Chino Valley Unified School District board: October 2008 Archives

My name is Silver Aguilar and I am running for the Chino Valley school board.  I am a life long resident and product of our local schools.  I have been working to make a difference in the lives of children by championing educational issues.
My candidacy reflects making positive changes in our local schools.
My four brothers and one sister all attended and graduated from the Chino Valley Unified School District.  With today's tough economy, I understand hat now more than ever education is the key to our children's future success.
I have volunteered over 10 years as a wrestling coach.  My younger brother Jose, whom I coached, won the State Championship from Don Lugo High in 1994.  As a board member, I would continue to produce champions not just in athletics, but in the academic arena for all children.
Volunteer Service includes:
Helped raise money for scholarships for Citizens for Kids Education Foundation a non-profit organization that raises funds for programs and projects that directly benefit the children of the CVUSD, member of the California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE), Parent Teacher Association (PTA) member for Rolling Ridge Elementary, and a member of St. Paul the Apostle Church of  Chino Hills.
Attended K-12 schools:  Richard Gird Elementary, Ramona Middle School, and graduated from Don Lugo High School in 1993 in the top 10% of my class.  I went on to pursue my academic studies at Mt. San Antonio College and LA Trade Technical College.
Professional Experience includes:
Plant Engineer for the United Parcel Service, one of largest package delivery company's on the planet, delivering over 4 billion packages a year across our earth's globe.
It's time to elect members who will be accountable, practice ethics, integrity and put the interests of Kids First !
My 7 Point Plan to turn our schools around:
1.Provide a safe learning environment.
2.Advocate for students, parents and teacher needs.
3.Raise the academic standards for all students.
4.Maintain fiscal responsibility.
5.Develop more after-school programs, keeping our kids safe and motivated in learning.
6.Reduce district legal fees, which have cost the tax payers millions of dollars.
7.I will also support the opening of the New School in The Preserve. 
I would be honored to be one of your three choices for school board.  Our kids and teachers deserve the best.
The time to Invest in Silver is now! 
Thank you. Silver Aguilar, Silver4kids@yahoo.com

My name is Brandon K. Blanchard and I am seeking a seat on the Chino Valley Unified School District Board of Education. My commitment to you, the voters of the district is to work collaboratively with families, teachers, administrators, education support staff and our community partners to continuously advance the educational opportunities for all of our children. I would be duly honored to serve the students of the entire district as your newest Board member. I also have two daughters' that attend CVUSD schools.
My top three areas of focus will be:
1. To meet the educational needs of individual students. That's giving the teachers the tools they need to make sure a student is making continuous improvement.
2. Fiscal responsibility. Making sure the district gets value for dollars spent and that there are no over budget expenses or change orders without prior written staff approval.
3. Building strong relationships with our education partners. All district employees are partners and we need to make sure they feel valued, so the children will garner the benefits of having happy personnel. Children come in contact with all of us!
My education, business experience, long history of community service and commitment to work hard for all students will provide essential qualities for this service. Earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from the University of La Verne, working as a corporate executive, becoming an entrepreneur, and living in our community for the last 17+ years have all prepared me to serve as your next Governing Board Member. I have been active at the Elementary, Junior High and High School levels as a parent volunteer, where my daughters have attended. I currently serve as the Treasurer of the Ramona Junior High Parent Teacher Organization, President of the Don Lugo High School Conquistador Foundation and a member of both the Don Lugo All Sports Booster Club and DAL Pride Committee. I coach girls' basketball for the City of Chino youth basketball programs in winter and summer and have also coached at Ramona and Don Lugo.
I have a heart for my community and a desire to be a positive force while being ethically responsible for the betterment of our district. Working with others to support our CHILDREN to REACH their HIGHEST HEIGHTS is what I enjoy most. A vote for Brandon K. Blanchard is a voice for you! To learn more, visit www.blanchard4cvusd.com

Chino Valley Unified has come a long way since the turmoil of 4-plus years ago. Working together, we created CVUSD's first Strategic Plan. We focused on student achievement and enhanced academic rigor with increased graduation standards and support. To support student efforts, intervention counselors were added at junior high and high schools, CAHSEE preparation classes are offered, the Algebra Academy was developed, AVID programs were expanded, PIQE (Parent Institute for Quality Education) was introduced, interactive student achievement tracking software was implemented, 4000-plus new computers were placed, Smaller Learning Communities were organized, professional development was enhanced, and more.
To enrich career technical/vocational education and college preparation opportunities, a Health Academy, Nursing training and BioMedical program were created. Culinary Arts, JROTC and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) programs were added.
The development of a K-12 International Baccalaureate Programme, weighted grades for Advanced Placement classes, and new Mandarin language classes have all worked to enrich students' educational opportunities.
The results are impressive. API scores continually increase. The achievement gap narrows. Attendance has improved. More of our schools are recognized statewide and nationally. Our communications via CVUSD's website, our cable Channel 17 programming and automated calling to deliver important school messages is richer. Our grant writing has expanded, recently winning a $1 million grant for Special Education.
Positive accountability has improved, raising employee compensation by more than 13% over 3 years and tying increases to the Superintendent's compensation to district-wide performance such as improved graduation rates. We reestablished a Relationship Council to openly communicate common issues between employee stakeholders. We strengthened our partnership with parents by respecting their rights to be informed and give consent when controversial supplemental instruction materials are used in the classroom. We reorganized the management of legal services, lowering costs and improving outcomes. We are better prepared for emergencies; allocating specific funds to critical training and supplies.
Going forward, we face challenges. The state's budget is uncertain. District enrollment is declining as economic demographics shift and the requirements for success in an increasingly complex and demanding world economy continue to compound. CVUSD is absolutely up for the challenge. Thank you for allowing me to be your Trustee within the CVUSD family for the last 4 years. It would be an honor to be chosen to serve for a second term. Together, we are absolutely 4 years better! Congratulations Chino Valley Unified. www.michaelcalta.com.