Bob Tucker

Name: Bob Tucker

Age: 54

Birthplace: Baltimore

Residence: Garden Grove

Occupation: labor relations representative for California School Employees Assn. (CSEA)

Education: two years at Cal State Fullerton

Experience as an educator: Classified employee for 25 years, 20 in Huntington Beach, CSEA Chapter president in Huntington Beach City School District for four years, Huntington Beach Education Foundation board member for two years, School Site council member at Agnes Smith Elementary for one year, labor representative for 10 years with CSEA

Previously elected or appointed positions: Personnel Commission, Garden Grove Unified School District for five years

Community organizations you belong to: Santa Ana Workforce Investment Board

Why should constituents vote for you?

I will advocate for more vocational training for students who are not ready for college.

What do you think is the biggest problem facing your district and how do you plan to address it?

Garden Grove Unified needs to increase career path (vocational) training for non-college bound students. I will collaborate with Work Force Investment Boards in Orange County to funnel more of their federal money (Work Force Investment Act) to enhance career paths for students.

In the last year, what is one issue that you think the sitting board members handled well and why?

Garden Grove Unified did not needlessly layoff employees and then suddenly re-hire them when federal stimulus money arrived. The board allowed their reserves to be used to keep employees employed when other districts panicked.

In the last year, what is one issue the board got wrong and what would you have done differently?

Two years ago, the board supported the building of a Wal-Mart superstore at Brookhurst Street and Chapman Avenue, which would have put many small neighboring businesses out of business and dramatically increased truck traffic around nearby housing tracts and schools. I went door to door with community groups in that neighborhood and spoke at the Garden Grove Planning Commission to kill it, and it was indeed killed. If I was on the board at that time I would’ve better explained the ramifications of their decision to my fellow board members.