West Valley School Candidates

As a teacher with the Los Angeles Unified School District and a member of the steering committee of Parents for Neighborhood Schools, I have been actively following the campaigns of the seven people running for school board seat No. 4. I became involved because the current Board of Education is not receptive to children, parents and teachers. I am tired of seeing the children lose .

As a member of the steering committee, I was fortunate to participate in interviewing the candidates of the West San Fernando Valley.

George St. John was the only candidate who did not respond to our invitation. Our organization has endorsed Barbara Romey because we felt she was the best qualified to represent the West San Fernando Valley’s needs, especially with her accounting background. She has proposed many solutions to the year-round situation to the current board, which is trying to force year-round down our throats.

I felt, after interviewing the candidates and hearing them speak at Chatsworth High’s forum, that Bunny Field was unacceptable because she has been endorsed by three members of the Board of Education. I feel that she would be a puppet of Roberta Weintraub and staff. Since the current board, I feel, is against teachers, children and parents, a vote for her would be for the status quo.

I ruled out Julie Kornstein, because she lacked knowledge of the budget and had no solution to the year-round problems. Her big issue seems to be the nuclear-freeze curriculum. When asked at Chatsworth High about the problems with the $3.2-billion budget, she proceeded to state that her only expertise was with curriculum. The rest of the candidates do not have any current involvement with the problems that are plaguing the district.

KAREN ARSENAULT

Northridge