What was the biggest surprise serving on the board?

There were many, but the biggest was the great capacity that the Ventura County Office of Education brings to able to serve the spectrum of students, from special ed, to Migrant, to ROP just to name a few.

When you were elected what type of trainings did they offer new board members?

How often do you visit school sites? Can you share with us what you did on your most recent school site visit?

I was on the Nov 2008 ballot and received 65% of the vote. Prior to running I attended a number of county board meetings to get first hand perspective of the issues being addressed by the sitting board. Upon winning my seat, I attended the Annual California School Board Association conference where I sat in on every workshop dealing with new board members, county offices of education, and finance/budgets. I also visited a number of the county run schools to get a close and personal view of the operations and to meet faculty, administrators, and most of all students.

I have attended just about every graduation function for the county run schools. My most recent was last week at Providence School at the Juvenile Justice Center. I was part of the graduation ceremony and presented the graduate with a letter of congratulations that was signed by all 5 board members.

What does occupies most of the time of school board members?

We are a county board of education and some of the issues we examine are different from local boards; however, one item we share in common is our budget review cycle. For my very first meeting as an elected board member, I was given a budget package with about 145 pages of spreadsheets. As a practicing engineer, I dove right and and had detailed questions for staff. This is one specific example, but preparing for our monthly board meetings is what takes up most of my time.

Does the county board approve interdistrict transfer for students? What is the bigest motivator for students that transfer between districts? How often do you disapprove transfers?

Inter-district transfers are one of the most difficult duties we have as county board members. Parents come to us if their transfer request is reject by either the district of residence or the gaining district. There are a slew of reasons parents offer to justify their transfer requests and it is too long to cover here. The county board is guided by the education code in terms of approving or disapproving the appeal. We also have a governing board policy and administrative regulation that aids us in making a decision.

Ramon,

What ROP programs does the VCOE offer? Have them been expanded or cut in recent years?

How often do you deny transfers?

Why did you endorse Julia Brownley? Have you worked with Tony Strickland on any issues?

Brian wrote: What ROP programs does the VCOE offer? Have them been expanded or cut in recent years?

We have over 100 different ROP programs from computer repair to florticulture to banking/finance, to welding, to auto body repair to medical assistant. It is a greatly diverse set of offerings. We have expanded some from one semester offerings to two semester offerings. These decisions are driven by student throughput and available funding.

Brian wrote: How often do you deny transfers?

To deny or approve a transfer requires a majority vote by the board. There have been instances where I am on the majority side and instances where I have been on the minority side of the vote. I would have to go back through the meeting minutes to tell how exactly how many times I voted one way or another. The main point is that I consider each appeal individually and on its merits.

Question: Why did you endorse Julia Brownley? Have you worked with Tony Strickland on any issues?

Answer: Let me start by saying that the county board seats are non-partisan. Also, let me state that I believe education is the great equalizer and the key to economic success. I have known about Julia since I was elected to the county board. I am impressed that she is the only member of the legislature that sits on on all three education related committees. She has served on a local school board so she has intimate knowledge of education issues from a local perspective to a statewide perspective. She has also written legislation on educational issues While I have not worked with Tony on any issues, I did try to make an appointment to meet with him in Sacramento as part of CSBA's legislative action day. Unfortunately Tony was not available that day.

Teachers that work with students in juvenile detention facilities have difficult jobs. How do you show appreciation for them?

Do you support expanding charter schools? What influence does the Ventura County Office of Education have on expanding charter schools? Have you ever voted for or against charter schools?

Brian wrote: Teachers that work with students in juvenile detention facilities have difficult jobs. How do you show appreciation for them?

Answer: You are so right. Teachers at our Providence School in the Juvenile Justice Center do a tremendous job teaching our students. Think about it. The students do not have a typical school year. Some are at Providence for as little as a few days to as much as a few years. I show my appreciation in two ways. First, during the budget review cycle I try to make sure that the teachers have as much of the resources that they need as possible. Secondly, I attend as many of the student graduations as possible. These are very special events held for each student individually, so we are talking about 35-40 graduations. In my four years on the board, I think I have only missed two or three. We have the student's family, teachers, staff, and probation attend as well as members of the county office of education. We make a very big deal about it so that both the student and teachers can see that the "mission is accomplished".

How does your job help you serve on the board more effectively?

How do you raise money for a campaign? Who are the major donors to your campaign?

Will you accept the endorsement from a political party?

Brian wrote: How does your job help you serve on the board more effectively?

Answer: I am licensed professional engineer with the US Navy. Engineering has taught be critical thinking skills. My job allows me to utilize my skills as an engineer to ask tough questions to reach informed decisions whether at work or on the county board. I am also a supervisor, so I deal with budgets on a regular basis. Lastly, as a supervisor, I am called upon to help reach consensus with my fellow supervisors. These three items (critical thinking, financial knowledge, and consensus building) are important to achieving good board governance.

BD wrote: How do you raise money for a campaign? Who are the major donors to your campaign?

Answer: This is only my second time running for public office, so I am not a seasoned fundraiser. If I do not have an opponent, then I will not emphasize fundraising on my campaign, but rather focus on getting my message out to the public. As for who are my major donors, I just pulled my election papers on Monday so at this point I do not have any major donors.

Would you require teachers to post grades online?

Brian, thank you for the opportunity to be part of the discussion during this election season. I appreciate all you do to get the word out to the public about the people who are running. Also, please visit my web site at www.ramonflores2012.com and follow me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/drramonflores.

Ramon Flores,

Thanks for your time. Keep is updated on your campaign. Have a good night.