Candidates Forum: Rob Hammond

Patch asked each school board candidate the same questions via email for our online candidate's forum. A different candidate's answers will be posted every day over the next week. This is the third installment. Read . Read .

1. Please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your background and why you should be elected or reelected to the Monrovia Unified School District Board of Education.

My name is Rob Hammond. I am 51-years-old and have lived in Monrovia for almost 25 years. Both of my children attended Monrovia schools, and my wife and I were actively involved in their education. In addition, I have served our community in many capacities for over 20 years, including being elected to the city council and serving as mayor for three terms.   

I have spearheaded the creation of many public/private partnerships to benefit our kids, such as Monrovia Reads and the Strings Music program. I made my decision to run for a seat on the school board following many discussions about budget issues and students leaving our district for other public school districts. I pledge (if elected) to prioritize valuable educational opportunities such as music, arts, and vocational studies which would not only keep our students in our district, but could be used to attract students from other districts as well.

2. What unique qualifications do you have to guide us through the ever tightening and shrinking budgets due to funding issues caused by the budget mess in Sacramento? (submitted by blogger )

The qualifications I have in guiding our district through budget contractions include having worked with many different budgets in many organizations (for example, the city of Monrovia’s budget and The Gold Line Construction Authority’s budget), helping to keep these organizations moving forward.  Another qualification I have is I have owned and operated my own businesses for over 22 years, and in all that time I have never missed a payroll.

3. With limited funding, what are your priorities for educating our students? (submitted by reader Betty Sandford)

I propose to grow our funding by increasing our enrollment through providing the educational opportunities our community values. True, Sacramento doles out pennies when we need dollars, but if we are not able to retain the students who live in our district, the decrease in enrollment will equate to even less funding received.

We need to find out why parents who live in our district send their children to schools outside our district, and see if we are able to accommodate their needs in our schools. In addition, I have a wealth of experience in forming and maintaining public/private partnerships (such as Monrovia Reads and the Strings music program). What we can’t get from Sacramento, we should try and provide for ourselves locally.

4. Do you think No Child Left Behind is working? If not, how do you intend to influence the State Board of Education on the option to opt-out of No Child Left Behind, as well as any other regulation of education that the teachers insist is holding kids back. (submitted by reader Danielle Elgin) 

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) does not work for the simple reason it is a one size fits all program. The concept that all children should receive the same quality education by qualified teachers is absolutely the right thing to do and I am sure on paper the plan looked good. In practice, though, people are different. We all learn differently and at a different pace.

I have read reports that indicate educational time is taken away from other academic areas like history to spend more time on areas covered by the standardized test. I support the Obama Administration’s efforts to overhaul NCLB and give states the ability to set performance goals and standards that prepare students for graduations and careers. I would definitely be in favor of lobbying our state representatives for more local control.

At the local level we know who the students are and how hard the teachers are working. Who is better able to render a decision, a person 400 miles away reading a report, or people with eyes and hands on?

5. What do you think of the test score trends in the district? Are state test scores an accurate measure of the performance of teachers and the school district?

The test scores in our district are on the rise. The answer about the measurement is both yes and no. Yes, it measures if the teacher taught what was going to be on the test. No, it does not measure if the entire student was educated.

6. Did you send your children to Monrovia schools? If so, what did you think of the education they received. If not, why not?

Yes, my children attended Monrovia schools. My wife and I were very involved in our children’s education and believe their educational experience was good.

7. Considering the reaction from some in the community to the rejection of Rent being performed at Monrovia High School, what moral responsibility does the superintendent and school board have in determining what students are exposed to? What principles would guide you in such decisions?

When dealing with social issues on campuses I would be guided by my principles of right, wrong and fairness and what is legal. I believe strongly in our right to free speech (not just the speech I agree with), and our responsibility to protect our children. If I needed to make a decision about any production I would first weigh the benefit to society, and secondly consider the appropriateness. Since I would unlikely restrict any form of free speech I would look for ways to mitigate potential problems by asking for the speech to fit the appropriate age group. This would be similar to movie ratings.

8. One issue the district has grappled with is how to manage community use of school facilities by outside groups like the Monrovia Youth Baseball League. How do you think this has been handled, and what, if anything, would you do differently? 

The potential for disagreement when a business deal is being negotiated is always a possibility. Monrovia Youth Baseball League (MYBL) is and has been a valuable institution in our community for over 50 years. The resolution to this issue, and in most issues, is to have meaningful dialogues where both sides are able to outline their positions and seek amicable solutions based on mutual benefit. In the case of MYBL and field use I am confident, given the reasonableness of both parties, a solution will be reached, and we will enjoy MYBL baseball for another 50 years.

9. Given the continued budget pressures, what has the current school board done well to navigate the district out of the crisis. What about their performance needs improvement?

The current school board, as the boards before them, has been made up of good, decent people. As with all boards there have been good decisions and some not quite as good. Yet in most cases the decisions have been vetted, and guided by the principle of what they thought best for the students, teachers, and community. I will not cast disparagement on people who we elected to make a decision for making a decision. I do however believe before a decision is made, any board must weigh all the benefits, consequences and completely investigate other avenues before rendering its decision.