Focus on the OUSD School Board Candidates

The Steve Rocco era is over at the Orange Unified School District (OUSD).  This November 4, voters will be able to select new Trustees in Areas 3 and 6.  Here is the low-down on the candidates for these seats.

In Area 3, Florice Hoffman, who is endorsed by the Democratic Party of Orange County, is challenging Alexia Deligianni.

Hoffman is a labor lawyer and the mother of two children.  This blog has been critical in the past, but I met her recently and found her to be a caring individual who sincerely wants to make a difference at the OUSD.  Here are a few excerpts from the biography on her website:

Florice has been an active volunteer in our community for many years.  Florice’s educational experience includes Vice Chair for the Orange Unified School District Legislative Coalition; Board Member of the Orange Community Council of PTA’s; Third Vice President- Legislation of the Canyon High School Parent Teachers Association (“PTSA”); Treasurer of Grad Night at Canyon High School; Third Vice President McPherson Magnet PTA and Vice Chair of KinderCaminata Inc.

Florice lives in Orange  California with her twin sons, who attended Anaheim Hills Elementary School , El Rancho Charter School and are recent graduates of Canyon High School . Both of her sons are attending college in California in the fall.

Hoffman enjoys quite a few endorsements, which you may review at this link.  They include Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, State Senator Lou Correa and Assemblyman Jose Solorio, as well as two members of the OUSD School Board.  You may review more of her endorsements at this link too.

So what about Deligianni?  According to her website, she has a doctorate in education.  Her issues include:

Make sure money goes directly into our classrooms

• Stand up to the educational bureaucrats
• Make sure the students come first in all of our district’s decisions
• Implement a back to basics education
• Create term limits for OUSD Board Members.

Deligianni’s endorsements all come from the OC GOP.;  You may review them here.  You may email her at this link.  She appears to be very socially conservative – in fact her candidate’s statement ends with “God Bless.”  Just for fun email her and ask her to explain where the dinosaurs came from!  Her campaign website is entitled “Save OUSD,” which I guess means that she wants to save the people of her district from the Democrats.

In Area 6, Arianna Barrios has picked up tons of endorsements.  Her father Russell was the first Latino to serve on the OUSD School Board.  Now she is following in his footsteps.  She is a Decline to State voter – so her support comes from both the OC GOP and the DPOC.  She looks like a lock to win her seat.  Click here to see all of her endorsements, which include the local teacher’s union.

Barrios’ issues include fiscal responsibility; technology; student achievement and teacher recruitment.

Barrios is opposed by Mark Wayland, a retired firefighter.  His endorsements pretty much all come from the OC GOP.  Oddly, Congressman Ed Royce is endorsing both Barrios and Wayland.  Hedging his bets I guess.  Click here to see Wayland’s other endorsements.

Here are Wayland’s issues, from his website:

• Our students and teachers must have the safest and most secure learning and working environment possible.
• Every board member must be an advocate for the students. With any spending measure the first question must be answered, how will this benefit our students?
• Orange Unified must expand the Regional Occupation Program and create more Career Technical Education pathways for students. Students must be ready for the real world.
• OUSD must learn to live within its means and stop looking to burden the taxpayer.
• Complete accountability with taxpayers dollars is a necessity to restoring trust in the community,
• More money must be put into the classroom as opposed to wasteful bureaucracy.
• I will put an end to the rubber stamping of spending bills. I will ask the tough questions in regards to the necessity of questionable spending.

You may email Wayland at this link.