| "I believe every student should have a path to success, be it academics, vocational training, the arts, athletics or leadership!" |
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Stuart on the Issues Watch as this area grows. Throughout the campaign, as issues present themselves, I will add and write my thoughts on the growing issues. Here are just a few. Christian Coalition: My response to the questionnaire Budget: The single most important issue the School Board will be addressing in the next fiscal year(s) is budget. Shrinking resources present our school system with unprecedented challenges. We must act in a fiscally sound way without sacrificing our fundamental mission, "Serving every student with excellence as our standard". We must insure that resources are not diverted from the classroom. We must insure that we protect and preserve our classroom teachers and school level administrators and supporting staff. District level personnel should continue to offer comprehensive services to insure that schools can operate at maximum efficiency. We must insure that in lean times we do not make cuts that have long term detrimental consequences on the quality of our school system. We must continue to be "First in State" while we become "First in Nation". While there is no way to foresee just how deep and far reaching budget cuts will be, we need visionary and bold leadership that sees beyond simple "bean counting solutions". As your elected official, I will insure that community standards, values, and expectations are heard, honored and upheld. Charter Schools: I support the exploration of options for our students. Schools of Choice, Magnet and Charter Schools, partnerships with home and private schoolers are all examples of the choices we offer in Brevard County. All schools that receive public funds (your tax dollars) should be held accountable to offer the highest quality education. Standards should be high and measured equitably. All schools must demonstrate fiscal soundness and should fulfill the contract we have with our customers. Teacher, Administrator and Support Staff Compensation: Programs can be replaced quickly and easily, people cannot. We should make every effort to preserve our people. While staff compensation packages represent a lion's share of our budget, it also represents the major reason for our rise to First in Florida. It would be easy to make our budget by taking it out of teacher and staff positions. However, when the funding returns, it will take years to return our personnel to the high level of experience and competency they now exhibit. Facilities and programs can quickly be added, experienced people cannot. School Safety: As a parent, I am as concerned as you are that our kids are safe in their learning environment. We must maintain constant vigilance and demonstrate careful planning. Our schools should be safe without creating a "lockdown" mentality. Every effort should be made to insure that our learning environments are healthy, safe, and happy. |
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