SIMI VALLEY : Crosse Will Seek Reelection to School Board in November

Simi Valley Unified School District board member Doug Crosse has announced that he will seek a second term on the Board of Education.

Community activist Sharon Hushka has also announced her intention to run for one of two open seats on the board. Positions held by Crosse and board President Carla Kurachi are up for election in November. Kurachi has not said whether she will seek reelection.

Both Crosse and Hushka have stressed campus violence and school funding as key issues in the upcoming election.

“I continue to push for the inclusion of morals and ethics instruction . . . in all grade levels and the implementation of stricter standards of behavior and discipline,” Crosse said in an address announcing his candidacy Wednesday.

The 47-year-old businessman said the biggest issue facing the Simi Valley school board is dwindling finances. Crosse said he will continue to fight for adequate school funding from the state, while pursuing new revenue sources, such as business and education partnerships.

Hushka, a 36-year-old author of children’s books, has served on various community committees, including most recently the School Safety Task Force.

“I’ve been very much an advocate for conflict resolution programs,” Hushka said. She also supports implementing cultural diversity awareness programs to address campus violence, she said.

“I think we need to teach students to make moral decisions,” she said, adding that she thinks it is inappropriate to preach a particular set of morals to public school students.