Bill Porter, a retired public school teacher and administrator, is running for a seat on the Del Mar Union School District board of trustees. The San Diego Union-Tribune asked all the candidates running for school board in districts around San Diego County about their policies, plans and priorities. Here’s what Porter told us about his. Why are you running for school board? What makes you a good candidate? I have over 26 years of experience in public education both as an elementary school classroom teacher and principal. I have lived within the boundaries of the district for almost 40 years.  Bill Porter (Courtesy Bill Porter) I began my educational career in the district as a short-term special education substitute teacher working with students with moderate to severe disabilities. During my 16 years in the district, I taught second, fourth and fifth grades where I welcomed all students with disabilities. For eight years, I also garnered valuable leadership experience as an elementary school principal in Vista Unified School District. I have raised three children in the Carmel Valley/Del Mar community, where my children attended the Del Mar district. My leadership experience garnered both from the United States Navy and as a school site administrator will anchor and guide the responsibilities and demands I will experience as a school board member. What is the most important issue currently facing your school district? Like most districts across California, student enrollment numbers have declined over the years due to a number of factors. The economy and high interest rates have reduced the number of young families moving into the Del Mar Union School District boundaries due to the high cost of housing, both in rents and residential purchases. Another significant issue facing the district is the increasing but well-deserved and well-earned costs of employee salaries, employee health benefits and mandatory state retirement fees paid by the district. As a “basic aid”-funded school district with a fixed amount of annual revenue, high or low student enrollment numbers do not change district funding levels like they would in a “revenue limit” district.  With a fixed revenue base, the district may need to seek additional revenue streams to continue hiring and retaining highly qualified staff while maintaining the current exemplary educational experiences currently in the district. What are the top three specific things you would seek to accomplish on the school board? I will continue to support the current high-performing and inclusive STEAM+ academic programs at all nine district elementary schools by ensuring access for all students, including students with disabilities. As a board member, I will begin developing and sustaining high levels of transparency, trust, respect and collaboration between all stakeholders while seeking multileveled stakeholder feedback regarding specific site and/or district programs. I would look for ways to increase student enrollment numbers while also seeking alternative revenue streams to continue funding the current STEAM+ programs across the district in order to maintain the excellent educational experiences found in a high performing school district.  What would your approach be to district budget planning and spending? What would you do if your district had a budget shortfall? Budget planning and spending is directly connected to the annual goals and objectives found in the district’s five-year strategic plan. Most curricular programs are mandated by the state and federal educational departments; therefore, budget and spending priorities would first be aligned to these specific state and/or federal academic requirements. The balance of the budget and spending needs would then be developed during an annual strategic planning process with member representation from all stakeholders using the five-year strategic plan as a guide. During a budget shortfall, district spending reductions should be made as far away from the classroom as financially feasible. Seeking out other revenue streams such as grants or monetary gifts could be an option to increase revenue, in addition to spending down district reserves while still maintaining a healthy reserve level. How should your school district raise student academic achievement, and what would you do as a school board member to accomplish that? The Del Mar Union School District has consistently performed in the top 1 percent on the state assessments in both English language arts and mathematics as compared to other districts across the state of California. However, this does not mean that 100 percent of the students in the Del Mar Union School District are meeting or exceeding grade level standards in English language arts or mathematics. Therefore, academic progress should be closely monitored for any student who is not meeting or exceeding grade level standards by ensuring “best first teaching” practices coupled with additional support services as necessary to ensure equitable learning access for all students.  Do you think anything currently offered in school curricula or libraries should be removed? If yes, what, and why? If no, why not? In an elementary school level library system, books and book topics should be developmentally appropriate for the TK through sixth-grade reader, focusing first on learning how to read with picture books or simple readers, then advancing to reading to learn about topics of interest to young readers, keeping in mind what is developmentally appropriate for each specific grade level. The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) provides developmentally appropriate library book sourcing information for school librarians and/or school districts to use as a resource.  What do you think is driving student absenteeism in your district, and what would you as a school board member do to reduce it? The Del Mar Union School District attendance percentages are significantly higher than most districts in San Diego County and across the state of California, with more than 90 percent of students demonstrating excellent attendance for the 2023-2024 school year. Basic aid districts like Del Mar Union School District are not funded from students attending school like revenue limit school districts. However, the district does have approximately 10 percent of students who are classified as being “chronically absent” for more than 10 percent of the school year. As an example, if there are 180 instructional days and a student misses 18 school days, they have missed 10 percent and are classified as chronically absent. With this said, I would want to disaggregate the data to determine what student groups are in the chronically absent category then determine the “why” regarding their absences in order to provide the necessary support services. Do you think schools should notify parents if their child’s gender identity or presentation at school changes? Why or why not? It is my belief that student success regarding their academic, social, emotional and physical well-being, centers on the collaborative and positive relationships developed between parents and school staff as students navigate through their educational pathways. Therefore, open and honest reciprocated dialog on all topics should be maintained between all stakeholders to ensure the long-term health and safety of students.