Endorsements 

Suzanne Seymour – PVPUSD School Board Member, Matthew Brach – Candidate, Susan Brooks – Mayor Rancho Palos Verdes. At the Campaign Kick-Off Party.

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“I urge your vote for Matthew. Integrity Matters”

Susan Brooks, RPV Mayor

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The Palos Verdes Peninsula has, and continues to be, an extraordinary place to live, and to raise a family. As a candidate for the Palos Verdes School District School board, I want to ensure that our schools reflect the outstanding qualities our community has become known for.  With emphasis on fiscal responsibility, safety, mental health, student esteem and community involvement.

Fiscal Responsibility our district is failing financially. Our budget is balanced this year – only because of a one time $2 million payment from the state. As the district moves forward we must differentiate between wants and needs. A need is something that is a necessity for the success of our students and that fits into the district goals. A want is something that would be luxury. We need to look at where we are spending, and cut costs wherever possible. We have little control over some of the highest state mandated expenditures, including  pensions, but that does not preclude us from looking for creative ways to limit our future liabilities. We must also find and cut costs – the board should task the superintendent  to cut a minimum of 10% of the districts administration budget, and to provide clear answers on where our money is going. We are asking our teachers to do more for less, and it is time to make the district administration do the same.

 

School safety is one of the most significant issues facing our students today. As a government contractor, I was a subject matter expert in Counter-Terrorism and Force Protection. This included conducting vulnerability assessments and then developing, implementing and participating in scenarios, training, response and mitigation for Active Shooter, Mass Casualty, and Infiltration events. These responsibilities required proactive assessment of risks and reducing the probabilities of them becoming reality. Similar measures can be utilized to keep our schools and our children safe.

 

Mental health is a major concern for our students. Today’s high expectations, and exposure to continual contact with peers and social media can overwhelm and stress a child. It is important to promote compensating behaviors, and to monitor our students to prevent distress from turning devastating. Graduating from Northwestern University, with a degree in Psychology, I was able to research and explore the Psychological Development of Children, and Psychopathology. This knowledge contributes to a keen understanding of the mental health needs of our students.

 

Esteem and a sense of accomplishment are vital to the success of our students, today and tomorrow. As a former K-12 high school swimming coach, I had the opportunity to help athletes set goals, achieve them and then set new goals. Each athlete was unique, as are our students, and each had a different goal. The individual’s achievements were as important as the team’s. This focus on individual achievement succeeded in delivering multiple High School State top three team finishes.

 

Collaboration is essential for us to reach our goals, working together with teachers, parents, students and the community is the only way for our students to achieve their goals. I witnessed first-hand, as a member of the Montemalaga PTA executive board, the importance of that collaboration. Our school district succeeds because of the devotion of our teachers and administrators, the support of our parents, the efforts of our students, and the environment created by our community.

 

Fiscal Responsibility