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High school board candidates come together in voter forum

By Michele Tjin

Candidates for the Los Gatos-Saratoga High School District tried to sway voters at a candidate forum, while answering questions ranging from cheating in school to managing student stress to evaluating the open-campus policy.

At the Sept. 28 Southwest League of Women Voters forum, Bill Chiocchi, Roger Mason, Steven Kahl, Michele van Zuiden and Cynthia Chang, the five candidates running for the three open seats on the board, met to explain their platforms.

Candidates were asked which issue in the school district they considered their top priority. Chiocchi, a former board member in the Loma Prieta Joint Union School District, said he isn't able to single out a top issue because the district already excels in many areas, though he does want to see continual gains.

Mason, an attorney and youth sports coach, and incumbent Chang said that their priority would be to help newly hired Superintendent Cary Matsuoka make the transition into his new role. Matsuoka was most recently principal at Cupertino High School.

"We're lucky that Dr. Ranii [the outgoing superintendent] will still be around to assist him," Mason said.

Both van Zuiden, a health care executive and school volunteer, and Kahl, a teacher at Mountain View High School, said the most important issue facing them would be to continue retaining good teachers. Kahl said that there can always be room for improvement.

"You don't want to become complacent," Kahl said.

On stress at school, van Zuiden and Chang said that they would advise students to keep a balanced schedule and that tutorial sessions and club activities can help. Chang added the new block schedule at Saratoga High School has helped to ease students' stress levels.

Kahl said his solution would be to get students to understand they will still be successful in life, even if they don't get into the colleges of their choice.

Mason and Chiocchi both said parents should address the stress issue with their children at home. Chiocchi made the analogy that life is like a three-legged stool, and if one of the legs becomes too dominant, the other parts will also become unbalanced.

The candidates were asked about their views on students' collaborative work over the Internet and when that should be considered cheating. Van Zuiden and Chang said teachers and administrators must explain their expectations of group work to students.

"We are the ones setting the policies," Chang said. "It's up to the principals to set the guidelines."

Kahl said students should always be challenged to think critically because when they enter the work force, employers look for those who can communicate well and cooperate with others. Mason said while there is value in students learning to work in teams, emphasizing honesty is paramount.

"Ethics are of the utmost importance," Mason said. "The schools should have rules against cheating. There should be consequences if students are caught."

Chiocchi said deciding when group work crosses the line to become cheating depends on whether the original assignment was designed to be a group or individual effort.

The open-campus policy was another area of interest to community members. At Los Gatos High School all students have the ability to go off campus for lunch, whereas only upperclassmen at Saratoga have that privilege. Mason and Chiocchi both said they have no problem allowing students to go to local eateries for lunch.

"We're trying to teach students to be adults," Chiocchi said. "As long as there is no abuse, I see no problem."

Chang and van Zuiden said they would let the individual high schools decide on changes to the open-campus policy, while Kahl said any decision should involve business owners, police and the school community. He added there should clear consequences when students abuse their privilege.

One area all candidates agreed on was on the merit of having older students tutor younger children.

"It's a wonderful way of younger students getting to know older students so they know what to expect in high school," van Zuiden said. "I would encourage it if there is a way to incorporate it in the high school regular curriculum."