Candidate for
Board Member; San Marcos Unified School District

Beckie is an independent and creative thinker with a deep understanding of educational processes and the individual strands of the complex tapestry that make up a school district. As a 30-year resident of San Marcos Unified, she views issues from a unique combination of perspectives: parent, taxpayer, homeowner, teacher, and community volunteer.

Throughout her teaching career, Beckie focused on challenging her students to rise to their full potential. While students in specific programs--Advanced Placement/GATE, Special Education, and English Language Learners--receive instruction focused on their particular needs, Beckie is concerned that students in the middle are often under-challenged. Increasing rigor for those students will be one of her goals as a member of the board of San Marcos Unified School District.

Among her other goals are:

• Ensuring high academic and behavioral standards in every classroom
• Ensuring sound fiscal practices
• Making school a dynamic, interesting, and positive experience for every child
• Enhancing positive, collaborative relationships among the board, school personnel, and the community
• Increasing support for music and the arts
• Encouraging students to take an increased and active role in their own learning
• Encouraging parents to become involved in their children's education

A persistent concern of district stakeholders is the discrepancy between elementary and secondary scores on mandated tests, with secondary students consistently scoring lower than their younger counterparts. Beckie proposes to address this problem with a practical approach: connecting performance on those tests to individual students' academic records.

"Except for the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE), scores on these mandated tests have no impact on the student or his or her future," Beckie points out. "In elementary school, students do their best because their teachers ask them to. At the secondary level, students are far more cynical and often suffer from test burn-out. They know that a poor performance on the test will not affect their grade point average, graduation, or college acceptance. While many middle and high schoolers do their best on such exams, many others, including some at the very top of the academic ladder, do not. As a long-time secondary teacher, I have watched this phenomenon for years. These tests must impact students' individual academic records."

As a board member, Beckie will have as her first priority the academic, emotional, and social well-being of all San Marcos students. She will bring a wealth of experience to the task and will work diligently to ensure the success of all our children.