What policy change recommendations are you going to make to the Board?
Karl Machschefes
Email: machkarl@sbcglobal.net
Phone: (916) 372-8487
We need to change the way we negotiate with our teachers and classified employees. We need to be transparent on both sides. We can have a collaborative negotiating system where the district reveals the money we have, its no secret, and the unions are open with their members about how best to serve the most members the fairest. For too long we’ve had an antagonistic approach to negotiations, the result being green shirt marches, teachers leaving the district and our children not getting the best.
We need to view graduation not as a step towards college but as a step towards adulthood. Many of our students will choose work, the military or advanced training; they need to be prepared. This means that our high school is not exclusively geared towards college prep but toward the education of all students. When one of our graduates joins the military, we want them to be well enough educated that they can join which ever branch of service they want and get the position they want. When one of our graduates joins the world of work, they don’t have to clean the toilets, they can start in a union apprenticeship program because they are educated; they can start with advanced training because they have the skills. And for our children that choose college, they will be able to choose whatever field they desire, engineer, doctor or teacher and be prepared because of what we did as a school district.
Dani Langford
Email: danamites@earthlink.net
Phone: (916) 372-3384
General Response to All Questions
After reading some of the other candidate’s responses as well as participating in the Southport PTA candidate forum last Tuesday, I would like to add some brief comments to my original response to this forum. As I stated previously, I have educated myself with educational laws, district policy and by-laws, and open meeting laws such as the Brown Act. I feel it is imperative to elect people that understand their role as a Board Member verses a district Administrator. My job as a Board Member would not be to run the school district, as that is the job of the Superintendent. Some of the candidate’s statements reveal that they can use their “influence” to bring much needed money to our district. Being that the Grand Jury cited our district for such offenses, we need to make sure that everything we do does not have a conflict of interest or even a perceived conflict of interest. I also remember empty promises made in past elections and I believe we need to stop that cycle. We have heard that before and it never materializes. I would ask, if money is available and you live in the community, why would you wait to run for election to use your influence to bring much needed money to our students?
It has come to my attention that there is a perception that I may not be able to be a team player with the current board. I have worked as a team with the current board in the interview process of the new Superintendent. The process was handled very professional and I would have no problem working alongside the current board as a professional team player. I also believe that different points of view help a board come to the right decision. I appreciate your support on November 7th!