Engage the Community in the Hiring of the Superintendent

I am committed to ensuring that parents, staff and students in both Santa Monica and Malibu will be engaged in evaluating the finalists for superintendent. Since I was first elected to the Board of Education in 2002 I have participated in hiring two superintendents for this district. I feel strongly that the next superintendent must adhere to transparency in governance. He or she must be an innovative instructional leader with a commitment to social justice and an understanding of differentiated instruction, special education, regional partnerships with other educational institutions and an ability to engage in long-term strategic planning.

Ensure that Resources are Invested in the Classroom

These are most challenging times for public schools. SMMUSD has never faced the type of budget reductions from Sacramento. In the long-run we must seek creative funding options to alleviate the tax burden on residents, but to meet our immediate needs and avoid catastrophic cuts to our schools we must support Measures Y and YY. In the final analysis, the interaction between student and teacher is what matters most in education. For this reason, we must invest scarce resources in the classroom, not administrative overhead. During challenging times, our students deserve experienced and proven leadership.

Create a New Vision to Support Student Success in Life

I believe that a quality public education is the most effective tool in reconciling social and economic inequality. I also believe that the existing academic achievement gap between student groups is the most pressing civil rights issue of our time. I have worked consistently to ensure that institutional change occurs so that all students receive a quality education. As the father of two children, I am committed to working for excellent public schools for future generations. In order to rethink the K-12 framework and leverage regional partnerships to achieve life-long learning goals I propose that we:

Create a P-20 Education Collaborative

We must leverage the education resources in our community and the region to expand access and opportunity for all. While I served as President of the school board, SMMUSD entered into a historic partnership with Santa Monica College to expand college level courses and support to our students. I want to take this collaboration a step further by beginning with pre-school to college and universities.

Develop a strategic plan to expand high tech vocational training

Students who want a career pathway after high school should be supported. Every student should receive an education that prepares him or her for success in a four-year university, but the reality is that not all students will attend college immediately after high school. We need to strengthen our vocational career options for students.

Support Music and Arts Education

When budget cuts threatened our music program, I voted to support music and the arts. The result has been that SMMUSD students have access to instruments and music instruction at every grade level. My voice and vote has contributed to the recognition that our music program and students are now recognized as a world-class model. I opened the first public recording studio for youth in Santa Monica and will continue to act as an advocate for music and the arts.

Teach Future Generations to Protect Our Environment

The future of humanity depends in great part upon how we sustain the earth that gives us life. Raising awareness of our connectedness to the environment must be a shared educational goal. In my first term, I led discussions on how we can develop a district-wide recycling program and facilitated meetings between school district staff with the department heads in the City of Santa Monica to coordinate our recycling efforts. I supported Santa Monica High School’s Solar Alliance and voted to invest in solar panels district-wide. I have worked with students to achieve historic environmental protections for residents.

Support Schools as Community Centers

Measure BB construction has allowed us to realize our vision of creating environmentally sustainable campus-community centers that provide recreational and learning opportunities during and after school for our entire community. This family-centered approach to school facility design and programming will revolutionize the use of our school sites to support life long learning.

Improve Campus Safety by Teaching Non Violence

The consistent application of discipline policy is essential in creating a safe and orderly learning environment. We must do more to keep our students safe from bullying, sexism, homophobia, general disrespect and violence. We must strive to combat the culture of violence in our society by teaching conflict resolution and non-violence within our curriculum. My goal in the coming months is to expand the “cool tool” curriculum in a form that is relevant to students in middle school and high school and to create an in-house suspension strategy that strives to get rid of behavioral problems rather than to get rid of the students who have such problems.