Brian Garland: Time of transition, renewal

RACE FOR HUNTINGTON BEACH UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT

Name: Brian Garland

Age: 62

Occupation: Teacher, administrator, retired principal

Family: Elaine, wife of 39 years; children Scott and Deborah;

three grandchildren.

Community activities: 25 years as an elected trustee for

Huntington Beach City School District; chairman, State Principals

Committee Assn. California School Administrators.

Education: Bachelor’s in education from Northeastern Illinois

University; master’s from Cal State Long Beach.

Favorite leaders: Winston Churchill and Harry Truman.

Contact info: (714) 962-1895; bgarland@socal.rr.com.

GARLAND ON:

* STUDENT SAFETY:

Safety of our students while at school and in their community must

be the highest priority for the entire community. Schools reflect a

microcosm of the neighborhoods they serve. All school personnel must

be vigilant to circumstances that appear to endanger our students.

Each school needs an emergency response team to react quickly when an

emergency situation develops. Rules of student behavior need to be

firm and fair and communicated often to students and parents. When

rules are broken, consequences need to be applied on an individual

basis to the offending individual.

Every parent and student needs to have the confidence that while

at school they are surrounded by an island of safety. Students can

then concentrate on learning without the worry of injury. This will

require all members of our school working together in concert with

community agencies. Schools need to practice their response with the

students.

* RAISING STUDENT TEST SCORES:

Students will receive the best possible education when every

classroom is staffed with a fully credentialed, caring teacher in a

positive learning environment. Student’s progress can only be

possible when the materials being tested are in alignment with what

is being taught. Too often the statewide testing program does not

reflect the local curriculum as determined by the professional staff

and the board of trustees. In my opinion, statewide “off the shelf”

is not an accurate method to validate the quality of our schools. Our

public schools do so much more than is evaluated by the

state-mandated testing program.

Legitimate student testing should be a valuable tool for our

classroom teacher to diagnose and prescribe learning strategies to

maximize student progress. Parents, students and teachers all have

worked diligently to “raise the bar” for all students. Preparing for

“teaching to test” is in many instances a waste of instructional time

and an impediment to the quality experience our students need and

deserve.

* FISCAL IMPROVEMENTS TO THE DISTRICT:

We must focus our limited funds in the classroom and continuing of

elective programs. The quality of our teachers and support personnel

must be a high priority. We must spend our funds efficiently without

unnecessary spending that does not relate directly to our programs

and our students. The district’s priorities, which are ultimately

approved by the board of trustees, are developed by a broad-based

committee that develops a strategic plan. This is an example of total

staff involvement that includes parents and students. There are two

sides to the challenge of living within your budget:

Careful monitoring of expenditures and an insistence that all

funds contribute to what is happening in the classroom.

Leaving no stone unturned in processing new resources of grants

and categorical funding from the state, federal and business

communities. There are many sources that are unclaimed because

districts do not have the skilled personnel to write the grants and

obtain these competitive funds. Staff development in the area of

technology can almost all be funded by grants to qualified schools.

* BIGGEST ISSUE FACING THE DISTRICT:

The years ahead are going to be a time of transition and renewal

for the Huntington Beach Union High School District. It is a time

when vision, experience and leadership will be required. A spend-down

requirement in future years should be anticipated. Trustees will be

presented with difficult choices as they set priorities and explore

opportunities for better use of their fiscal and human resources.

Success will be possible only with careful long-range planning and

with the election of trustees that places as their highest priority

the deliverance of quality education to all students.

My pledge to you is that I will be uncompromisingly committed to

the intellectual growth, academic and co-curricular achievement,

character and leadership development and physical well being of every

student. Every kid counts, and must be accounted for in our planning

to have a truly exemplary educational institution.