Name: Craig Foster
Age: 53
Occupation: Teacher
Neighborhood in which you live: Malibu
Marital status/kids: Married/one child
If you have children, do they attend local public schools? If yes, which ones?
Webster Elementary.
Education: Amherst College, B.A. in economics with honors, and political science; University of Phoenix, B.A.E in elementary education; California Teaching Credential in 2012.
Why are you running for the school board and what do you want to accomplish if elected?
I am running for school board to rethink and reimagine our district and provide a new perspective on what are clearly two different communities that were forced together and should now be separated.
Prop. 30, Prop. 38, or neither?
Both, especially 38.
Do you support separating Malibu and Santa Monica into separate districts?
Separation will bring much needed funds to each independent district resulting in as many as 20 new teachers in Santa Monica and 10 more in a new Malibu district. It would also result in better fiscal balance, increased innovation, clearer focus, more unity of purpose, and greater academic advancement in both districts.
What are your thoughts on the decision to move to districtwide fundraising?
The board’s conduct was a textbook example of how not to conduct policy. With its predetermined conclusion and widespread use of intimidation, the school board fractured the district and created animosities and scars which will outlast the tenure of the board members involved.
What role do you envision playing on the school board?
Make significant change to a board that has grown too fond of politics of education over the practice of education.
If elected, would you vote to close smaller schools and consolidate to save money?
The decision to close schools requires serious strategic consideration. Closed schools become easy targets for charter takeovers, which have profound implications for district efficacy. The only way to explore such action is slowly, openly and in full communication with all affected parties.