Campaign Issues - Tim Keaney on the Simi Valley School Board Race

An interview with School Board Candidate Tim Keaney on issues facing Simi Valley Schools:

What would be your first order of business if elected to the school board?

My first motion as an elected trustee will be for the creation and implementation of a long-range strategic plan to manage facilities and enrollment growth. So much is driven by these two factors that it’s virtually impossible to plan anything else without a solid plan for facilities and enrollment growth. Staffing, transportation, boundaries; It all comes back to the same issues.

Why are you running for school board?

Because I think what’s missing on the board is exactly what I bring to the table. I sense that there is a lack of forward thinking and planning. I’ve lead strategic planning sessions. I’ve created and developed business plans and had them succeed. I think when you have a large organization facing difficult budget decisions, and a $145 million bond issue that is going to be implemented over the next 15-20 years, you need to have trust in the elected officials to ask tough questions, and make tough decisions.

At the same time, I have an 8 year old and a 5 year old in the schools, so I am also a stakeholder.

What endorsements do you have?

I am endorsed my leading business owners in town, including 4 former Chairs of the Chamber of Commerce, Special Education Parents, a Past PTA Council President for all of Simi Valley, Educators and concerned parents and citizens in our community. Official political endorsements for elected officials are being pursued.

Did you support the algebra waiver passed a week ago?

What bothers me about the Algebra waivers isn’t the waivers themselves, it’s the need for them in the first place. The algebra waivers are a symptom of the disease, not the disease itself. A microcosm of how the district operates and how the board isn’t managing the situation.

Simi Valley Unified had four years to prepare kids with what it takes to graduate. They knew algebra was going to be required four years ago, and then had to ask for waivers at the end of the day because they didn’t do anything about it. It’s not the kids’ fault, and it’s incumbent on the school board and staff to clearly outline graduation requirements as early as possible.

In Ventura, they asked for 5 waivers for a graduating class of 1500. In Simi Valley, the number was 290 out of a class of 1600. Sounds to me like someone didn’t get a memo.

Do you support an increase in the school impact fee on developers?

Currently, the Simi Valley school district collects $2.05 per square foot for residential development and 33 cents per square foot for commercial projects. The plan is to raise those fees to $2.24 and 36 cents, respectively. The bigger question is where’s the money? I would post what developer fees the district gets on the district web site in one column, and the expenses in another column. If it’s true that the money can only go for facilities to manage enrollment growth, then having the numbers readily available to the public should paint a pretty clear picture of how those fees are being spent. I’d advocate for that before raising the developer fees. There is a big disconnect over developer fees. The community has built thousands of homes over the years so you can assume millions in developer fees. Now, we’re still building homes, and they’re bigger! So if we’re getting developer fees based on square footage (which we are) then the fees are naturally increasing because the average home square footage is increasing. The new mall in town will also bring in hundreds of thousands in developer fees to the district.

What would you do differently to create policies to reduce the racial tension on campus?

This is an issue where the same old answers aren’t going to work. And it’s an issue that if not managed with both education and law enforcement, then the community is at risk for potential crisis. It’s always seemed to me that we lose kids when they get to Middle School. We have DARE and other programs at the elementary level, and we have programs like “Every 15 Minutes” at the high school level, but what are we doing at the middle school level to teach students about character, race, drugs and other influences at the middle school level? I would suggest a coordinated effort between the school district and the Simi Valley Police department to coordinate an effort for students to understand and accept racial differences. There should be a school site council/police department task force at every middle & high school campus to identify and address problems before they start. The City’s anti-graffiti task force, and how it works with citizens and Neighborhood Council is an excellent model.

Do you support a school uniform policy?

No. I don’t believe that school uniforms solve bullying, harassment or other issues they’re meant to solve. The school dress code should be displayed visually on the district web site, and enforced. Good character and judgement come from home, and from within.

Do you believe that students should have access to condoms from the school nurse?

No. If parental approval is needed for a field trip, then this should be a parent’s responsibility. Parents who are not educating their kids about sex, the influences of sex in mass media and the dangers involved are doing themselves, their community and their kids in particular a tremendous disservice.

What is your opinion of school vouchers?

Each community should have the right to decide how to manage the education of kids in failing schools. If a school is clearly failing, the district has a responsibility to fix it, or give the parents the option to take their kids elsewhere. In Simi, this is largely mitigated by the School Choice program.

How do you feel about prayer in school?

While I have no problem with an invocation at the beginning of a football game, concert or other activity, I do not support organized school prayer in our schools. My feelings here are largely based on my concern that prayers might be led by someone who did not meet the moral or ethical standards of my family. At the same time, if a group of students want to pray on campus, or have a bible club, or pray over their food or before a test – I fully support their right to do so.

What was your position on C4?

I supported Measure C4 and my wife Debbie sat on the successful campaign committee. I believe that the community didn’t really have a choice but to support the measure. With hundreds of millions of dollars in repairs and upgrades stemming from 30+ years of neglect, inaction and lack of planning, our facilities are in sorry shape. Upgraded and modernized schools bring residents and jobs to town, economic vitality and community pride. The question again, is how did we allow our schools to deteriorate so badly that we need over $300 Million in upgrades and improvements (according to district pronouncements) and a $145 Million Bond that will cost taxpayers millions more when we’re through? I will work with the Bond Oversight Committee to make sure the money is spent well, strategically and appropriately.

Would you push for any more property tax increases if elected?

No.

What would you do to increase access to computer technology on campus?

Having spent my entire professional career in the technology industry, and as an owner of a technology company, I LOVE talking about this topic. A fundamental understanding of technology is critical not just for college prep, but also for life prep. Out the gate, there should be a district wide “Technology Summit” where we look at where the school sites are now, and where we want them to be down the road. This summit should look at district wide and school site technology challenges and issues. The summit participants should be made up of teachers, parents, administrators, business owners, technology providers and other stakeholders. Topics should include:

Technology Labs at K-5/6 schools

Technology Educational Tracks

Corporate Sponsorships/Partnerships

Access to technology for the disadvantaged

Volunteer “Specialists” (Just how many software/hardware people do we have in town, thousands?)

Parent/Teacher Communication

Adopt a Tech Kid by Businesses

Internet Danger Zones/Filters/What works/What Doesn’t

The district needs to look beyond its borders and see that we are in a very high tech area in this county. With the proper outreach and planning, we have the possibility of bringing in new sets of volunteers: parents and businesses people who never before thought the district needed them or cared. We have an opportunity here to truly innovate and educate.

How do you feel about “zero tolerance”?

I believe in reasonable zero tolerance. In other words, kids who bring weapons and drugs onto campus should be subject to expulsion. Kids who bring plastic butter knives or tools for a science project should not. Weapons are weapons, and that should not be tolerated. What constitutes a threat is the real issue.