Pleae note that there were errors in a Daily News article dated Saturday, October 5 and these are the corrections, as requested:
Diane J. Vranes (Incumbent)
AGE: 61
OCCUPATION: Teacher
HOW LONG A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT: 33 years
PREVIOUS POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: Trustee, vice president and board president three times
FAMILY: Married, six children, all district graduates
QUOTE: "I have courage, vision, and commitment, and I believe in doing all I can to promote a state-of-the-art learning and teaching environment, with great facilities, curriculum, and the best qualified teachers, staff and leadership."
Q: What do you think was the primary cause of the district's recent financial crisis?
A: The district was too optimistic with its tax revenue projections, and the board was given unreliable and erroneous information on the financial status and health of the district. Decisions and plans were made that depended on this overstated revenue projection. I never supported staff reductions to build back a reserve, but felt we could have taken more time to do so, and saved jobs at the same time.
Q: Was the district right to limit on-campus recruitment by colleges and the military?
A: I believe the school campuses should allow recruiters from both colleges and the military so that students may have access to them if they so choose, as long as students are not a captive audience.
Q: Should the district keep the seventh-period day?
A: The seventh-period day was instituted to give struggling students opportunities for extra tutorial classes, as well as giving the higher achieving students opportunities to broaden their horizons with elective classes. All students can benefit from the seventh-period model.
Donald S. Havis
AGE:73
OCCUPATION: Retired educator
HOW LONG A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT: 23 years
PREVIOUS POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: One term (2004-2006) on the Green Party of San Mateo County Administrative Council
FAMILY: Married with two adult children
QUOTE: "You don't Hafto". (For an explanation, see my Web site: www.donhavis.com, and click on the article, "You Don't Hafto")
Q: What do you think was the primary cause of the districts recent financial crisis?
A: The primary cause of the district's recent financial crisis was that certain top previous district administrators either (1) didn't understand the district's cash-flow problems, or (2) worse yet, understood the problem and hid it and misinformed others including their own Board of Trustees. In either case, this was a staggering failure of leadership, which has fortunately now been corrected.
Q: Was the district right to limit on-campus recruitment by colleges and the military?
A: The district was entirely correct in limiting on-campus recruitment by the military. I am calling for further restrictions to limit military recruitment to no more than three times per service or per college, per year. Why? Because it is the duty of the Board of Trustees to protect students, not to allow them to be placed at risk of death and/or injury in order to implement our governments illegal and immoral wars for oil and empire.
Q: Should the district keep the seventh-period day?
A: If we were in better financial health, I would say that we should keep the seventh-period day. I have called for a re-examination of the present use of the seventh-period. Is it being presently used by only a few for just an "extra" class? I would urge a much broader peer-tutoring program, matching students under a teachers direction. What about Middle College classes? How about union apprenticeship programs? If it is not presently being used productively, I would urge that it be suspended until we are in better financial shape.
Diane J. Vranes (Incumbent)
AGE: 61
OCCUPATION: Teacher
HOW LONG A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT: 33 years
PREVIOUS POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: Trustee, vice president and board president three times
FAMILY: Married, six children, all district graduates
QUOTE: "I have courage, vision, and commitment, and I believe in doing all I can to promote a state-of-the-art learning and teaching environment, with great facilities, curriculum, and the best qualified teachers, staff and leadership."
Q: What do you think was the primary cause of the district's recent financial crisis?
A: The district was too optimistic with its tax revenue projections, and the board was given unreliable and erroneous information on the financial status and health of the district. Decisions and plans were made that depended on this overstated revenue projection. I never supported staff reductions to build back a reserve, but felt we could have taken more time to do so, and saved jobs at the same time.
Q: Was the district right to limit on-campus recruitment by colleges and the military?
A: I believe the school campuses should allow recruiters from both colleges and the military so that students may have access to them if they so choose, as long as students are not a captive audience.
Q: Should the district keep the seventh-period day?
A: The seventh-period day was instituted to give struggling students opportunities for extra tutorial classes, as well as giving the higher achieving students opportunities to broaden their horizons with elective classes. All students can benefit from the seventh-period model.
Donald S. Havis
AGE:73
OCCUPATION: Retired educator
HOW LONG A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT: 23 years
PREVIOUS POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: One term (2004-2006) on the Green Party of San Mateo County Administrative Council
FAMILY: Married with two adult children
QUOTE: "You don't Hafto". (For an explanation, see my Web site: www.donhavis.com, and click on the article, "You Don't Hafto")
Q: What do you think was the primary cause of the districts recent financial crisis?
A: The primary cause of the district's recent financial crisis was that certain top previous district administrators either (1) didn't understand the district's cash-flow problems, or (2) worse yet, understood the problem and hid it and misinformed others including their own Board of Trustees. In either case, this was a staggering failure of leadership, which has fortunately now been corrected.
Q: Was the district right to limit on-campus recruitment by colleges and the military?
A: The district was entirely correct in limiting on-campus recruitment by the military. I am calling for further restrictions to limit military recruitment to no more than three times per service or per college, per year. Why? Because it is the duty of the Board of Trustees to protect students, not to allow them to be placed at risk of death and/or injury in order to implement our governments illegal and immoral wars for oil and empire.
Q: Should the district keep the seventh-period day?
A: If we were in better financial health, I would say that we should keep the seventh-period day. I have called for a re-examination of the present use of the seventh-period. Is it being presently used by only a few for just an "extra" class? I would urge a much broader peer-tutoring program, matching students under a teachers direction. What about Middle College classes? How about union apprenticeship programs? If it is not presently being used productively, I would urge that it be suspended until we are in better financial shape.
- Written by Fiona
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