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.