Educational Excellance in our Schools

By Ross McKenna

Education is the most important tool we can give our children. We must teach and prepare the whole child because they will need exceptional tools to compete and excel in a complex and ever changing world. It is importance that we prepare our students to have a greater understanding of cultural diversity worldwide and the commitment to improving their global environment. Let's prepare our children because their challenges will be far greater than ours!

Providing for outstanding educational programs for our students requires the dedication of countless hours. Many issue are complicated and are never settled in one evening, but require months of work. I am willing to commit my time and energy to ensuring that our students have the most comprehensive and enriched education.

It was an honor two years ago to be appointed by the current board to fill a trustee position as the district representative at the county level on the Golden Bell Committee. This committee of the Marin County Office of Education is made up of superintendents, trustees and a county assistant superintendent and honors the educators and educational programs of Marin. I currently serve as co-chair of this committee. The relationships I have built over the last years with this elite group has enhance my knowledge of the educational system and afforded me the opportunity to bring proven programs and solutions to our district. I was very flattered on September 10 at a large gathering celebrating Marin County being number one in education in the country; County Superintendent Mary Jane Burke introduced me by saying. "For those of you that do not know him, this is Ross McKenna and when he speaks on education, he knows what he is talking about. Not only does he know what is going on in his district, but through out Marin County.

I continue to serve on the board's Communication Committee and help teach computer in the classroom. I have been a Ross Valley Little League manager and coached both in the spring and fall.

I have worked with Bob Caine on a project since December of 2005 to purchase a building with land adjoining the Kent campus to ensure room for expansion for adequate classroom space and programs that serve our community which is being finalized now.

Currently I serve on the Kentfield School Foundation as a Vice President. Last year was the first time the Foundation raised over a million dollars. I ran the business campaign with Kiki Goshey that earned over $202,000, leading us to a record-breaking year.

I have worked as a teacher both in and out of the classroom. I have counseled and provided guidance for both children and adults. I have owned and managed successful businesses over the years and worked with multi million dollar budgets. I believe I come with the all the tools to serve as the district's trustee. I see the key issue to be the commitment of our district to implement the three-year Strategic Plan and set benchmarks to ensure its success. This document contains the guidance and the vision to ensure success in our district. This plan was the result of many months of collaboration with the best minds in our district to provide a structured roadmap to the future. It addresses hiring a new superintendent to replace Bob Caine who is retiring after 27 years. This is crucial in retaining the culture, the teachers, the administration and the programs to continue to achieve academic excellence. It supports our teachers and expands our educational programs to include a greater global awareness both culturally and environmentally. Our children will face far greater challenges, in part due to the complexities of the shrinking global world we live in today.

I am committed to retaining and recruiting exceptional teachers to deliver the most comprehensive curriculum, integrating the core subjects with expanding technology, the arts, and community involvement. The strategic plan also provides a roadmap to address the financial challenges created by an expanding enrollment and by changes in the way we are funded. And it also addresses the important work necessary to guarantee passage of our up coming Partial Tax.

Thank you and I would appreciate your vote on November 6th.