This year, election day is Nov. 6. Since the SMJUHSD School Board has a huge impact on the high schools located within theSanta Maria and Orcutt areas, teachers and eligible seniors should know the intentions of all candidates. Jack Garvin’s and Victor Tognazzini’s terms will expire in December, and Diana Perez is ready to put forth her services and winthe 2012 election against the two SMJUHSD Board veterans. Two of the three candidates will be elected.

Describe your academic career.  State the position you are running for.

 “I am running for a Santa Maria Joint Union High School District Board seat.  I graduated from Salinas High School and continued with my education at my local community college in Salinas.  Once I completed my Associate’s Degree in General Education, I was accepted at UC Santa Barbara.  I then earned a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science in1992, and afterwards, a Master’s Degree in Education, Counseling and Student Services from Fresno State University in 1994.”

What have you accomplished prior to your campaign?

“After earning my Master’s Degree, I was hired by Santa Barbara City College as a part-time counselor.  Two years later, I was hired by UC Santa Barbara as an admissions counselor and during these years, I worked with hundreds of students, helping them pursue higher educational goals.  In 1998, I was reassigned from UC Santa Barbara to work exclusively at Santa Maria High School.  My mission was to maximize the number of Santa Maria High School students admitted to colleges and universities.  During this time, with the support of then principal, Dr. Jeff Hearn, the AVID program, and the awesome teachers, guidance techs, and other supportive staff, a record number of Saints were admitted to some of the best colleges and universities.  In 2000, Allan Hancock College recruited me and I’ve been employed there since, working my way up to my current position as Director of the Central Coast Cal-SOAP Consortium. I was also appointed as a Commissioner for California State Parks OHMVRD in 2011 by Speaker of the Assembly, John A. Perez.”

Students are sometimes unaware of the school board’s impact on their education.  In what ways can you connect with students at the Santa Maria Joint Union High Schools?

“The best way to connect with students is tosmile and talk to them.   If elected, I would like to meet whenever possible with students and listen to their ideas and concerns.  Invite their parents to share their thoughts with me.  As a board member, I believe it’s important to listen to the students, parents and school personnel.   Then take this information to work with a team to make the best decisions that will benefit all the students and the district as a whole.”

What are your opinions on Prop. 30 and 32?

“I fully support and plan to encourage as many people from my community to VOTE YES on PROPOSITION 30!  If Prop. 30 does not pass, it will reduce the number of weeks students are in school, cut millions of dollars from the school budget, reduce services and quite possibly cost the jobs of some of the school personnel.  We should not allow this to happen and this is why I believe it’s very important that everyone who is eligible to vote, should exercise their civic duty.   Proposition 32 is not a fair proposition because it will take away the ability of working class individuals via unions from making contributions for initiatives they support.    However, corporations and billionaires will continue to spend unlimited amounts of money to influence elections.  Be proactive, if you can’t vote now, encourage those in your family and neighborhood to get involved and VOTE NO on Proposition 32!”

5. Are the arts program and other extracurricular activities beneficial to students?  Explain why.

“Absolutely!  Over the last few decades, many fine arts, vocational and career technical programs have been cut.  Some students do well in academic subjects, but other students can be very successful with hands-on or programs that allow different types of creativity.  Many arts and extracurricular activities expand the skills and abilities of students and at times inspire them to continue with their education.  We need more, not less, of these types of programs and services.”

6. What about the students at Santa Maria High School do you enjoy?

 “What I think is special about Santa Maria High School students is that most students are respectful, kind, appreciative of what they have and willing to listen.  Many students at SMHS understand that working hard and pursuing goals is the best way to get ahead in life.  Santa Maria High School students are approachable and have great potential to succeed.”

7. What do you plan to accomplish if elected as a SMJUHSD Board Member?

“If Prop. 30 fails, I want to protect as many jobs and programs as possible at all the district high schools.  I have the utmost respect for all the personnel who I’ve seen over the past ten years give their best to students.   I also want to work with community and state leaders to solicit and support creative ways to generate revenue for all our schools. Recently, AB (Assembly Bill) 1500 failed to pass and it would have provided scholarships to students from middle-income families who earn less than 150,000 dollars a year.  Speaker John A. Perez proposed this bill and I’d like to support his attempt to try again next year.  If Prop. 30 passes, I will support more career technical or vocational programs and services that support students ingraduating and pursuing post-secondary goals.  I also want to plan for thefuture as our town continues to grow to assure every student has the opportunity to build a successful life, and that school personnel have the tools and resources to continue their great work.”

Neither Tognazzini nor Garvin responded to The Breeze.