Occupation: Engineer, business owner Community involvement: School volunteer

As the only non-incumbent candidate for the Fremont Union High School District Board of Trustees, Michael Flores says that his inexperience on the board may be just what it needs to get through tough times.

"The board needs somebody new, someone who has not been there for 20 years," Flores said, referring to the 17- and 12-year runs of his opponents, Nancy Newton and Homer Tong. The three candidates are running for two seats on the board in the November election.

Flores said he first decided to get involved with the school district because he's seen many things—while raising three children in Sunnyvale schools—that he wants to change.

One of his primary concerns is poor communication between schools and parents. He says he'd deal with this by implementing a system in which parents are notified—through phone calls or emails—by schools when students' grades begin to slip. He even suggested putting student grades on the Internet for easy parent access.

Flores also says he's concerned that his opponents have grown too close to the teachers union and may be afraid to make them take pay cuts should budget constraints call for that. Teachers in FUHSD have already taken a 4.9 percent cut in pay this year.

"I've got no history with the teachers and the teachers union, so I don't mind going through and slashing things if necessary," Flores said. "I don't see a problem with teachers and administrators having to give their fair share."

He also wants to help schools better address different learning styles, by helping schools develop a bank of recorded lectures, so students can watch or listen to lessons at their own pace, freeing teachers to do more individualized, interactive things in class. He also said this could help solve budget problems by allowing schools to cut the number of teachers and increase pay for remaining teachers.

Homer Tong

Occupation: Chemistry professor Community involvement: 12 years with school board, youth sports coach, school volunteer

As one of two incumbent board members in this year's election, Homer Tong says his career in education—both as a board member with the district and a tenured professor at De Anza College—makes him a good choice for re-election.

His involvement with the board started almost accidentally 12 years ago, when Tong was part of a selection committee looking to find new board members because there were concerns about how the district was being run.

"What happened was that none of the people we approached wanted to run, so the group doing the searching looked at itself, and I was chosen to run, and at first I didn't want to," Tong said.

Looking back, he said he's glad he did.

"I'm just enthralled by education because it's such a big equalizer," Tong said. "Regardless of background, through education, students can achieve a higher level, and this is the reason I'm an educator."

Tong has been a full-time professor at De Anza College since 1977 and said that the experience has given him a special view on the local school districts. Not only does he get to teach the products of those high schools, but he also feels many of the same financial problems they do.

Tong said he wants to see more interaction between parents and the school, through meetings or groups like the school site council or the parents and teachers associations. He said he would promote that by actively reaching out with those groups to parents and trying to include groups that don't usually participate—like immigrant parents who speak little or no English—to get them involved.

Lately, Tong and fellow incumbent Nancy Newton have been devoting much of their time to the parcel tax, as a means to solve some of the district's financial problems. At one recent forum, they both said they'd been spending more time on the tax than on their own re-election campaigns.

"What are we on the board for? To make sure the district does well," Tong said. "So what's more important, us getting elected, or the students getting what they need for their education?"

Nancy Newton

Occupation: Educator Community involvement: 17 years with school board, Scout troop leader, former chairwoman of Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors

Even with 17 years of board experience under her belt, Nancy Newton says she still has work to do and wants another term in office to do it.

Most importantly, she said, she needs more time to help implement the long-term plan the board developed, which includes all aspects of the school district, including financial needs, educational opportunities and staff development.

"I really think it's a time for people with experience, knowledge and a record with the community to carry out those plans," Newton said.

Newton first came to the board after applying for an open position in 1987 after the death of a board member and has been with it since. She said joining the board was a natural extension of the volunteer work she's done since she was a Girl Scout troop leader and PTA president. She also served as president of the Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce, in the position that would now be considered chairwoman of the board of directors.

"I think that I've really demonstrated a proven dedication to the community and an ability to reach out and work with other organizations," Newton said, referring to the networking she said she learned from her time with the Chamber and the school district.

Like Tong, she is concerned with the parcel tax's passage in the election, because regardless of who sits on the board, funding is needed to continue the district's successes.