley Elementary soon. As a teacher at the Lawrence Hall of Science, I learned about alternative teaching strategies and programs that can motivate and inspire students. In my professional career, I have learned how to bring together groups that have different vested interests, levels of knowledge, and cultural backgrounds into a productive environment for decisions that are mutually beneficial. I have also learned how to properly budget and ensure that contingencies are properly accounted for.

2.How would your presence on the School Board improve San Leandro’s schools?

I will bring commitment, enthusiasm, and a willingness to listen. I am a problem solver who will objectively analyze issues brought before the School Board.

3.Have you regularly attended School Board meetings over the past six months or more?

I have attended every regular and special meeting of the School Board since May 2006 and occasionally attended meetings before then. I also attended both School Bond Community Forums on May 31 and June 19. Notes from these meetings can be found at http://www.sanleandrobytes.com/

4.Describe your experience working with commercial budgets.

As a consultant, I develop budgets for the projects for which I am responsible and must keep within the budget and timeline as the project progresses. I have been doing this for the last 15 years.

facilities and resources

1.Were you in favor of Measure A and what did you do to show your support for or opposition to that measure?

Yes, I was in favor of Measure A. I worked to support it by phone banking and by encouraging people to vote for it.

2.Are you in favor of Measure B, the SLUSD facilities improvement bond? What have you done and will you do to show your support for or opposition to this measure?

Yes, I am in favor of Measure B. I attended both community forums on the school facilities bond, many of the School Board meetings where the bond was discussed and expressed my support for it at some board meetings. I will be volunteering with the Measure B Committee to ensure that Measure B passes in November. I also contributed financially to Citizens for San Leandro Schools for their work on Measure B.

3.Give two examples of how you would use nontraditional methods to secure funds for the district.

First, I would get the school district to hire a dedicated grant-writer. A good grant-writer could obtain millions of dollars in grants for the district, easily paying for the position, and freeing up district resources so that they can be used in other areas. Second, I would work to improve the relationship between local businesses and school organizations such as Parent Teacher Organizations and Dad’s Clubs so that fundraising efforts can be more effective.

4.What solutions do you propose to address inequity among schools throughout the district?

This is a complex problem that will require multiple approaches, including improving parental and community involvement in schools, raising the academic performance of our schools, bringing back families who are sending their children to private schools, passing Measure B to improve our school facilities, ensuring that all schools provide the same quality of facilities to students, propagating programs with demonstrated success at one school to the other schools, and hiring principals and teachers that are qualified and enthusiastic about working with children from San Leandro’s diverse population.

labor relations

1.How would you characterize the relationship between the administration of SLUSD and the teachers in the district? What would you do to improve it?

The relationship between the SLUSD administration and the teachers has been soured by the lawsuit over the teacher’s mailboxes. SLUSD had to hire between 40 and 50 teachers this year, which shows that many teachers are unhappy with the administration.

As a start to improving the relationship, I would drop the appeal of the mailbox lawsuit against the San Leandro Teachers’ Association. Next, I would listen to the concerns and issues of the teachers and the administration to find common ground. It’s important that our teachers have principals that they can respect

2.What is your experience working with labor unions or contract negotiations?

I have no experience working with labor unions or contract negotiations.

3.What would you do to increase the transparency of the negotiations for the Superintendent contract and compensation process?

I would make sure that every aspect of the Superintendent contract and compensation process that can legally be made public is made public at School Board meetings and on the SLUSD web site.

school programs and curriculum

1.What do you see as the most pressing programmatic issue facing the District and what is your solution?

I think that the pressure to perform well on standardized tests has resulted in a situation where the push to “teach to the test” has neglected the broader educational needs of students, including the liberal arts and vocation programs.

2.What do you feel keeps San Leandro schools from performing at or above the state average on standardized tests?

There are numerous issues that keep students at San Leandro schools from performing at or above the state average on standardized tests. Part of the problem arises from the changing demographics of the student population, which presents language and cultural challenges that existing programs have not adequately addressed. Conflicts between teachers and principals can lower teacher morale and adversely affect student performance, as has been shown at one San Leandro elementary school. I think we need to find out why San Leandro schools perform worse than schools with students from similar socio-economic backgrounds before we can fully address this issue.

3.What curriculum or programmatic changes, if any, would you propose to increase test scores for English Language Learner (ELL) students?

We should teach English Language Learner students to be fluent in their own language as well as English. Recent studies have shown that a supportive environment where students and teachers view bilingualism as an academic asset can lead to above average academic performance for those students. We should also institute and enhance mentoring programs where older students can help younger students.

4.What role do you see the Board having in “Safe Schools?”

The School Board should encourage efforts to ensure that our schools are safe places for students as they develop emotionally and socially. School policies should make clear that teasing and bullying for any reason are unacceptable behaviors and teachers and administrators should be provided with training in how best to deal with these issues.

community outreach

1.Where do you see opportunities for increased community participation with District initiatives and how would you engage the community in general and business in particular?

The School District needs to make information readily accessible to parents and members of the community in the forms that are most convenient for them. In some cases, this may be electronically via electronic mail, by making paper copies available at the libraries, and by providing it in the language appropriate to the recipient. The district should outreach to retired members of the community as possible mentors and classroom volunteers to take advantage of their experience and knowledge. Local businesses have a vested interest in how well students are educated at our schools. Board members should work with the Chamber of Commerce and local businesses so that the School Board can learn about businesses’ concerns and potential opportunities for internships or similar programs.

2.How will you encourage parent involvement at school sites?

In order for parents to get involved, they need to know that their involvement is welcome and is important to the school. This needs to be communicated to the parents by making this clear in literature sent home with students and in the language spoken by the parents. Teachers and administrators also need to learn how to take advantage of the skills and experiences of parents who are willing to volunteer in the classroom.

3.What other resources in our community would you use to improve San Leandro schools?

I don’t think we have taken advantage of the enormous knowledge and experience of San Leandro’s seniors. Many of these people would love to help out in the classroom or serve as mentors to our students. We also have a large number of businesses in the community that could provide valuable business and educational experiences and opportunities for our students.

4.How would you characterize the school districts handling of the 2006 “Day without Immigrants” protest?

I think that the letter sent by the School District was insensitive in its implied threats against children who may have missed school to participate in the protest. I raised this issue at the May 16 school board meeting.

5.What methods will you use to make informed decisions as a Board Member?

I will listen to parents, teachers, and the community to ensure that I have as much information as I can to make decisions that I feel are best for the students of our schools. I will also research relevant issues and take advantage of the expertise available at our local universities.