On Thursday, October 9th, a joint forum was presented by the Fillmore City Council candidates, and the Fillmore United School Board candidates. Following is coverage of Part One of the School Board portion of the forum. Part Two will be printed in next week’s edition of the Gazette.

Candidates: Michael Saviors, Sean Morris, Scott Beylik
Incumbent Candidates: Lucy Rangel, Dave Wilde, Tony Prado.
Moderator: Bill Herrera. Timekeeper: Douglas Tucker.

Opening Statements
Sean Morris; I think there is so much potential at Fillmore Schools. I will set some great goals.

Scott Beylik; My goal is to make Fillmore schools a place where all local families are proud to be a part of...create an environment of open communication, transparency and accountability with a long term vision for policy, course curriculum that will meet the needs of all students and prepare them for the future.

Lucy Rangel; I lived here in Piru and Fillmore and have taught both 4th and 6th grades. I have a knowledge of teaching.

Tony Prado; I am not trying to buy a seat, I didn't expect it would take $3,000 to $4,000 to get a seat on FUSD. I've served on the School Site Council and coached.

Dave Wilde; I taught and served in five different districts and as a peer teacher. I enjoy working with children.

Michael Saviors; I've lived in Fillmore 14 years and I have a son in Fillmore Middle School and a daughter in Fillmore High School. I was appointed to the FUSD School Board for a short time and worked as a substitute bus driver. I want my children to have the best education offered to them.

(1) What professional skills, experience and other unique qualities do you possess that make you the best candidate for the seat on the School Board?
Sean Morris; For many years I've worked as a broker and have seen that some do well and some don't. Those that do well have pride in what they do. They are accountable. I want to see the best for every child.

Scott Beylik; I have the ability to listen...I've sat on many non-profits, ran businesses, met payroll, we have 13 employees. I understand you need to stay on top of things. That's what I plan for if I'm elected to the school board.

Lucy Rangel; I'm a team player, you have to get along with people. I excel at leadership, I've had a lot of leadership rolls. I know the program.

Tony Prado; I'm a team leader. I have been on school site boards, I've been a coach and have lead coaches.

Dave Wilde; I've taught at schools for 37 years. I was an athletic director for 9 years. I have been in leadership rolls. I feel pretty confident I can lead.

Michael Saviors; I have experience in the classrooms, it's a challenge. All my years in the Police Department have made me a good listener. I've been a board member and I know the challenges.

(2) Given Fillmore's demographic, average household income levels and standardized test results, where do you envision our students higher education potential to be?
Scott Beylik; Simple answer is 'unlimited'. It's where they see themselves and want to be. Those students that aren't motivated toward college, we need to back up vocational training.

Lucy Rangel; We have 80.6% reduced lunches. We need parent involvement. We need to provide services for them no mater their economic status.

Tony Prado; I agree, parents need to be involved. We provided a program at Moorpark to bring the parents in.

Dave Wilde; The parents come to us with a disadvantage, we need to address their needs. The new Superintendent is working with Kathy Long on a tutoring program.

Michael Saviors; If the student has the drive we should give them every opportunity to succeed.

Sean Morris; We have to have benchmarks for our ESL students. We have great students, the problem is we're not advancing students.

(3) In your opinion is the School District offering instruction appropriate to the diverse educational backgrounds of all the students? Why or why not?
Lucy Rangel; I think we're moving in the right direction with Common Core State Standards. The standards are moving in the right direction for high archiving students and low achieving.

Tony Prado; With Common Core State Standards it's going to take shape. When students are successful it shows in their test scores. We need to get the parents into the classroom to work with their kids.

Dave Wilde; We need to make sure we give the support to our teachers. I think we have an Assistant Superintendent that is doing a great job, she has the experience.

Michael Saviors; Every school district has problems. We spend a lot of time with ESL, they need the help. Maybe those that don't need the help are being ignored a bit.

Sean Morris; We need to focus, see how Common Core fits with each student. Kids are sponges, they absorb.

Scott Beylik; Based on our academic benchmarks there's a disconnect. We need to make sure we make those connections.

(4) What is your vision for the district over the next four years? How will you hold yourself accountable to achieve this vision?
Tony Prado; My vision is simple, Distinguished School Status. To tell the Superintendent our goal is to move to a higher status and a competitive school.

Dave Wilde; We need to support parents and teachers. Have effective teachers.

Michael Saviors; We need pride. Common Core is going to bring us up to where everyone else is regarding technology usage. Fillmore High School is going to have wifi.

Sean Morris; We need to articulate with our superintendent, teachers and parents to develop a trust again. Close the gap between boys and girls. Be innovative. We need a cash reserve, a rainy-day fund.

Scott Beylik; We need a safe campus, which is a good learning environment. We need occupational classes for those not going to college.

Lucy Rangel; We need to provide more choice for families. I'd like to see one of our schools become a magnet school. More variety of classes with technology at the high school.

(5) Describe your view of the roles of the School Board and the Superintendent. What is the ideal relationship between these two offices?
Dave Wilde; The Board should set the goals...the Superintendent should work to achieve them. The Board has to decide if we're moving in that direction. Our roll is to address the towns concerns.

Michael Saviors; The School Board is the policy maker. I plan to better our schools with a good relationship with the Superintendent.

Sean Morris; Fight for ideas and get in alignment with decisions...our job is to make sure the Superintendent is meeting those goals.

Scott Beylik; The biggest thing is to set the vision for the Superintendent. What ever policy we decide on we must be transparent. The Board (in the past) forgot their responsibility to keep a check on the Superintendent.

Lucy Rangel; We need to be open and make the best decisions and vision for our Superintendent....it all comes with good mutual respect.

Tony Prado; The goal a Board Member is raising student achievement. You have to involve the parents...have an open dialog. The Board has to set the standards.

(6) Common Core State Standards for grades K-12 have been adopted and are being implemented within the Fillmore Unified School Distinct. What do you think your responsibility and role is as a school board member to inform parents and students of the change to these new standards and curricula? How do you plan to address the Common Core implementation if you are elected?
Michael Saviors; The Board is the governing body. We should have open communication when implementing the Common Core State Standards. As a Board we could hold community meetings for everyone to be informed on how we plan to achieve Common Core.

Sean Morris; We will work with Common Core to meet the needs of the students. I'd like to give notice to of all the changes to the community.

Scott Beylik; Common Core, we're stuck with it. We need to provide all the teachers what they will need to teach it...be it training or technology.

Lucy Rangel; We really don't have a choice in the matter. It's mandated, but they (the State or Government) aren't providing the money or resources needed to implement it. There are some good things with Common Core.

Tony Prado; Our students are going to be competitive with the world. It's a global society. Common Core provides rigor that makes a student think critically.

Dave Wilde; Our Superintendent is really concerned about parent participation. Students are required to think critical and we must provide teachers and students with the technology needed.