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FIRST! CHARTER SCHOOLS Every child is different, and parents should have options to put their child into an environment in which they can best learn and succeed. That is why I support the option of choosing to go to a different school outside the boundary you live in. I also support the virtual high school, and the option of charter schools. I will not force parents to keep their child in regular CVUSD schools if they are finding better options specifically for their child. I believe in freedom. The fact that so many parents are opting for their children to attend Walnut School District or OPA is a sign that CVUSD is not doing an adequate job providing the learning atmosphere that we need to provide. CVUSD needs to step up and provide a better learning atmosphere, more innovation, a wider variety of classes, including foreign languages that start at lower grades. GOOD vs. BAD TEACHERS We love and appreciate good, caring, creative, awesome teachers. But we also have mediocre and bad teachers in this district. Our own kids have had their share of bad teachers of the over 230 CVUSD teachers our children have been taught by. How do we get rid of the bad teachers? It is difficult, but it is possible. The School Board members need to first advise the Superintendent that this is one of our community's priorities, to start documenting, and working on firing all of the bad teachers we have in this district. Unfortunately this has not been a priority for the current School Board. Another thing I will do is make sure there are no new teachers given tenure unless they are AWESOME teachers. We don't need anymore mediocre teachers, and if we can't tell if a teacher is awesome or not by their second year of teaching, we should not be renewing their contract, and that would prevent giving them tenure. By refusing to tenure bad and mediocre teachers, and by working on the process of getting rid of bad teachers, eventually parents will want to bring their children back to our schools for our outstanding teachers. ================================================================ I pride myself on being an INNOVATIVE thinker...I think outside the box, and come up with creative ideas and solutions to problems. I love the Constitution of this great nation, believe in the rule of law, and therefore I know the California Ed Code well, and the IDEA 2004 laws. We GREATLY appreciate competent, dedicated employees, and the schools cannot be run effectively without them, but I believe school districts exists to serve the children and students. All school board decisions should be based on this premise. Budget cuts should have been made in the District Administration BEFORE making cuts at the school sites. ================================================================ Unfortunately this school district did the opposite. School site personnel, teachers, classroom aides, librarians, counselors, computer teachers, and music programs have all been slashed. Class sizes increased at the school sites while TWO new Assistant Superintendents were appointed to replace ONE retiring Associate Superintendent, Nancy Harms. And Teachers-on-Assignment still float around the District Office, while classroom teachers are laid off. Times are tough financially, and that is why District Administrators and personnel need to double up their workload, just as the teachers and school sites have done. ================================================== Funds paid out to attorneys are unrecoverable. When the district makes a commitment, they need to be honest and keep that commitment, whether it is with the residents at the Preserve, or with any single student. The district wastes lots of money in attorneys fees in the area of Special Ed also. When the School Board members, Superintendent, and district personnel are principled and honest, there will be a drastic drop in attorneys fees, more funds will be available for the students, and morale will increase in the district. I want YOUR voice to count, so I welcome your questions, concerns, ideas, and HELP on my campaign. Please email me at: [email protected] I would appreciate your help on my campaign, and your VOTE for "KELTNER" |