Election 2016: Trio seeks seats on Laguna Beach school board
This year’s Laguna Beach Unified School District board election features an incumbent and two challengers vying for two spots. The top two vote-getters will join Ketta Brown, Carol Normandin and Dee Perry on the five-member board. Current board President William Landsiedel is not seeking reelection. The upcoming board will oversee a district preparing students for a new crop of science standards, along with upgrading and renovating facilities as part of a 10-year plan.
Here are the candidates, listed in the order they appear on the Nov. 8 ballot:
Jan Vickers
Age: 69
Professional occupation: Retired; former adult-education teacher, substitute teacher, preschool director for Laguna Beach United Methodist Church
Education: Bachelor of arts, studio art, UC Irvine, 1969; credentials in secondary, elementary and early childhood education, UC Irvine
Time lived in Laguna Beach: 52 years
Previous public service: Laguna Beach Unified School District board, 2000 to present, 1992-96, 1981-87; American Youth Soccer Organization referee and board member
Immediate family: Husband Don, sons Ian and Raphael
What are three things you hope to achieve if elected?
1. Keep all decisions directed to students as the priority. Support successful implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards, which will impact science education, K-12 and change the way science is taught.
2. Work with the new board as a collaborative team, with the superintendent, to move the district forward. Always be prepared for meetings by studying the agenda items and asking questions.
3. Maintain strong financial accountability, which includes reserves to support future facility needs and to support our community funding.
Peggy Wolff
Age: 52
Professional occupation: Former elementary school teacher
Education: Bachelor of arts, communication studies, UC Santa Barbara, 1987; multiple-subject teaching credential, Cal State Northridge, 1992
Time lived in Laguna Beach: 29 years
Previous public service: Current Laguna Beach High Scholarship Foundation director; past PTA president at Top of the World Elementary and Thurston Middle schools; SchoolPower Educational Foundation board
Immediate family: Husband Josh, daughters Kenzie and Shelby
What are three things you hope to achieve if elected?
1. Greater community awareness of the important issues facing our schools, and increased community participation in the Laguna Beach Unified School District board’s fact-finding workshops.
2. Merit-based policy decisions, furthering our curricular goals, and supporting all of the district.
3. A strong foundation for future school boards, as education is fluid and schools must continue to innovate.
Howard Hills
Age: 64
Professional occupation: Constitutional lawyer specializing in civil rights and international law
Education: Juris doctorate, California Western School of Law, 1977, bachelor of arts, psychology, Sonoma State University, 1974
Time lived in Laguna Beach: 64 years
Previous public service: Volunteer at all four Laguna Beach Unified schools and at Francis Scott Key School, Washington, D.C.; international law treaty negotiator, Executive Office of the President of the United States; general counsel, international development agency, U.S. State Department
Immediate family: Wife Lura, daughters Etal, Helen, Natalie and Lura, son Dais
What are three things you hope to achieve if elected?
1. Restore school board deliberations and decision-making that is fair, honest and user-friendly for parents, teachers, classified employees, students, taxpayers and the public. Support and help the school board and superintendent in affirmative, confident compliance with state education and government codes, as well as local board rules, so the board listens to staff and public but acts independently and consistently gets it right and keeps promises.
2. Invest in teachers and classified employees in new and smarter ways to enable our trusted educator community to build curriculum and next-generation education excellence from the bottom up, without undue dependence on practices imported by costly consultants from Sacramento.
3. Create an education environment in which we meet each student where he or she stands and make realization of each individual learner’s potential in every discipline. Ensure every student who needs support moving forward gets it and that no student is held back or delayed when ready to advance in any field of discipline, including advanced computer science, engineering, math, language arts and fine arts.
Twitter: @AldertonBryce
