Aside from funding problems, what does he see as the biggest challenges facing the district? “I see negative misperceptions as a major obstacle to the well being of the district,” Wilson said. “The reality is that the two districts are doing good things (MESA national champions, HS academies, etc.) but the public is often unaware or ensnared by negative publicity. Another challenge that we face is a lack of parental involvement. Perhaps due to cultural differences, we do not get large amounts of parental involvement. Increasing this would help students and the district overall.”
Tim Hicks
Tim Hicks has lived in Santa Paula for over 30 years with his wife Cathy and daughter Erin. He is a member of the Santa Paula Elementary School District Board. He noted that Erin is a product of Santa Paula school system and is presently enrolled in law school.
He has a Bachelors Degree in Soil Science and a Masters in General Agriculture, both from California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo. “After graduating with my BA in Soil Science I served in the Peace Corp in Thailand for three years,” he said. “After returning from Thailand I re-entered college and completed my Masters. I have been involved in Plant Operations and Maintenance in the field of agriculture for over 40 years. My experiences have provided me with a vast knowledge of business and budgets.” He is an active member of the Santa Paula Optimist Club, Knights of Columbus, and Guadalupe Church.
Hicks said he is running for the unified board because he said the economic future of the community of Santa Paula and its residents depends on quality schools. “The challenges facing our students are greater now than ever before, and without the proper educational foundation we are failing our children,” he said. “Unless all of our schools, from kindergarten through 12th grade, are aggressively advancing in program offerings, producing competitive test scores, and developing students to be college ready and/or career prepared in a global society an educated work force industry will not come to Santa Paula, nor will our students be capable of competing in the world market.”
Hicks supports unification Measure M. “The time has come to consolidate and have a seamless educational program from kindergarten through 12th grade in Santa Paula,” he said. “Unification will build a fiscally smart and responsible school community from kindergarten through the 12th grade that will ensure all students receive the best education possible. We need to support our parents and the business community to work in partnership with the teachers and other school personnel to contribute to the educational programs.”
How does he propose to deal with a shrinking budget? He said, “My goal is to keep cuts as far away from the classroom as possible. Unification will bring more dollars to the district through funding allocations.” He added that another option the district has is to take a proactive approach to recapture lost revenue due to student unexcused absences, implementing an ADA recovery program across all grades levels such as the one used by Ventura Unified School District.
“Unfortunately, there is going to be a funding problem until the state finds the money for education; this is a State Legislature problem that has trickled down to our local educational system,” Hicks said. “We have cut about all we can do here in Santa Paula next to cutting the number of school days; cutting school days is balancing a budget off of the backs of our students, which is unfair! Cutting our school days will not produce students to be college ready and/or career prepared in a global society, nor will it draw industry to Santa Paula. Reducing staff any more is not the answer to the budget problems either.”
As for ideas he brings to the board, Hicks said, “I have worked in industry (management) for over 40 years and have personally experienced the highs and lows. I have worked with startup business from the ground up; I know what has to be done to make a system work. I understand that there is more to education than simply producing a product or service. We are affecting people’s lives and futures, and we are affecting the future of this community. I will be there to see that all groups are treated equally.”
What other challenges does he see facing the district? He said one of the biggest issues is going to be changing longstanding “mindsets.” “It will no longer be ‘This is the way we used to do it,’” he said. “This is where my expertise in business and company mergers comes into play. It is no longer the elementary district or the high school district; it is the unified district in which all have to work together for the good of the students and staff; to make sure the new district continues to improve on all test scores, advance program offerings, educating our students to be college ready and/or career prepared in a global society and to hire a superintend that can continue to lead the new unified district.”
Michelle Kolbeck
Michelle Kolbeck now serves on the SPESD Board. She is the parent of nine children, all of whom have attended public schools in Santa Paula beginning in 1985. She has a bachelors degree in mathematics and economics and has completed the Masters in Governance for school board members.
“As a parent I was involved in every aspect of the schools - from room mother, parent groups, booster clubs, fundraisers, school site council, district advisory committees, and finally a board member,” she noted. “In the community I have volunteered in youth sports and youth ministry.”
She said that she is running for the unified school board because she has 14 years experience in the elementary school district and is dedicated to helping all students in Santa Paula receive a quality education. “If Measure M for unification passes, I feel I will be an asset to the new board in completing the many tasks that are required for making a smooth transition to a unified district,” she said. “I have the knowledge of years of closed session items that cannot be divulged publicly about employees, workmen compensation cases, and lawsuits. I have always put the interest of students first, and have served the elementary board during my 14 years without taking any benefits, which has resulted in a savings of over $148,000 to the elementary district.”
Kolbeck said she is not against unification, but is against Measure M at this time. “I am concerned with the state economic uncertainties funding education,” she added. “I am concerned with the unknown upfront costs associated with unifying. I am concerned that with unification the current $32 million designated for the elementary may no longer be solely spent on the elementary students especially in their formative years with the needs of 2/3 of the elementary children designated as English Language Learners, and 14% of elementary students with special needs.”
How does she propose to deal with a shrinking budget? “As always, we need to make sure everyone has a buy in and understands what sort of budget and challenges the new unified district will be facing,” she said. “This must include taking a hard look at the expenses of setting up the new district along with long term costs. However, no matter what, every aspect of how the new district does business must be based first on the educational needs of the students.”
What ideas do she bring to a unified board? “I will continue to push for the best possible education for all students.... Districts are in the business of educating students and that must be the first and foremost goal in the new board’s mind. I feel that I am able to bring to the board a wide range of ideas from being a parent, my involvement with education, and being active in the community.”
Kolbeck also said, “I believe the challenge of meeting state test scores will continue to be a challenge as many of our schools reach the 800 mark. I also think that overcrowded classrooms, aging facilities and equipment, the inability to buy new textbooks, how to stay current with technology, and being able to provide extra-curricular activities will be some of the major challenges for the new district.”
Diana Ponce-Gomez
Diana Ponce-Gomez is a member of the SPUHSD Board. She was born and raised in Santa Paula and attended public schools here. After graduating from Santa Paula Union High School in 1988, she obtained a B.A. from UCLA (1992) and a law degree from UCLA School of Law (1996).
“I have been married to my high school sweetheart, Ed, for 20 years,” she said. “We returned to Santa Paula in 1998 to raise a family. We have three children - Carlos, Gabriela and Marcos. Carlos is a 7th grader at Isbell Middle School, Gabriela is a 5th grader at McKevett Elementary School and Marcos is a 3rd grader at McKevett. Ed teaches at Santa Paula Union High School. I work for a law firm in Thousand Oaks where I practice civil litigation and commercial real estate secured transactions. One motivation for me returning to Santa Paula was to give something back to the community I am so proud to be part of.”
Why is she running for the unified board? “I am running for the unified board because I care deeply about the education Santa Paula students receive,” Ponce-Gomez said. “I want our students to attend safe schools, be challenged academically, and have a wide range of courses, electives and activities to choose from. I also value art and music programs in our schools and believe that technology in the classroom is essential. I want the unified board’s budgetary decisions to reflect this. Ultimately, I want Santa Paula’s students to be prepared to lead a successful life in whatever path they choose following graduation - college, trade school, career path, etc. I have a vested interest in the success of the unified school district because my children attend schools in the proposed district, and will continue to do so for the next decade.”
She said she thinks that, in the long-term, unification can be a positive thing for our small community. “A major benefit of unification is having a common focus,” she added. “Instead of having a school district and school board focusing on K-8 and another focusing on 9-12, Santa Paula could have one district and school board focusing and creating policy for K-12. It is beneficial to have the focus and vision on the child from the time the child enters kindergarten through high school graduation - instead of broken up into K-8 and 9-12.”
She noted she will address the state budget crisis utilizing the same principles she currently follows as a member of the SPUHS School Board. “I believe the unified board should be fiscally responsible using a collaborative approach - avoid deficit spending as much as possible by discussing proposed cuts with staff; finding areas to either streamline or cut and coming up with creative ideas and approaches - all with the idea of keeping cuts as far away from the classroom as possible.”
What ideas does she bring to a unified board? “Significantly, I bring several perspectives to the unified board: that of an involved parent; SPUHS Board member; product of Santa Paula public schools; daughter and wife of educators; and attorney,” she noted. “Since the unified board is responsible for building a new district, my ideas initially concern the formation of that district.”
Aside from funding problems, what does she see as the biggest challenges facing the district? She said it is difficult to separate funding problems because they are infused with so many of the other challenges the unified board will face. “However, funding (and developing a budget) aside, the unified board has a challenging task,” she added. “Creating a new school district is no easy feat. Before the unified school district opens its doors, the unified board must create the organization of the district, hire a superintendent and management staff, develop policies and procedures, develop grade level organization and education programs and develop a master facilities plan.”
