Rosemary Saylor: Ready for a budget crisis
RACE FOR HUNTINGTON BEACH UNION HIGH SCHOLL DISTRICT
Name: Rosemary Saylor
Age: 50
Occupation: Businesswoman/teacher
Family: Husband of 26 years, David; sons Douglas and Robin;
daughter Kristina
Community activities: Huntington Beach High School PTSA executive
vice-president; Band Booster volunteer; site council member; charter
member of American Artists of Chinese Brush Painting; member of
American Assn. of University Women.
Education: Bachelor’s from Anna Maria College, Paxton, Mass;
multiple general enrichment courses through a local community
college.
Favorite leader: Dr. C. Everett Koop
Contact information: Day phone: (714) 842-6160, evening phone:
(714) 536-0609 / e-mail: rsaylor@surfcity.com
SAYLOR ON:
* Student safety
There are multiple areas in which we need to guard the safety of
our students. To ensure general well-being and safety, both physical
and mental, we need to upgrade and maintain our facilities and
provide a full-time certified health professional on each campus. To
ensure safety from violence from another student or other members of
the campus, we need: a full-time professional security officer with
part-time trained support, a zero-tolerance policy tempered with
reason and consideration of extenuating circumstances and
non-intrusive general video surveillance. To ensure safety from
disasters and outside perpetrators, we need regular student drills in
evacuation and lockdown. More importantly, we need consistent
training and reinforcement under all possible scenarios for all staff
members, since these are the people to whom the students will look to
for direction and protection in dangerous circumstances.
* Raising student test scores
Unfortunately, we seem to be getting to a test saturation point.
There are so many required tests now, that students may not be
getting the best possible education because they spend too much time
actually taking tests. I would like to see more consolidation in the
testing and more versatility in the format so that every student has
a better chance to do well. This may present a challenge in that the
key word in testing is “standardized,” but students are individuals
and in no way “standardized.” In our district, test scores are
actually going up for the most part because curriculum is changing to
allow teachers to teach to the test. I don’t see this as a problem as
long as it still supplies the students with the best education they
can get from each teacher. And the best way to ensure that we have
teachers who are providing the best education is to attract and keep
those that are best qualified,by being competitive in salaries and
benefits and allowing opportunities to develop through conferences
and their own continued training in their areas of expertise.
* Possible fiscal improvements to the district
Everything that is necessary for our schools and students comes
down to money. And the main problem we have is that the state of
California is completely negligent in providing adequate funding for
education. We need leaders in our district who will work to get more
state education money and who will make attempts to regain local
control of that money. Dispersing of funds by Sacramento is arbitrary
and deficient.
* Biggest issue facing the district
The biggest issue facing the district right now is the budget
reduction of nearly $3.5 million. Almost every other problem we have
would be solved if we had adequate funding. The schools in California
have never had adequate funding, and we are now facing the severe
challenge of keeping student help programs and adequate
non-certificated staff such as librarians, school nurses, support
personnel and custodians. Unfortunately, other important issues, such
as the question of open enrollment vs. ethnic diversity, are in
danger of being temporarily pushed aside because of the budget
crisis.
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.