Upland School Board candidates answer questions
Four candidates running for three positions on the Upland Unified School District Board of Trustees answered two questions posed to them by the newspaper.
They answered each in their own words.
Read their responses below:
Question 1: Like all school districts, Upland
Unified has been dealing with major budget cuts. What areas do you
believe need to remain a priority?
Robert "Bob" Bennett: Academics and the Arts would be my
first priority in conjunction with teachers, children and their
families. Teacher retention and yearly teacher evaluations would be
completed in order to determine whether an adjustment is needed to
optimize the level of education in our schools. A quality education
is one of the most important tools we have in our public school
system. Everyone benefits from educated citizenry where people are
proud of their alma mater. These graduates then give back to the
community that provided them with a quality learning experience. My
goal is to have the Upland Unified School District be a model of
education and an example for other communities to follow.
Wes Fifield: My priority has always been to keep
cuts as far away from the classroom as possible. We have been
fiscally conservative and have a reserve that we will continue to
draw upon during this fiscal crisis to help with that goal. We are
looking at all of our programs and determining if there is an
alternative that will provide a financial advantage without changing
the essence of these programs. Some programs might have to operate
with less funding but elimination will always be a last resort. We
need to work with our employees and make sure we are providing for
them as best as we can. Research consistently shows that teachers and
staff are the most important determining factor of the quality of our
children's education. Our town hall meetings also garner excellent
suggestions, as well as the thoughts and concerns of the community.
We must work together to find the best solutions for us all.
P. Joseph Lenz: I would emphasis English Language Arts,
music, arts, mathematics and science. I believe this combination of
the core elements will continue to make this district the most
technologically advanced in the state, as well as prepare our
students for either entering into the work force or into a college or
university. This balanced curriculum emphasis will continue to
challenge the students and encourage them to be life long learners.
Beyond the above, I believe we must keep our fiscal management prudent so we can continue to present a positive budget with reserves that will carry us for the next three years.
Furthermore, a positive working relationship with the various employee groups, where we continue to seek their input and feedback, is absolutely necessary in these very costly times in education. We must continue to show a pattern of gains in both the state and federal criteria of academic growth to illustrate our commitment to high quality education for all students. I believe the above will assist the district to meet or exceed these criteria.
Michael Varela: I believe the priority, in spite of the challenging budget, is to still provide the best educational programs for the children of Upland. As your elected school board member, a mandate has been given to set a high-level of academic achievement standards for all students. This mandate is being accomplished by dedicated instructors implementing effective teaching and learning strategies to ensure your child experiences success in a rigorous standards-based curriculum. To further support student achievement, is the current integration in each classroom; state of the art technology equipment and applications for your child. Also, an additional mandate to ensure high achievement for all students is the important partnership with all parents in the Upland community. As a result, the goal is to continue to strengthen an inclusive, responsive, supportive, respectful and collaborative environment for all parents.
Question 2: What measures are you hoping to propose
or support in order to keep the district afloat during future budget
cuts?
Robert "Bob" Bennett: First and foremost, I would include
community input in addressing budgetary concerns. Next, I would
improve risk management decisions to limit liability for the
district. One of the areas of past and recent concern would require
addressing child abuse allegations promptly and effectively in order
to lower/reduce the need for retaining counsel to defend the District
when sued. I advocate open and honest communication with children and
their parents. We must glean information from other county/city
financial forecasts, when possible. I would move teachers to the
classroom and reduce management. I would identify, eliminate and/or
streamline policy and procedures that duplicate services. Likewise, I
would advocate reducing or eliminating Board memberships in
associations that charge fees to join. Finally, I would reduce or
eliminate insurance and retirement benefits for Board members, if
coverage is available elsewhere through the member's employment,
spouse's employment or other retirement.
Wes Fifield: I support that we continue to systematically analyze the way we run the Upland Unified School District, by looking at each expense in the budget. One recent example is our waste disposal service, we found significant savings with a new vendor without a change in service. Our investment in energy efficiencies such as solar and skylights in our classrooms have also decreased our expenses. We are currently planning other green and money saving initiatives. We also need to look at ways to generate revenue. Our food service department and Highlander Auditorium have both made significant revenue gains by contracting to outside clients. We have reached out to our community and have been supported by donations from many generous individuals and companies. We have all felt the repercussions of this troubling economy, but as a district and a community we must insure that we do not hinder our children's futures. That is the reason I am running for re-election to the Upland School Board.
P. Joseph Lenz: The Upland School Board has always been
a frugal or conservative group who watch for trends, ideas, and
funding availability to gain the best advantage from resources
available or planning for future endeavors via bond measures (Measure
K), which have been fully supported by the Upland community. I would continue to utilize ideas
gained from the community and all levels within the district.
Community meetings (Road Shows) have been very successful over the
past several years with very insightful suggestions and ideas from
the parents/community members that attend ranging from budget cuts to
great community involvement. Additionally, evaluation of the success
or acceptance of all programs for cost efficiency and positive
educational growth via district evaluation, parent input and feedback
should be utilized. The members of the school board have
always used their strengths and expertise for the betterment of the
district in budget decisions. I would continue to encourage such
exchange.
Michael Varela: The planning to address current and future budget issues has been a process which started with town hall meetings with community members. It was important to listen to what the Upland community had to say and make the appropriate changes. As a result, there has been a reduction in Administrative/Management positions, salary/work days and reduced stipends. Also, to address a challenging budget was the implementation of the early retirement program to employees who had many years in the district at a higher salary rate. This gave us the ability retain employees and avoid original predicted number of layoffs. Additionally, the district has worked with both the Upland Teacher's Association and the Classified Employees Association to reach agreements regarding salary/work day reductions. Measures have now been taken to meet the current budget and to lessen the problems for future budgets.
what about adding more school days and using some holidays as some type of floater.