1. Will you seek or accept the support of a political party for your campaign?

I want my positions on the issues to be clear to all voters. If unions, political parties, or editors support me, they do so because of my experience, background and stand on the issues important to public education. I am proud to be endorsed by organizations and individuals who share my desire to keep public education strong.

2. What do you think about the process to fire a poor performing teacher? Do you think it is too easy, reasonable, or too hard to fire a teacher?

As an outsider, I have never been party to the teacher firing process so I am making assumptions based on my experience as a parent. My children were assigned some truly great teachers, many good teachers and a few really bad teachers. Although my community college teaching is very different from the teaching role in K-12, it has taught me how demanding teaching is and how much creativity and energy is required. Keeping great teachers in the classroom is our goal. Accomplishing that goal means helping new teachers get through the tough early years, supporting experienced teachers so that they stay energized, and recognizing burn out when it occurs. It is a mistake to focus on getting rid of "poor" teachers, the process should be primarily about creating and maintaining strong teachers.

3. Have you attended many school board meetings?

Yes, I have attended many school board meetings and watched quite a few more on tv. I served as District Advisory Council Chairperson for two years. In that role, I gave monthly reports to the school board. In addition, I served on the homework and facilities committees and attended meetings when their reports were presented. I have also attended over the years when issues were being discussed that concerned me or affected parent groups to which I belonged.

4. Is it a conflict of interest to get the support of teachers since you could be voting on their contract?

No, I don't think it is a conflict of interest. The school board should have the support of teachers, parents, and community members. We all need to work as a team if we are to achieve our goal, great schools for our children. When it comes to contract negotiations, I am clear on the role I will have as a member of the school board. We watch out for the interests of the Conejo public schools as a whole. If I have the support of teachers, it means that they think my background, experience and positions on the issues make me a good defender of public education.

5. What local politician do you respect for the work they have done for our community?

I have great admiration for Jacqui Irwin. I participated, in a small way, in the effort to convince the Thousand Oaks City Council to spend development money on improvements to the athletic fields at all three high schools. Jacqui employed her knowledge, experience, organizational skills and passion for kids to make the improvements happen. When elected to the city council, Jacqui brought the same passion to serving the city of Thousand Oaks. She has my respect and gratitude.

CAPC is putting on a forum on the evening of September 24. It is in conjunction with the Political Science Department of CLU and the Ventura County Star and will be held at CLU - TO.

We invited both Senate candidates. Hannah-Beth Jackson will be there and will answer five questions presented by Joe Howry. Tony Strickland refuses to participate.

All Conejo Valley School District candidates will be given the opportunity to introduce themselves and talk about their campaign. Maybe five minutes each depending on the numbers.

Send me an e-mail to KatieTeague@verizon.net. Also send me pics, web site info if any and I'll put it on the California Association of Political Centrists website.

Where do you stand on the issue of placing portables on campus' not originally designated as "receiving schools" in order to absorb students displaced by school closure?

Mike Dunn asked me in a personal email if I would have voted for or against approval of the MATES Charter application. This is how I answered him and I thought it was worth sharing here as well.

I was unable to attend any of the MATES charter application meetings and haven't seen the documentation so I don't have the information I would need to have an opinion on the strengths or weaknesses of the application.

In general, I don't believe that the district should be searching for reasons to turn a charter down. Instead, if a district sees charters as damaging to the unity and financial strength of the district, it should offer such high quality educational options to parents that choosing a charter makes no sense.

On the other hand, it is the school board's job to reject a charter if the documentation suggests that the applicants are not prepared to run their school safely and effectively. I serve on the board of the University Preparation Charter School in the Pleasant Valley School District so I feel that I know what I am talking about when I caution that establishing and operating a charter is no easy task. The application process should be rigorous because the students that the charter will serve deserve nothing less.

Many CVUSD campuses use portables to enlarge student capacity. The District routinely moves them to meet changing demand. I don't think that the school board has made its final decisions on post closure school boundaries. Once more reliable estimates on intended enrollment at the campuses effected by closure, charter and magnet formation are available, district staff will use portables as necessary to provide classroom space.

Betsy,
I feel strongly school board members should serve first as DOC representatives before running for a school board seat. I believe candidates for school board members and school board members should also be required to have continuing education in regards to their duties.

I know it sounds revolutionary and maybe I set the bar to high but that's what I am looking for.

I am sorry I meant DAC not DOC.

nobodyoplous, The District Advisory Council is terrific, isn't it? I learned so much at DAC about the inner workings of the district. That is one bunch of smart parents. DAC reps are considered the toughest audience in the district. Not a push-over in the bunch! I can't imagine wanting to be on the school board and then not wanting to continue to learn more about ways to keep the district healthy.

Betsy, Did you get questions from Mike Dunn by email?

Yes Brian, I did get questions from Mike Dunn. I may have been his "test case" because his questions to me came one or two at a time over a number of days. It seems that other candidates got the questions as a set a few days later. You may have heard that Mr. Contini sent an email to all of the candidates clarifying that Mr. Dunn was not asking in any board member capacity and that candidates should not feel compelled to answer.

I answered some of his questions and suggested that he ask the rest here on your blog where all could benefit. Obviously, he didn't want to go that way.