School board candidates face forum
by Kelly Feser Eells

The five candidates for Ojai Unified School District's board of trustees faced off against each other and tough questions at a forum Monday.
The forum was sponsored by the Nordhoff Parent Association and moderated by the League of Women Voters. Challengers Chuck Craig, Pauline Mercado and Jeff Ketelsen, along with incumbents Rikki Horne and Kathi Smith, were present to field two prearranged questions and a host of questions from the estimated 75 members of the audience. Donald Humer has withdrawn his bid.
The questions rotated through the field, so that each of the candidates had a chance to answer the questions, in their turn, and were timed by League volunteers.
The first question was about what incident or event prompted the candidates to run. Chuck Craig, a local real estate agent, said it wasn't any one event, but his involvement with the Parent-Teacher Organization at Mira Monte School, and having been asked to run by several teachers. Kathi Smith, the current board president, said that Muriel Lavender's retirement after her many years on the board prompted her to run as her replacement. And, as a parent of three district students, "I have a keen sense of how policy and budget decisions affect three important groups - parents, teachers and students."
Rikki Horne said she was motived "by my deep and longstanding belief in public education," while Pauline Mercado said her long employment by the district through the 1980s and into the 1990s gave her insight into district workings. "I worry about the next several years, that there's a threat to that (from declining enrollment and subsequent budget woes)." Jeff Ketelsen said he has lived and worked in the Ojai area "all my life," and said, "I will talk to you. I am an advocate for equal access to education for everyone."
The second question - what do you want to do accomplish during the next term on the school board - brought a range of responses. Smith said she wanted to get "parents more intimately and importantly involved in the decisions at school," and cited the recently formed calendar committee as an example. Horne said she wanted to maintain the high quality of Ojai Unified School District schools during the budget and enrollment crisis. She also said safety was a key concern. "An environment where students feel safe was conducive to learning," she said.
Pauline Mercado stressed the ABC's of education: Academic excellence, balanced budget, and community and parent involvement. This, she said, "was the framework from which we can foster good education..."
Ketelsen said he wanted to get "OUSD more fully integrated with the community." Chuck Craig said he wanted to see more cooperation between all levels of staff. "When I leave the board, I want them (staff) to be more in tune with each other, to work together."
All the candidates favored charter schools, especially as the Valley Oak charter school for homeschooling students was structured. Horne said, "I admit to having been nervous," fearing "responsibility without authority," but "I'm always interested in seeing new ways of kids getting an education."
Mercado said that charter schools "allow a lot of innovation and creativity ... it gives parents a choice." Craig said this reservations about the scuttled plans for Doniphan Oaks charter school did not apply to Valley Oak. "It brings kids into the district." Smith said she voted yes for the charter, and had worked on a charter school committee before joining the school board in 1998.
Asked what their first order of business would be in the face of declining enrollment and budget, Mercado said she would consult with other school board members, and seek to develop a strategic plan. Ketelsen said he "was much more optimistic about this" and didn't feel declines in enrollment would continue at as steep a pace. Craig said he work with other districts to see how they were making cuts without causing impacts on educational quality. Smith said the goal "is to keep cuts away from the classroom." Horne said that "there are lots of areas to think about," including boosting enrollment by appealing Ventura Unified School District's pro forma denials of students applying to transfer into Ojai's schools. The newly formed grant committee can also seek outside sources of money to help with financial constraints, she said.
A question about the importance of arts and music education and libraries brought a chorus of approval from the five candidates. Ketelsen said he would seek funding for afterschool programs, while Craig said the district "should work hand in hand with private donors ... it's funding thing, again." Smith said music and arts "are an essential part of education," and that she would support a performing arts center, and to preserve funding for librarians. Horne viewed the district's two elementary school music teachers as a positive step, as well as the partnerships with such community groups as the Ojai Music Festival's Bravo! program. Mercado said that arts and music "are a wonderful way for teachers to communicate their love of learning to children."
A question about drug and alcohol abuse at Matilija Junior High School and Nordhoff High School brought out different response and approaches.
Craig said he's lived in the Ojai Valley since 1961 "and things have changed." The hiring of Bud McCracken as on-site police officer was a good start, and "parental involvement at the schools" helps curb drug use, he said.
Smith agreed, saying parents need to get more involved with their childrens' lives, "and that's something the school board can nurture ... and stave off some the alienation that lead to drug and alcohol abuse." Horne mentioned last year's substance abuse forum moderated by John Perry that was "woefully underattended," while Mercado said that the recent collaboration between the school board and City Council to work on the "40 developmental assets" should be vigorously implemented. Ketelsen said that the Drug Abuse Resistance Education programs should be extended from elementary schools into Matilija and Nordhoff.
The fact that the majority of high school graduates are not college bound was the focus of another question.
Smith said the district already had the largest selection of Regional Occupational Programs, designed to expose students to career choices, and athletics provide another positive incentive for students "to do well, keep their grades up, and stay on the team."
Horne said that it didn't matter if students were college bound; "all kids need academic skills." She also mentioned that many programs and projects of Nordhoff's Career Counseling Center, such as job shadowing. Mercado said the important thing was to expose students to as many opportunities as possible through field trips, job shadowing and counseling, while Ketelsen said that Ventura County's three community colleges and the new California State University at Channel Islands provided career outlets for students.
All candidates agreed with a question that reduced class sizes would benefit students past the state-mandated third grade. Horne said the audience should write state legislators to urge legislation to pay for expanded class reduction. "The most powerful indicator of learning is the student-teacher ratio," said Mercado, while Craig said that class-size reduction is a state issue and "it has to be budgeted." Smith said the district pays $1.3 million on class size reduction, of which only $850,000 comes from the state.
A question about test scores brought varying responses, with Mercado, Craig and Smith cautioning that test scores are only part of the puzzle, and Ketelsen mentioning that Nordhoff test scores fell last year and Horne supporting testing as "test-taking skills are useful throughout life.
Vouchers were denounced by Craig, Smith "they impoverish public schools," Horne "they threaten separation of church and state and diminish diversity in our schools" and Ketelsen, while Mercado gave a guarded defense. "All parents deserve choice" but if the school district "is responsive, parents may not have to seek outside sources of education."
In their closing remarks, Smith said that balancing the budget and improving parental involvement were the keys to continuing OUSD's successes. Horne said that "parents are the first and most constant teachers of their children" and that she was "committed to supporting (public education) with all my energy." Mercado made mention of her volunteer contributions to the Red Cross and Ojai Valley Youth Foundation and on the Ojai Parks and Recreation Commission. "I have had a lifelong passion for working with children," she said. Ketelsen said, "There's a revolution going on here. Sameness of treatment does not always equate with equal treatment." Craig said "I will be on the campuses and out in the public."

© 2002 The Ojai Valley News

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