Name: Jose Escarce
Age: 59
Occupation: Professor, UCLA School of Medicine
Neighborhood in which you live: Santa Monica
Marital status/kids: Married 30 years/three children
If you have children, do they attend local public schools? If yes, which ones?
Two children graduated from Samohi in 2006 and 2010; our youngest is a junior at Samohi.
Education: B.A. Princeton, M.A. Harvard, M.D. and Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania.
Why are you running for the school board and what do you want to accomplish if elected?
I am running for re-election to provide the vision, experience, and continuity in board leadership that our district needs at this crucial moment for public education in California. During my time on the board, I have stood for academic excellence and equality of opportunity for all students. However, there is more work to do.
If I am re-elected, my priorities will be:
1) Maintain academic and arts programs while balancing the budget in difficult economic times
2) Improve instruction by promoting teachers’ and administrators’ professional development
3) Create welcoming and responsive school environments
4) Strengthen intervention and honors programs
Prop. 30, Prop. 38 or neither?
I support both Prop. 30 and Prop. 38 to prevent additional catastrophic reductions to K-12 budgets.
Do you support separating Malibu and Santa Monica into separate districts?
I support investigating the feasibility of creating separate school districts but will not take a position on separation until all the details are known. I would support separation if the analyses reveal that separate districts could provide an excellent education to their students and if the majority of residents prefer separation.
What are your thoughts on the decision to move to districtwide fundraising?
I wholeheartedly support centralized fundraising. The challenge now for the board, administration and school community is to ensure that the policy succeeds in bringing in more resources and that the resources are used to maximize learning opportunities for all children.
If elected, would you vote to close smaller schools and save money?
Closing a school is traumatic to a community and can cause long-lasting damage. I would not vote to close a school simply to get through a temporary budget crisis.