Georgia Hallimn

District: Keppel Union
Position Seeking: Governing Board Member

Question 1: Please share a meaningful experience you had with art (visual, dance, drama, music, media arts) while growing up.

I remember having art in High School. I remember learning how to draw a picture then paint it. 40 years later I still have that picture. We did papier-mache I made a viking ship Because of my joy in art class throughout my years I have enjoyed working with many crafts with family and friends. I was fortunate to have seen my daughter to receive some art in elementary school. At 17 now in High School she has become an okay artist. Only if our elementary schools could do more how better our children could be before High School.

Question 2: What kind of creative solutions would you suggest to support student outcomes such as English language development, closing the achievement gap, and preparation for college and/or meaningful careers?

Because of the Common Core now being implemented in our schools. Teachers have the ability to use different forms of art to help our student to visualize their lessons. Thee are so many ways teachers can have students look at pictures, draw pictures, build object , create from their imaginations. All of these can help students with their academics and get them ready for future careers.

Question 3: What do you think should be the role of the School Board in ensuring that students have access to a broad range of study?

As students start out out in elementary school they don’t know what field of careers they won’t to go into. If starting out in elementary school giving a students the opportunity to experience different programs such as academics, sports, art, science, music. Our children can have a chance to see and find something that excites them. Helps them to wont to stay in school, to learn about the world. Not just their back yard. As a board member I can help to give this excitement to our students.

Question 4: In light of the Local Control Funding Formula and development of district Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs), what are your creative solutions for achieving goals in the eight priority areas?

Talking to our students, parents, staff and our community members. Finding out what is important to them. Then bring all this back to the board to discuss the importance of what everyone wants to help better our children’s education. then to hold fast to what everyone wants. With the board members we can prioritizes and set about making those things happen.

Diana Padilla

District: Compton USD
Position Seeking: Governing Board Member

Question 1: Please share a meaningful experience you had with art (visual, dance, drama, music, media arts) while growing up.

I remember growing up in Wilmington, CA. My elementary school offered several drama and dance classes that took us to competitions. I participated in all and enjoyed being part of something fun were I can express myself and feel included.

Question 2: What kind of creative solutions would you suggest to support student outcomes such as English language development, closing the achievement gap, and preparation for college and/or meaningful careers?

Well, in my current course of studying of child development I have come to know that in order to meaningfully educate a child we must embrace and fullfil basic needs of developmental areas. Children must be supported in a safe, nourtouring and loving environment so they can learn. Staff and parents must work together to bring peace in our schools through extra curricular activities, art, drama, sports, music, and enthusiastic motivating classes for all its school community. Only when we all work towards a same goal is when we will achieve high expectations for all our children.

Question 3: What do you think should be the role of the School Board in ensuring that students have access to a broad range of study?

I believe the role of a school board is to ensure the school system is in compliance with state laws, that the dollars are spend on the classrooms and that ethical procedures are being followed by all its stakeholders. The board must be willing to volunteer with passion and dedication to help other and specially the children of the district they have pledged to serve. This body should be bringing resources to its campuses so that our children have the opportunities to compete in this 21st century. Our kids have a dream!

Question 4: In light of the Local Control Funding Formula and development of district Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs), what are your creative solutions for achieving goals in the eight priority areas?

All of the 8 areas this formula targets are geared towards supporting the student. It is a vision of success that was written from the principles of child development. Our kids are not successful because the current system has fallen into a careless mind. Starting with the proper assigned teachers who are well supported in the class to implement meaningful educational context and delivery. Parental involvement to continue the rigors into their homes to keep our children engaged. Bring a safe environment that will allow our children to digest knowledge and boost student outcome.

Kelly Kent

District: Culver City USD
Position Seeking: Governing Board Member

Question 1: Please share a meaningful experience you had with art (visual, dance, drama, music, media arts) while growing up.

I played 1st flute for the Friends Seminary Chamber Players, and performed in a number of school wide events. Practicing and performing marked my high school years, and in particular I remember the pride I felt at my progress and improving skill level. My persistence and effort culminated in the performance of a flute duet at my high school graduation where parents and peers alike expressed joy and support for my success. I know that without this experience, I would have been less motivated to succeed in school and certainly would have been less disciplined as a student.

Question 2: What kind of creative solutions would you suggest to support student outcomes such as English language development, closing the achievement gap, and preparation for college and/or meaningful careers?

One of the biggest barriers to improved achievement outcomes is student engagement. Art has been shown to enhance student engagement by connecting children more deeply to the world around them. This along with the unique skill sets afforded to children exposed to the arts explains why art instruction has also been shown to narrow the achievement gap. As project-driven work corresponds to Common Core standards, enhances student motivation and is an excellent means of incorporating art into all academic content there is a significant need to rank arts education as among the highest of student outcome driven priorities.

Question 3: What do you think should be the role of the School Board in ensuring that students have access to a broad range of study?

Reinvigorating the arts in schools takes leadership and partnership. If a school board favors the most progressive vision for education that research-based best practices will allow, the educational services department will take on the mandate to implement the latest in innovative instructional pedagogies. As arts education has been shown to broaden the course of study, enhance pupil outcomes and strengthen school climate, it is the imperative of any forward-thinking board of education to push through higher standards for arts education. Additionally, as a city parks commissioner, I am well poised to nurture collaboration with the city for cultural resources.

Question 4: In light of the Local Control Funding Formula and development of district Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs), what are your creative solutions for achieving goals in the eight priority areas?

A number of districts in California are designing LCAPs to support arts as a means of improving student outcomes. CCUSD’s current LCAP does allocate for increased arts spending in the next 3-year period, but teacher training is not included in this projection. I am interested in having the district include in its increased support of arts a significant teacher-training component, where teachers receive professional development in the arts specifically to support the needs of socioeconomically disadvantaged students and English language learners, populations that are currently suffering from a lower graduation rate.

Donna Freedman

District: Rowland Unified (shared w/ Orange County)
Position Seeking: Governing Board Member

Question 1: Please share a meaningful experience you had with art (visual, dance, drama, music, media arts) while growing up.

I played the violin when I was very young, but as an adult I had a very meaningful experience: I’m an elementary school teacher that is in my 36th year of teaching. I have taken many field trips to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. They offer free entrance fee for fifth graders. They give you a dance routine to teach our students. After the performance, we all dance the dance that we taught our students. The fifth graders come from all over the county. What a great experience for my students!

Question 2: What kind of creative solutions would you suggest to support student outcomes such as English language development, closing the achievement gap, and preparation for college and/or meaningful careers?

I believe that when students have ELD teachers should target their needs Usually teachers teach from a box or a lesson book but I believe lessons should be what do the students actually need to achieve higher development on the CELDT test and in English Language Skills Possibly after school lessons to help the students that are falling behind or struggling may help There should be classes or clubs for preparation for college and have information at all high schools about meaningful careers Each high school should have a few career awareness big assemblies and bring people from several jobs.

Question 3: What do you think should be the role of the School Board in ensuring that students have access to a broad range of study?

I believe it is the role of the Board to ensure that ALL students receive the education they deserve. We should have surveys to see what students want, or if they have ideas of classes that aren’t currently offered that they may be interested in. For instance, American Sign Language which is now meeting the requirement of a foreign language. If it is a good thing for the students, then the Board should be ready to approve it. The Board should be open to all ideas and research them.

Question 4: In light of the Local Control Funding Formula and development of district Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs), what are your creative solutions for achieving goals in the eight priority areas?

The music program was taken out of the elementary schools in RUSD, I think it should be brought back. Possibly lower class size or more hours for aides to help struggling students Struggling students are a priority to try to get them back on track, use the money for after school programs to assist in remediation I also think field trips would be a great educational experience for students Currently at the elementary level only 6th grade goes on field trips at RUSD.

Maria Villalobos Morgan

District: El Monte Union High*
Position Seeking: Governing Board Member

Question 1: Please share a meaningful experience you had with art (visual, dance, drama, music, media arts) while growing up.

As a student, I had a wonderful 3rd grade teacher. She used music as a tool to teach us the vowel sounds in Spanish. I also learned the names of the different dinosaurs through music as well.

Question 2: What kind of creative solutions would you suggest to support student outcomes such as English language development, closing the achievement gap, and preparation for college and/or meaningful careers?

I would suggest using music to learn words, sounds, and meaning of words for the English language. In groups, students could work together and create songs that will help them remember key concepts. For preparation for college and/or meaningful careers, I would assign students a social media project where they could create a either a PowerPoint presentation or visual art media board and present their research.

Question 3: What do you think should be the role of the School Board in ensuring that students have access to a broad range of study?

I believe that the role of the School Board is to suggest and ask that the district look at providing access to a broad range of study to the students. As keepers of the students education, it is important that board members remember that students learn through a variety of ways, and our job is to ensure that we provide as many opportunities for them as possible.

Question 4: In light of the Local Control Funding Formula and development of district Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs), what are your creative solutions for achieving goals in the eight priority areas?

It is very important to include all of the stakeholders in creating the goals for the districts LCAP. By including all stakeholders, everyone will feel personally responsible in achieving those goals since they played an active role in creating them. This will allow everyone the opportunity to work together, plan, and organize detailed steps to achieve the goals in the eight priority areas. I would encourage the collaboration of the public and private sector to ensure the goals are met and utilize resources available. Students will also write out their own personal goals that are aligned to the LCAP goals.

Hugo Enciso

District: ABC Unified School District Trustee Area 5
Position Seeking: Governing Board Member

Question 1: Please share a meaningful experience you had with art (visual, dance, drama, music, media arts) while growing up.

The arts have always been important to me. Growing up in Chicago my parents exposed me to the arts at a very young age. My father was a singer as a young boy so he loved music, and I remember he would take us to outdoor concerts in the summer at the Grant Park Bandshell. These were some of my favorite outings that were often combined with a visit to the different museums on Lake Michigan. Another fascinating experience was visiting the Pyramids of Teotihuacan in Mexico when I was 9 years old.

Question 2: What kind of creative solutions would you suggest to support student outcomes such as English language development, closing the achievement gap, and preparation for college and/or meaningful careers?

Children need to be motivated to learn. We need to expose them to the different opportunities that exist in the real world. In order to prepare them for college and career, they need to see what opportunities are out there at an early age. Field trips complemented with virtual tours using emerging technologies such as virtual reality in the classroom can enhance the educational experience for children. This along with mentors and leaders who can visit the classroom, share their experiences and answer questions can help them visualize opportunities and get them excited to learn.

Question 3: What do you think should be the role of the School Board in ensuring that students have access to a broad range of study?

First and foremost Board members need to provide sound fiscal management to ensure that limited resources are managed effectively to provide the best educational experiences for our children. These include safe and secure facilities, technology in the classroom, continuous development of teachers, challenging curriculum, arts, athletics and other activities to develop well-rounded students. They should also lead by example and inspire our children by having a diverse set of skills that demonstrates to students and the community the importance of a good education. Finally they need to engage with parents to have a pulse of the community needs.

Question 4: In light of the Local Control Funding Formula and development of district Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs), what are your creative solutions for achieving goals in the eight priority areas?

Parent engagement is one of the eight priority areas that needs to be at the front and center. Education should be a shared experience where parents collaborate with teachers and administrators. District leadership should guide the process engaging all stakeholders and working collaboratively to provide guidance and information in terms of the emerging careers and opportunities as we prepare our children for careers. As a community we will have more information and we can focus on the most critical areas to ensure successful educational outcomes.

Arturo D. Frazier

District: Compton USD
Position Seeking: Governing Board Member

Question 1: Please share a meaningful experience you had with art (visual, dance, drama, music, media arts) while growing up.

As a young child in the ministry I began playing the drum set at our local church at the age of 8. I also performed in many Christmas and Easter plays. The most meaningful experience for me as a child was when I played Jesus Christ during our Resurrection Sunday play. This meaningful because of my interest at an early age in the story revolving around the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.

Question 2: What kind of creative solutions would you suggest to support student outcomes such as English language development, closing the achievement gap, and preparation for college and/or meaningful careers?

Develop Afterschool Programs that Empower and Expose CUSD Gifted Talented Student

English Language development
Establish a English language writing lab with writing coaches and college interns who specialize in test taking and short essay writing

Closing the achievement gap
Establish focused tutorial programs for students whose tests scores reveal poor achievement in specific subjects or subject details

Preparation for college and meaningful careers
Establish partnerships with colleges programs by way of introducing college preparation curriculum along with college tours

Question 3: What do you think should be the role of the School Board in ensuring that students have access to a broad range of study?

The role of a School Board member in making sure students have a broad range of study is to be actively involved and have up-to-date information on curriculum developments nation-wide. Board members should regularly attend seminars, conferences and workshops that revolve around giving our students exposure to every field of human endeavor and the academic paths to prepare them adequately upon reaching destination.

Question 4: In light of the Local Control Funding Formula and development of district Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs), what are your creative solutions for achieving goals in the eight priority areas?

One of the creative solutions that I would propose is to evaluate each area of the LCFF and LCAP by using the S.W.O.T. (Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats) Analysis business model as measuring tool of effectiveness as it relates to achieving our state and federal mandates and requirements for overall academic achievement. I would recommend that the Board of Trustees through the Superintendent of Schools use this formula bi-annually for checks and balances as it relates to accomplishing our goals and fulfilling the overall vision of the Compton Unified School District.

Teresa Merino Ph.D.

District: El Rancho USD*
Position Seeking: Governing Board Member

Question 1: Please share a meaningful experience you had with art (visual, dance, drama, music, media arts) while growing up.

While growing up in a small, dusty town in Mexico, where public libraries were non existent, I learn to appreciate music, song and dance. As a young child I have recollections of cool, summer evenings sitting outside in the patio listening to friends and relatives play the guitar and sing a variety of songs while we sang or danced along to the tunes and ballads.
These rich experiences helped developed not only my vocabulary but also my love of music and dance and set the stage for what I enjoy today, from the classical to the contemporary.

Question 2: What kind of creative solutions would you suggest to support student outcomes such as English language development, closing the achievement gap, and preparation for college and/or meaningful careers?

The performing arts, music, dance, drama, media, and art key play a key role in the in the development of language overall. Children have many learning modalities and from persona; experience I can say that art contributes to a child’s creativity and expression. Learning to read through the arts is a strategy that I em[ployed frequently while working as as a teacher in elementary grades. When children master the ability of expression they also master the ability to listen, read and write.

Question 3: What do you think should be the role of the School Board in ensuring that students have access to a broad range of study?

School Boards have a responsibility to provide a variety of academic experiences to all students in all disciplines. First and foremost is following the mandated guidelines from the Common Core Standards and at the same time provide enrichment classes and opportunities to unlock students’ creativity and analytical skills.

Question 4: In light of the Local Control Funding Formula and development of district Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs), what are your creative solutions for achieving goals in the eight priority areas?

To meet the mandates of LCAP school districts must involve all stakeholders, the school board, the administration, staff, parents, the bargaining unions and students to provide input and set priorities to develop a strategic plan that is well understood and that it provides direction that aligns to current student needs. With the LCAP school districts develop and set the budget and seek opportunities to apply for grants and funding that will support the arts.

Dave Markov

District: Palmdale
Position Seeking: Governing Board Member

Question 1: Please share a meaningful experience you had with art (visual, dance, drama, music, media arts) while growing up.

Taking part in drama in high school was a life-changing experience. Getting on stage, in front of people, gave me new confidence that has played an important role in my life. That type of experience is valuable whether you pursue the stage or go to work in an office — we all have to communicate one way or another.

Question 2: What kind of creative solutions would you suggest to support student outcomes such as English language development, closing the achievement gap, and preparation for college and/or meaningful careers?

We have to give kids good stories — stories that encourage them to reach their potential. We need to use our reading time as an opportunity to build student character. Stories reach both the heart and the mind.

And we need to show tough love to all the stakeholders — teachers, administrators and parents (of which I am one). We need to double down on our commitment to the kids. It’s only with that commitment that the kids have a chance to succeed.

Question 3: What do you think should be the role of the School Board in ensuring that students have access to a broad range of study?

The board is there to serve the parents and the students. Too often, school boards forget that. The board needs to have the same perspective as the parents: test scores are important — but success in life (job and family) is more important. And part of that success comes in giving learners a broad range of study. If school boards keep a parents’-eye-view of learning, they’ll make sure students have access to a broad range of study.

Question 4: In light of the Local Control Funding Formula and development of district Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs), what are your creative solutions for achieving goals in the eight priority areas?

You change student lives when you change the stories they hear. That’s the first step — change the students with empowering stories.

Then you do the same thing for the parents. Share stories with them of student success so they can see the possibility.

And then you add commitment to those new visions. You get teachers, parents and students to double down on their commitment to student success.

None of this is easy — but success is not easy. But it boils down to building the solid foundation shown above. With that foundation, great things are possible.

Mathy Wasserman

District: Las Virgenes Unified (Shared w/ Ventura County)
Position Seeking: Governing Board Member

Question 1: Please share a meaningful experience you had with art (visual, dance, drama, music, media arts) while growing up.

The Arts played a significant aspect of my academic and social development. As a child, I took ballet from a very young age well into middle school. In school, I was a rebel and wanted to file a petition so that I could take drums instead of a girl instrument. Later, in high school I participated in the television station and newspaper which were part of the class schedule, not extracurricular.

Question 2: What kind of creative solutions would you suggest to support student outcomes such as English language development, closing the achievement gap, and preparation for college and/or meaningful careers?

Divesifying programs to meet the strengths and serve the weaknesses of students is crucial to provide successful paths for academic and social development. From shared best practices, I believe that ELL can grow, gaps in achievement can be bridged and college and career preparation can be successful.

Question 3: What do you think should be the role of the School Board in ensuring that students have access to a broad range of study?

The role of the Governing Board should be to reflect the community. I believe that finding solutions to each students individual learning need requires innovation, creativity and problem solving. It’s important that students, who learn in different ways, have a pathway that best suits their learning style. For some, that may mean a traditional or honors track, an academy like Calabasas High’s Academy of Mefia Entertainment, an Independent or Home Study option or a hybrid. I am impressed when the A=Arts is added to STEM learning for STEAM The powerful connection between the two realms shouldn’t be ignored.

Question 4: In light of the Local Control Funding Formula and development of district Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs), what are your creative solutions for achieving goals in the eight priority areas?

Due to the funding formula for Las Virgenes Unified School District, we sit in the lowest 10% of funding in the state. That requires LVUSD to look for partnership with our citIies, our foundation, our parents and the community. In addition, we look for the availability of grants to fund programs and continue to advocate on behalf of our students regarding state and federal funding.