Ross Valley School District Election: Annelise Bauer

UPDATE: Elizabeth Peacock has reportedly withdrawn from the race.

Patch will be introducing each of the five Board of Trustee candidates over the next five days.

Because no formal debate or forum is currently scheduled among the five candidates -- Annelise Bauer, Anne Capron, Hadley Dettmer, Trevor Hughes and Elizabeth Peacock -- each candidate has volunteered to answer a number of questions.

Their answers will be published on Patch, one candidate each day this week -- in alphabetical order. Check back throughout the week.

Name:  Annelise Bauer

Age: 40

Town of Residence: San Anselmo

Occupation: Attorney

Other Boards/Commissions You Serve or Have Served On: Ross Valley School District (RVSD) Board (incumbent), Wade Thomas Parent Club Co-President, Site Council, Round Table

Do you have kids in the schools? Which schools? Yes, I have three children at – a daughter, Addicen in fourth grade and two sons, Bayley and Cayden, in second grade.

Why are you running for RVSD School Board? What are the key issues you think are facing the school district?

I am running to keep my position on the RVSD School Board, because I believe our district must continue to build upon the highly respected teaching and learning environment that exists in our schools. I believe that, as a district, we should build a strong sense of community. I believe that I can make a difference in the education of the children in our district. In my view, education creates options for students. Now, more than ever, children coming out of school need to be prepared to participate successfully in an ever changing world. 

The key issues facing our district are:

Teaching and Learning - We must teach and measure 21st Century skills: the ability to be creative, problem solve, collaborate, communicate effectively and be good citizens as well as the skills on standardized tests.

District Budget - We must focus on precise and careful oversight of our budget in a way that maximizes the best interests of our students and supports our district and community goals. 

Bond Fund Implementation - We must engage the community in a transparent and fiscally responsible process of planning and building sustainable, functional learning environments. 

How would you address budget concerns and decreasing federal and state revenue?

We are challenged, like other districts in California, with . As a Board Trustee, I have and will continue to work carefully to manage the budget with oversight and with a deliberate effort to think creatively about options available to our district. I do not foresee any relief coming for our already strained budget. While we have been forced to continuously cut programs that get increasingly closer to affecting our children’s core education, we must also look at ways to increase revenue. 

We are fortunate to live in a place where people value quality education. We want to provide our children with the excellent education that they deserve which will require additional revenue. We are losing excellent teachers in large part because our Revenue Limit school district simply cannot compete with other districts that can afford to pay teachers more. Our teachers and our children deserve better. 

Do you agree with how the district is currently dealing with the increased enrollment and overcrowding issues? What would you do differently?

Yes. I have been on the RVSD Board since last November. I am certain that the board has taken the responsibility of addressing enrollment and overcrowding issues very seriously. We are building facilities designed to meet our projected growth. We had to re-draw boundaries to accommodate the pockets of growth within the district. The process of re-drawing the boundaries was long and arduous, but I was proud of the board’s work to engage the community. We listened and worked hard to draw boundaries that would satisfy as much of the community as possible. I heard what our community said and I believe that the boundaries approved presented the best possible case scenario under the circumstances. 

We are lucky to have the problem of increasing enrollment, although it forces us to make difficult decisions. With the increase in enrollment comes additional funding. Many districts in California are suffering from declining enrollment and they are suffering greatly. 

What are the biggest issues that need to be resolved regarding Measure A construction?

The created an incredible opportunity for the community and with it an incredible responsibility. The opportunity assumes that the net result of the bond fund expenditure will result in school infrastructure that supports student learning and is long lasting. The responsibility to manage a $50 million construction project is enormous and requires continuous oversight and consideration of lasting returns.

We must focus on building sustainable, appropriate, functional learning environments that support 21 Century skills. The board must engage the community in the planning, building and use of the resulting buildings. The entire process must be transparent and expedient. The board must build support, seek consensus and move forward with what is best for our children’s learning.

In the long-term, how can the district ensure its financial sustainability and sustainable growth?

In these challenging times, we need to stop spending down the reserve and set a budget that we can sustain to balance all of our commitments. This is increasingly more difficult. Without a guarantee of revenue from state and federal sources, our district has been forced to make difficult and deep cuts. Our aim should be to avoid any further cuts. I believe we owe it to the community to ask if it is willing to support additional revenue for our schools. Without revenue that is not dependent upon the whims of the already strapped state and federal sources, our schools will suffer. Our teachers will suffer. Our children will suffer.  We can and should do better.