What is the biggest issue facing the...

What is the biggest issue facing the school district?

Improving the API scores. While the district as a whole improved

18 points over last year’s Academic Performance Index, there is still

a long way to go for most of the district’s high schools to achieve a

goal of no longer having an “annual improvement target.” The current

imposed goal is to accomplish this by 2014. Can your children/teens

wait this long for the kind of improvement needed?

What can be done to keep test scores on the rise? Providing a

quality education that teaches students critical thinking skills and

still provides them with the knowledge to meet and exceed the

standards of the API.

What needs to be done to bolster the budget? What programs should

take priorities? The budget has just received a good bolster with

Measure C money. This will allow much needed infrastructure

improvements. Programs in math, English and science should take

priority.

How can school board members better communicate with parents and

the community?

I would like to see the board meetings televised. Already existing

within the cities of Huntington Beach, Westminster and Fountain

Valley is the ability to air public meetings. Negotiations with the

controlling authorities of that equipment to use it on a quarterly

basis should be “doable.” At least parents would have the option to

watch, and this might encourage them to come to meetings and

communicate at the oral communications portion of the meetings.