School District: Burbank USD

Position Seeking: Board Member

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

My most memorable art experience as a child occurred when I was a 9th grader at John Muir Junior High. (1974) I was part of the Mixed Chorus that got invited to the MENC convention that was held at the Anaheim Convention Center near Disneyland. We were the first junior high school group to ever be selected to perform at MENC. It was a very special day, filled with excitement, joy and pride. The effort that the whole group put out to learn several difficult music pieces to perform at the event created bonds with classmates that exist to this day. My junior high choir experiences provided me with a love of music which propelled me into my second career after exiting Pharmacy, which I found unsatisfying. I investing in an electronic musical instrument repair business while I was still in Pharmacy, then bought out my partner when I left the profession and continued to run that business for over 26 years. I can easily trace my love of music back to those 3 years in junior high and that love has been instilled in my daughter, who is currently part of the renowned Burbank High School vocal music program. 

Question 2: How can arts education support student outcomes such as English language development, reducing the achievement gap, and preparing youth for college and/or meaningful careers?

Arts are a core part of a child’s education for several reasons. First, art and music provide for the creation of alternative pathways with the brain, and assist children with critical thinking skill development. Art helps develop spatial relationship skills as well as providing a platform from which interdisciplinary learning can occur. Exposure to movies and theatre can be an important means to connect to English language learners and assist in acclimating them to verbal English. Arts programming many times helps to connect students to school when they other have no affinity towards other coursework. Those connections can then be exploited to encourage attention to other disciplines. In Burbank, with all the entertainment businesses in our town, our students have the opportunity to go from high school directly into many good paying jobs in digital media, animation, production and theatre crafts, just to name a few. Many internships are available to college students that dovetail into a job upon graduation. Finally, many of our graduates have been accepted into incredible programs nationwide, such as Julliard, Berklee, Cap24, as well as local arts programs at colleges and universities such as USC, UCLA, and Claremont

Question 3: What do you think the role of the School Board should be in ensuring that students have continued access to a broad range of study subjects, including the arts (broadly defined)?

In Burbank, as an Arts for All school district, we have a 10 year plan that drives the vision for a sequential arts education for all our students K-12 across for strands: Music, Theatre, Visual Arts and Dance. We have accomplished much of the goals of our original 10 year outline. We have a well developed visual arts program in all grade levels with many of our teachers completing training workshops at the Getty and MOCA, among others. Are music program includes dedicated teacher specialists in our elementary schools and nationally acclaimed programs at our secondary campuses. Dance is well articulated through the grades, although I am attempting to champion a separate Dance offering at the middle school level that is its own program, not something imbedded into the Physical Education classes. Theatre is also an art form with good elementary and high school exposure, but less at the middle school. I am working to have a drama program developed at all three of our middle schools. Currently, only one has a drama program with a full time teacher. The role of the Board is to develop and maintain the vision, adjust the vision as necessary, and continue to support the necessary budgetary financial commitments needed for the programs to exist and thrive. Most importantly, when times are tough, make sure to sustain the commitment at least partially, to ensure that a program never gets fully eliminated, which could take a generation or more to bring back.

Question 4: Do you see a role for arts education in the development of district Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs)? If so, how would you hope to use arts education to advance the eight priority areas identified in the LCAP template?

With a broad stakeholder involvement and a community that is very connected to arts and entertainment, it is hard to believe that arts wouldn’t be an important component of our District’s LCAP plan. Certainly arts education can have a profound impact on student achievement and student engagement as can be gleaned from some of my answers to the previous questions. School climate is very positively impacted by the presence of art programs, whether it is a display of student created art, a performance by a choir, band, theatre troupe or dance ensemble. When discussing parental involvement, all the performing arts programs to varying degrees involve parent support, whether it is sweat equity, monetary contributions, or something as simple as driving a student to a rehearsal. The LCAP process allows for directing funding to support key aspects of our Arts programs; providing specific targets for music teachers in our elementary grades, providing dedicated funding for professional development opportunities for our teaching staff, and providing a platform for adding programs, such as additional media and culinary arts to student course offerings in the future. The Board is then tasked with supporting the vision of the plan as adopted, which has lead to successful implementation of many new program offerings and supports in BUSD.

School District: Burbank USD

Position Seeking: Board Member

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

I didn’t really have any interest in music early in my school years. When I was about 8 my grandfather pulled out his old saxophone and played a few songs. He didn’t play that much and wasn’t very accomplished but it had an affect on me. He encouraged me to take it up, telling me about how it was always a good thing to know how to play an instrument. I followed his advice and joined the band at my school, taking up saxophone. I played in the band for several years, even though I didn’t really seem to have a knack for it (bit of a tin ear, I’d say) but always enjoyed it. It really sparked an appreciation for music that continues to this day. Joining the band was really the only artistic outlet at my school in those days (no choir or dance, and media arts wasn’t even a concept yet). It gave those of us involved not only a chance to learn how to play an instrument but also what it felt like to perform in front of an audience and to work together as a group. 

Question 2: How can arts education support student outcomes such as English language development, reducing the achievement gap, and preparing youth for college and/or meaningful careers?

There are many ways that students benefit from a comprehensive arts education. In some practical ways, there are studies that have shown learning and practicing music improves reading skills and sequence learning, also drama and theater education improve reading, oral and memory skills and the ability to learn and process stories. On a much larger scale, education in the arts improves students’ abilities to think creatively. Common Core standards want more than anything else to improve students problem solving skills, the ability to think outside the box to come up with solutions. Arts education promotes inventing thinking and seeing the world in a different way. Dedication to a particular artistic area like music or drama also develops better working habits in students. It’s also been shown that attendance and graduation rates improve among students that receive a comprehensive arts education.

Question 3: What do you think the role of the School Board should be in ensuring that students have continued access to a broad range of study subjects, including the arts (broadly defined)?

It is part of a School Board’s job to set and approve curriculum. It is there responsibility to make the choices (with input from district staff) as to what classes, lessons, textbooks, etc. will give the students of their district an education that will meet all state standards. But it’s also a School Board’s responsibility to have a vision for what they want their district to be, what kind of learning opportunities will give their students the best and most complete education, and education that will give them the ability to move on to college and/or careers. This by necessity includes basic curriculum in language arts, mathematics and science. But just as necessary are a vigorous and varied arts curriculum, also vocational and technical education, computers and technology, health and fitness and special education. We need to make sure students have the opportunities to experience a wide range of subjects, thereby expanding their knowledge base and learning about jobs/careers that they might not otherwise even know exist. 

Question 4: Do you see a role for arts education in the development of district Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs)? If so, how would you hope to use arts education to advance the eight priority areas identified in the LCAP template?

Arts education should absolutely be part of district LACPs. I believe expanding arts education opportunities can touch on all eight priority areas, but particularly in the areas of Course Access, Implementation of State Standards, Student Achievement, Student Engagement and School Climate. I noted in one of the previous answers some of the ways arts education can increase achievement and also aligns well with Common Core goals. Access to the arts also helps make students more connected to and involved in their schools and can decrease dropout and suspension rates. In the first years of the LCAP in our district we have made increasing access to arts and music education one of our central goals. We’ve designated funding for:

• a full-time Arts/CTE Coordinator and TSA
• maintaining the current staffing of elementary music teachers
• musical instrument repair
• secondary arts supplies
• Arts professional development, including PD for teachers on how to incorporate arts into their instruction of other classes
• English learners theater arts integration program

These are just a few of the ways that arts can be used to drive results within the various priority areas.

School District: LAUSD – District 2

Position Seeking: Board Member

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

My mother was radical. She wanted her daughters to experience all the joys of living. As the second of 4 daughters this meant that I got to dance class at the age of 3 since my older sister was 5. Dance and performance was challenging for me. While my sister enjoyed the spotlight and natural grace, I was a struggling shy and coordination challenged performer.

Dance class built courage, self-reliance (Mr. Timmons did not allow my mom to comfort me) and the skill of overcoming a challenge. It also gave me an amazing memory of achievement of performing Candy Duck on stage in a fancy but uncomfortable tutu.

Arts help all children build their self-expression, confidence and understanding of themselves & their world. Thank you Mr. Timmons & all who create the path.

Question 2: How can arts education support student outcomes such as English language development, reducing the achievement gap, and preparing youth for college and/or meaningful careers?

I believe that arts play a critical role in helping students improving outcomes. I believe that the effective integration of art allows for improving language development through writing and discussions of meaning when it comes to particular pieces of work. In addition, conversations about art help with vocabulary building. I find that like linked learning, arts can be used to inspire and motivate students to see beyond the theoretical and sometimes unappetizing aspects of learning many subject matters.

Question 3: What do you think the role of the School Board should be in ensuring that students have continued access to a broad range of study subjects, including the arts (broadly defined)?

I believe our role is to support and encourage the use of arts for the above-mentioned reasons. It is helpful for us to understand which approaches are best practice, which vendors produce the most effective results in using art in a way that simultaneously motivates learning and achieving. In doing so, we can be better advocates of specific relationships with providers that help our goals of graduation and providing more students well roundedness strength in the arts.

Question 4: Do you see a role for arts education in the development of district Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs)? If so, how would you hope to use arts education to advance the eight priority areas identified in the LCAP template?

I see an opportunity for the template to give space to have districts articulate a plan or approach on how they are achieving the above mentioned. Without proper planning and an articulation of goals and parameters for success it is difficult for there to be an organized strategy on what deliverables will come about from the students and reported back in a thoughtful way by LEA’s. There is a need for more parameters that would better inform the template and create a profile for what districts in California are doing with arts education being. Other districts can see those models and begin to take on similar strategies.

School District: LAUSD – District 2

Position Seeking: Board Member

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

I was the child in your school who had trouble fitting in, both socially and academically. When my mother signed me up for drum lessons in the third grade, she gave me a pathway out of my ostracization. Playing the drums gave me a voice; they were loud and allowed me to project beyond my shyness. They built my self-confidence; I may have failed on the athletic field, but playing music was something that I excelled at. Most appropriate to this conversation, music is what kept my interest in school. No matter what the struggle, band class was a welcome respite during the school day. It is because of my personal experience that I know that classes in the arts must be fully funded if we are to achieve the goal of 100% graduation.

Question 2: How can arts education support student outcomes such as English language development, reducing the achievement gap, and preparing youth for college and/or meaningful careers?

While our iPhones may be manufactured in China, they are Designed by Apple in California. To maintain our competitive advantage in the world, we need to encourage development of our students’ creativity through arts education.

“Research has found that learning music facilitates learning other subjects and enhances skills that children inevitably use in other areas,” For example, music education is “related to a variety of positive outcomes, including student achievement in math.” Another study found “that children who receive musical training will develop aural skills for spoken sounds and spoken words faster than children who did not receive musical instruction.” I have seen how my daughter, who is on the autism spectrum and has limited verbal communication abilities is able to convey her feelings by singing songs or acting out scenes from her favorite movies that are appropriate to the situation. Classes in choir and the dramatic arts have also allowed her to participate with her typical peers in examples of true inclusion.

Too often the LAUSD forgets that all students are not college bound and have dreams that involve the arts and vocational skills. Prioritizing academics to the exclusion of these other subjects leaves them feeling that the education system does not apply to them and makes them vulnerable to dropping out.

Question 3: What do you think the role of the School Board should be in ensuring that students have continued access to a broad range of study subjects, including the arts (broadly defined)?

If we want 100% of our students to graduate, then we have to provide an education that can appeal to each and every one of them, including those who are artistically inclined. Yet, far too often these classes are the first to be cut. The excuse given is usually that the budget cannot support these classes, but does not seem logical. After all, the number of hours spent in school, and the related cost, is the same whether or not the child takes a music class. I, therefore, believe that the problem is more likely a question of priorities as it seems that the decline of arts education has been concurrent with the elevation of standardized testing as a measure of a school’s success. Creativity is not going to help a student fill out bubbles on a test, so the arts are pushed aside in favor of test prep and rote learning. This may not be in the best interests of the child, but at least the principal can brag about test scores as he competes to fill seats for the following year. As a Board member I will push to eliminate the reliance on test scores and prioritize policies that recognize the importance of arts education.

Question 4: Do you see a role for arts education in the development of district Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs)? If so, how would you hope to use arts education to advance the eight priority areas identified in the LCAP template?

Access to arts education will help schools meet several of the priorities established under the LCAP and should be included as funds are appropriated under the Local Control Funding Formulas. For example, performances and exhibitions provide opportunities for PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT. Also, since music education assists in language acquisition abilities, access to these classes can improve PUPIL ACHIEVEMENT, including English proficiency and the English learner reclassification rate. These classes also provide an opportunity for students who are artistically inclined, which is necessary to increase PUPIL ENGAGEMENT by increasing attendance rates and decreasing dropout rates. In the same way that a successful sports team can increase school spirit, the emergence of artistic talent can also increase school connectedness and improve the SCHOOL CLIMATE. Arts classes are also necessary to meet the requirement that PUPILS HAVE ACCESS TO, AND ARE ENROLLED IN, A BROAD COURSE OF STUDY.

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City: LAUSD – District 2
Position Seeking: Board Member

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

Question 2: How can arts education support student outcomes such as English language development, reducing the achievement gap, and preparing youth for college and/or meaningful careers?

Question 3: What do you think the role of the School Board should be in ensuring that students have continued access to a broad range of study subjects, including the arts (broadly defined)?

Question 4: Do you see a role for arts education in the development of district Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs)? If so, how would you hope to use arts education to advance the eight priority areas identified in the LCAP template?

School District: LAUSD – District 4

Position Seeking: Board Member

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

I grew up in a very artistic family; my mother is a photojournalist and my father is a writer for television shows so I was fortunate enough to have an early exposure to the arts. Throughout middle school and high school I was in numerous productions, but I rarely had major parts. I was never particularly talented, but I always enjoyed myself and benefited from being involved. My senior year in high school I decided to give up sports to explore my passion for the theater and was the Stage Manager for a production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.

This was one of the most rewarding experiences of my formative years. I thrived in the fast paced environment of the theatre and loved the build up to the show. When we successfully executed all of the stage cues it was extremely satisfying and I was proud of the role that I had played in making the production successful. It is so important that we give students opportunities like the one I had to further their educational and artistic development.

Question 2: How can arts education support student outcomes such as English language development, reducing the achievement gap, and preparing youth for college and/or meaningful careers?

In any school district–but especially one the size of LAUSD–students possess a broad array of talents. It is my belief that we need to give students every opportunity to explore their passions and develop their creativity. Investing in the arts provides more than just an opportunity for creative expression; through the arts, students learn leadership skills, expand their vocabularies, explore other cultures and languages, cultivate their creativity, and build confidence. Our students need these opportunities today so they can be active citizens of our democracy tomorrow.

We want the students of the LAUSD to be able to do more than simply regurgitate facts. A well rounded education in the arts is vital to the development of a critical and engaged mind, and helps prepare students for college and beyond. It is my belief that through strengthening partnerships with local artists, galleries, and venues we will be able to provide more opportunities for students in the arts and develop communities in the process. The research suggests that strong arts programs make students more likely to stay in schools and we should do everything we can to keep our students in the classrooms.

We have to find ways to integrate arts into other classes to help reduce the achievement gap. Dozens of studies show that if students are engaged in artistic endeavors it improves their graduation rates. During my time as an English teacher at Markham I saw firsthand how integrating the curricula with poetry and song lyrics segments helps student engagement.

Question 3: What do you think the role of the School Board should be in ensuring that students have continued access to a broad range of study subjects, including the arts (broadly defined)?

I think the School Board needs to begin by ensuring that every school has fully staffed arts and music departments. Los Angeles is the creative capital of the world and the fact that some schools do not even have an art or music program is unacceptable. We need to provide our students with every opportunity–scientific, technological, artistic, and musical–to hone the diversity of talents of Los Angeles schoolchildren.

Introductory art and music classes are not enough. I believe that schools should be equipped to forge advanced arts programs for interested students. Where that becomes impractical on the level of an individual school, the LAUSD Board should come together with school administrators to provide district-wide opportunities for advanced and interested students. That way, we can unite our resources efficiently in order to provide the best and most convenient options for all our students and their families.

Question 4: Do you see a role for arts education in the development of district Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs)? If so, how would you hope to use arts education to advance the eight priority areas identified in the LCAP template?

Performing and visual arts already feature prominently in the LCAP template, which provides a foundation on which we must build. First, access is a critical component of the arts, of LCAPs, and my platform. While providing full K-12 arts programs at every school may not be achievable, I am confident we can unite the resources of the district to make performing and visual arts opportunities available to every level of student in the LAUSD. Second, the performing and visual arts programs provide important opportunities for parent and community engagement. Through performing and visual arts, parents and students can make decisions together about future endeavors, and arts performances and exhibitions are great ways to draw parents and community members into schools. Finally, the arts play a significant role in increasing student retention rates by providing additional mentorship opportunities for students and teachers. These are just three examples of the role arts play in the eight-point LCAP template. The bottom line is that LCAPs are templates for helping communities take control of their schools, and ensuring accountability. I believe that the arts are key to successful schools, and LCAPs provide a foundation on which communities can build successful arts programs.

School District: LAUSD – District 4

Position Seeking: Board Member

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

The arts saved my life as an at-risk teenager. Our theater teacher Mike Mucci literally found me and forced me into my first play when I was 16. They play was called The Hasty Heart and we took it all the way to the Massachusetts State Drama finals. The truth is that I wasn't a very good actor. But in the moment of taking on the voice of another I was able to find my own voice. I was in every high school play from that moment forward. Theater gave me a reason to be sober and a reason to come to school. In fact, it was the first time I had known success at school. My story is not unique but in this moment the stakes are so much higher for students in LAUSD and there are so many Mike Mucci's out there who change life trajectories through arts education.

Question 2: How can arts education support student outcomes such as English language development, reducing the achievement gap, and preparing youth for college and/or meaningful careers?

I believe that arts education is the critical level for so many students to access the common core, perfect their multilingualism and prepare to be fully ready for college and career. Holistic arts education from early elementary school (or before) allows students to access their creative energies and can unleash success in ways that static forms of learning cannot. Research around Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences and learning modalities teaches us that musical, visual and rhythmic intelligences are real and need to be fostered in ever more creative ways in the classroom. It is no accident that schools that have comprehensive arts education programs have higher student outcomes in every measurable area. This is why LAUSD established arts education as a core academic subject area. We need to ensure that arts as an "extra curricular or elective" is part of our history and not part of our present. Finally, we need to understand that Los Angeles is the entertainment capitol of the world and that the industry could be a better job engine for our students if we invested the right ways. For LAUSD this means investing in and expanding our linked learning partnerships with all aspects of the entertainment industry. Linked learning establishes partnerships, internships, and job training programs related to our arts education programs.

Question 3: What do you think the role of the School Board should be in ensuring that students have continued access to a broad range of study subjects, including the arts (broadly defined)?

The LAUSD School Board must continue its leadership role in ensuring that Arts Education is a right for all students not a privilege for the affluent or the lucky. establishing arts education as a core academic area, fully fund comprehensive arts education and ensure that this funding remains on an arts equity index so that students living in the worst conditions of poverty are prioritized to the first available resources. We also need to continue strategic investments in arts instructional pipelines to make sure that an instrumental, dance or visual arts trajectory that is started in elementary school continues through middle and high school. The Board needs to ensure that credentialed arts education teachers are at the heart of instruction and investment, but that there is a vibrant arts partnership with organizations throughout Los Angeles County and that these relationships can be fostered through the district itself eliminating red tape and facilitating relationships between teachers and organizations.

Question 4: Do you see a role for arts education in the development of district Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs)? If so, how would you hope to use arts education to advance the eight priority areas identified in the LCAP template?

I absolutely see a role for Arts Education in the LCAP development process. LAUSD already references the Arts Equity Index in the LCFF and the LCAP roll out and families are made aware of investments in the Arts as part of the districts overall commitment to equity. Arts Education investments are also critical to the LCAP priorities as they allow for increased access to literacy and English language development as well as fostering socio-emotional well being and alternatives to punitive discipline. Because we are making Arts Equity investments along the lines of the Equity Index, this template mirrors the overall equity index we are developing for schools to distribute supplemental and concentration grant funding. As we continue to decentralize the budgeting process and empower school communities it is my hope that investments in arts education will be viewed as a lever for transforming education outcomes

School District: LAUSD – District 4

Position Seeking: Board Member

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

I was an artist starting at a very young age – drawing and painting. I often submitted drawings to my local newspaper and would win the Junior Artist of the Month contest. I received praise for my works and acknowledgement from my community. The positive reinforcement helped build my confidence.
My mom did not want us watching television and would let us paint and draw on all the walls of our cellar (yes, we had a cellar here in Southern California). It was a creative outlet for me at a time that was a bit turbulent. To this day, I am asked to make homemade cards and watercolors for friends and family. Art is and has been a therapeutic way for me.

Question 2: How can arts education support student outcomes such as English language development, reducing the achievement gap, and preparing youth for college and/or meaningful careers?

Art education programs can help strengthen communication, critical thinking, public speaking and creative skills of our students. Through the development of these skills, our students will be able to build a confidence using the tools they learned. There is strong research that art based activities can teach a students essential language skills. “According to the California Arts Council, arts education:
*21st century workforce – Creativity is the #1 attribute sought by today’s employers
* Academic achievement – A student involved in the arts is four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement.
*Attendance – Arts engagement results in higher attendance and lower dropout rates.
*College readiness – Low-income students with high arts engagement are more than twice as likely to graduate college as their peers with no arts education.
*Jobs – Ten percent of California jobs are part of the creative industries.
* Economic growth ‚Äì The creative industries account for 7.8% of California’s GDP. .
*Workforce contributions ‚Äì California’s creative industries employ 1.4 million workers who earn $99.3 billion in annual income.
*Cross-cultural harmony – The arts help people express values, feel empathy, and triumph over their differences.
* Health care – Arts’ healing benefits result in shorter hospital stays and better pain management; music therapy helps stroke and head injury patients regain their ability to speak.“

Question 3: What do you think the role of the School Board should be in ensuring that students have continued access to a broad range of study subjects, including the arts (broadly defined)?

It is the School Board’s responsibility to ensure that all graduates of LAUSD can qualify to enter a state college or university (Cal State or UC). A full year of art is required for the Cal States and UCs. For many students, art may be there only connection to school. My youngest son is studying photography at Art Center College of Design. He did not appreciate high school until an inspirational photography instructor in high school lit up his world.
I have had the privilege to chair and found an annual fundraising event for our local high school marching band with over one hundred students.
If elected, I will fight to for public expenditures for education programs/assistance to continue to grow. Afterschool programs, creative arts classes, youth prevention programs and sports classes should be well funded because they are integral to shaping our students and sharpening various skill sets.
Wanting to support ALL kids, I have spent the last 18 years working at public schools. I have been a governing board member at Palisades Elementary, Paul Revere Charter Middle School and PCHS. PCHS has 3000 students from 100 zip codes representing the culturally rich and diverse demographics of Los Angeles. This school has a $30 million budget and negotiates with PALI-UTLA, a bargaining unit for teachers. The Board is comprised of members ranging from educators, students, parents and lawyers to financial experts. With differing backgrounds, members share opinions, take action, and allocate resources based on students’ needs first.

Question 4: Do you see a role for arts education in the development of district Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs)? If so, how would you hope to use arts education to advance the eight priority areas identified in the LCAP template?

There is a definite role for arts education in the development of the district Local Control Accountability Plan. The research supporting ELL advancement scores and the integration of arts is substantial justifying allocation of monies. Regarding the eight priority areas of the LCAP template, the following categories are directly related to the advancement of the arts: Pupil content; pupil outcomes; pupil engagement; parental involvement; and implementation of academic content. Each category can connect to art instruction.

City: LAUSD – District 4
Position Seeking: Board Member

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

Question 2: How can arts education support student outcomes such as English language development, reducing the achievement gap, and preparing youth for college and/or meaningful careers?

Question 3: What do you think the role of the School Board should be in ensuring that students have continued access to a broad range of study subjects, including the arts (broadly defined)?

Question 4: Do you see a role for arts education in the development of district Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs)? If so, how would you hope to use arts education to advance the eight priority areas identified in the LCAP template?

School District: Burbank USD

Position Seeking: Board Member

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

I am a band geek, through and through! I started playing the violin in 4th grade and continued all the way through high school. In 7th grade I realized that all my friends heading to High School would be in marching band, except for me. So I began playing the Saxophone so that I too could be in marching band. As a result of that choice I had amazing experiences that included travel and performing in famous places in front of millions of people that I would not have had without having music in my life. I was able to perform in the Rose Parade, the 1984 Olympics Opening Ceremony and made many, many life long friends who we now are raising OUR children together, still as friends.

Question 2: How can arts education support student outcomes such as English language development, reducing the achievement gap, and preparing youth for college and/or meaningful careers?

Arts education can and should be used to develop ELL's language development by simply being able to utilize the reading, writing and speaking skills. ELL's need the opportunity to develop their language by interacting with different types of art forms, similar to that of English Only students. Everyone needs vocabulary development for Arts instruction as well as utilizing or developing critical thinking skills by analyzing art.
Not only academically but Arts education can level the playing field for students socially as well. All students can share their own experiences and cultural background with each other so that there is an understanding of each others cultures and perspectives. 
Finally, Arts education with ELLs can also provide a chance for them to build their confidence with their second language and perhaps showcase a strength that is not necessarily academic.

Question 3: What do you think the role of the School Board should be in ensuring that students have continued access to a broad range of study subjects, including the arts (broadly defined)?

The School boards role always is to oversee the budget and to set policy for the district. In addition, the role of the board is to set a vision for the district. To me, my job as a school board member is to keep as many programs and opportunities for students available as long as it remains good for kids. For some of our students, their arts programs are what keeps them coming to school every day, involved in their school community and even from dropping out. Its my role to do whatever needs to be done to keep those programs afloat. Here in Burbank, we have made an great effort to not only keep our programs but wish to continually grow and enhance what we already have.

Question 4: Do you see a role for arts education in the development of district Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs)? If so, how would you hope to use arts education to advance the eight priority areas identified in the LCAP template?

We have included Arts Education in our LCAPS in several areas because we know, as a Board and as a community that Arts education is important for our students. The LCAPs are designed to focus on areas of need, used to increase test scores and achievement. With that in mind, we have included arts funding to ensure that we are meeting the needs and the goals of the community.
We have used the LCAP to increase funding to our Instrumental music programs, purchasing new instruments and money to repair what we already have. We have added Music teachers for K-5 music instruction. We have used LCAP funds to add World Language classes as well at our middle schools. We will continue to development our LCAP as a catalyst for funding some of our arts programs, and as long as the local community desires.