What do you see as the major issue(s) facing the District? How would you confront those issue(s) and work with the other Board members to find resolutions?
Matt Stegman
Email: matthewcstegman@yahoo.com
Website: www.mattstegman.org
Phone: (916) 281-4136
I would like to clarify my position regarding teacher and staff pay. Some teachers have expressed to me concern that I would tie teacher pay increases to reduction of truancy. This has never been and is not my position. I think there has been some confusion because when I point out that our district is loosing 2.5 million per year because of our high truancy level I use as an illustration the fact that this huge dollar loss to the district is about the same as the total salary package increase sought by the WTA. In making this observation I have not intended to imply that unless we reduce truancy teachers should not get raises. We must increase teacher and staff salary packages to competitive levels in order to attract and retain quality teachers and staff.
Karl Machschefes
Email: machkarl@sbcglobal.net
Phone: (916) 372-8487
We need to give our students and parents’ choices. This includes K-8 schools for our 7th and 8th graders; magnet schools for all our elementary aged children, full day Kindergarten because our children are ready to be educated; and small learning centers in our high school.
The small learning centers are critical. By having these centers we can have a fully implemented construction trades program, a comprehensive medical technology program, a strong preparatory engineering academy and others that serve the needs of our children. We also need to monitor these programs because our world is constantly changing and so are our children’s choices and options. We may have a different type of student 15 years from now and we need to constantly monitor for those changes.
Another issue that will be helped significantly by small learning centers and other programs is significantly reducing our drop out rate. At the present time our drop out rate is far too high, we lose about 1/3 of each incoming class of freshman and that is a tragic loss in human potential. By having better prepared 1st graders, because of full day Kindergarten; more energized elementary children because of magnet schools; and academies at our high school, we will significantly reduce our drop out rate and get our children educated.
By getting more money for our teachers we will reduce the turnover rate which means we can keep the best teachers we have.
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!