Occupation: Corporate Controller Age: 49

Education and Qualifications: High expectations for performance has been my priority. I am striving to build upon the District's accomplishments in both the level of success amongst all of the district's stakeholders and the condition of the district's learning facilities. I am a strong advocate for fiscal responsibility. I put my experience as a financial analyst to use in assisting the school district with review and approval of the school budget. I have received the support of many parents and teachers.

My commitment to quality and continuous improvement is evidenced in my participation in the following professional, self improvement and community activities;

Member of the Community Site Review Committee formed to suggest solutions for overcrowding and joint use; Past chairman of the Capitola Elementary School Site Council; A founding member of the Santa Cruz County School Site Council Consortium; Member of the Capitola Chamber of Commerce; Member of the Santa Cruz Society for Human Resource Management; Past Treasurer of Cub Scout Pack 616 in Capitola; Past parent helper for the 1998 Minor League champion Pirates Little League team; Masters in Governance, two-year training program presented by the California School Board Association; Current enrollee in the Leadership Santa Cruz County training program; Vice President of the Soquel Union Elementary School District

Occupation: Small Business Owner

• That the entire community shares in the responsibility of providing an exceptional education to our children;
• That kids themselves are responsible for their "jobs" as students;
• That parents are responsible for getting healthy kids to school on time, providing appropriate dress and nourishment, and a supportive environment for study;
• That teachers and support staff shall teach each child according to state standards in place in our district, ensuring that every child is challenged to reach their goals;
• That administration will oversee and ensure success of all students.

Occupation: Appointed Incumbent/Teacher Age: 42

Education and Qualifications: Prior to being appointed to the School Board, I have been involved with teaching in the Soquel Union Elementary School District for the past 7 years. Currently, my two children are attending schools in the district.

The importance of education has been stressed by nearly everyone over the years. I believe we send a conflicting message to our students and teachers about this importance when they attend schools in need of so many basic repairs. If elected, I will work together with the board, district administration and the public to bring to action these needed repairs to our school sites.

Education and Qualifications:
Children.
Commitment.
Challenges.
Communication.

As parents and concerned taxpayers, we all value our children and share a common commitment to an excellent education to prepare them for the future. The current attitude in California supports increasing this commitment.

However, our Soquel Union Elementary School District faces many challenges. Decreasing student enrollment, rapidly escalating housing prices, loss of excellent teachers, increasing standard of excellence demanded by Silicon Valley, facilities demanding updating and improvement, loss of students to private schools.

I am an involved parent (President of site council & 3 year member), trained educator (BS Secondary Education), son of a 30 year teacher and business person who has been in involved in multiple startups and thus understands the need for planning, budgeting, maximizing every resource.

Yet did you know that your school district has the same annual budget (over $10 million) as the City of Capitola, yet serves over 2200 students daily with a total staffing over 200? Have you ever seen a short and long range plan to address the challenges facing our children to help our administrators, teachers and parents help achieve the best possible education?

Please vote Nov. 7 and, most importantly, be involved in your child’s education. They all need our help.

Occupation: Semiconductor Engineer Age: 50

Education and Qualifications: I want to be your school board representative. I can bring a set of skills that are invaluable to this position including: MBA training with extensive experience in fiscal planning, strategic management, community outreach and consensus building skills developed over years of volunteer work in neighborhood groups; direct past experience as a school board member for the San Lorenzo Valley School District; and a genuine commitment to make our schools the best they can be for our children.

• Develop an effective long-term plan for the School District based on input from public hearings;
• Improve academic performance through higher expectations;
• Increase parents involvement, realizing that parent involvement is perhaps the highest determining factor for children’s success;
• Renovate and improve school facilities to serve the needs of the community;
• Schedule public meetings to be at times easily available to parent participation and disruptive school schedules should be covered.

As a former school board member, I know working to improve our schools takes a lot of perseverance and openness to community input. As a parent, I am well aware of how much depends on our success.

Vote for Jacques Bertrand in November for Soquel School Board.