Here are Richard Van Loon's responses to our 2006 SfSchools BOE Questionnaire.
1. What qualifications are you bringing to the board that will help bring new vision and positive academic achievements for all students?
I’m a parent of three children who have all passed through our public schools. Our oldest son went to A.P. Gianini and Lowell and now studies the cello at the S.F. Conservatory of Music. Our daughter went to Clarendon, Hoover and Lowell and is now at U.C. Berkeley where she wants to study genetics. Our youngest son went to Jefferson and Hoover and is now a senior at Lowell.

My main qualification is a parent's heart which I will bring to the board on behalf of all of our public school children. Also, San Francisco is my hometown and I’m concerned about it’s future. Our public schools are slowly bleeding to death due to family flight. If children represent the future, what kind of future will San Francisco have?

Some of the main causes of family flight are the very resolutions members of the Board of Education have passed and the direction in which they have been guiding our public schools. I believe it is wrong for an elected official to inject their personal political views into public policies, especially when those policies result in harming the very people and institutions those officials have been elected to serve, and yet this seems to be the norm on our current board. Some commissioners have expressed the belief that even though their policies may end up driving "affluent" or "middle-class" families out of the city, they will pursue them. I am running for the Board of Education to offer an alternative choice, an independent voice representing the aspirations and concerns of parents.

Parent’s deepest concern is for their children’s happiness and they can be willing to sacrifice everything they have for that purpose. They send their children to school because they want them to get a good education so they can live well. I believe that the purpose of our school district is to ensure this happens. The focal point of the School Board should be to provide the best education possible for every student in accordance with the desires of parents. If we can’t do that, parents will continue to make the ultimate school choice and take their children out of our public schools.

The school board sets the general tone and direction for the district. As a representative of parents, on the school board I will be like a compass, always guiding the district to focus on quality education for all students, beyond political considerations. A number of other candidates are tied to powerful political figures, unions or current board members who, as mentioned above, willingly pass resolutions that drive families out of the city. While I personally like them all, I’m concerned that, if elected, they may find it hard not to inject politics into public policies that will do our district harm. I am one of a few candidates who have no strings attached. The only "special interests" I’ll represent are the interests of parents for their children to get the best education possible.
2. The next BOE will lead the effort to hire a new superintendent. What is your opinion of Arlene Ackerman's administration? What can the BOE learn from her tenure at SFUSD as they go about hiring the next superintendent?
One of the tasks for the next BOE is to find a new Superintendent. I will look for someone who is focused on education, not political or social issues. The purpose of the school district is to satisfy the desires of parents by giving each child the best education possible. If we can't do that, enrollment will continue to decline. We need a Superintendent who shares this viewpoint. I will also look for someone with strong management skills and who has had experience in a diverse, urban setting like San Francisco.

Arlene Ackerman focused on education and I thought she was right to do so. I also support the dream schools she established, although I thought the way she dealt with teachers was too heavy-handed. I think she could have been more diplomatic and I will look for someone less combative. Having said that, I think it was unfortunate that she couldn't get along with certain board members who seemed to be more interested in using their position to promote their political views. This should never be. The board members and the Superintendent should all be focused on the main task of the district, to provide the best education possible for all of our students.
3. What are the most important considerations for a new enrollment policy? Between the opposing poles of desegregation, parental choice, and neighborhood schools, where do you stand?
I believe the most important consideration for a new enrollment policy is to end family flight and declining enrollment. Based on this, my position is that since parents send their children to school to get a good education so they can live well, the Board of Education should guide the district to provide the best education possible for all children in accordance with this fundamental parental desire. Since the ultimate and rightful school assignment decision lies with the parents, the district should do whatever it can to improve student achievement and see that each child is developing to the best of their ability.

The diversity index method of school assignment, though well-intentioned, hasn't improved the quality of education in our public schools and has actually contributed to family flight and lower enrollment. According to District Judge William Alsup, our current system "imposes a burden on families" and "has not and will not produce the benefit of diversity or racial integration." Diversity itself, though a desirable social outcome, is not a factor in improving student achievement and we cannot expect parents to send their children to perfectly diversified, low-performing schools. Yet some board members want to insist on promoting diversity, even though they know it will drive out more families from the city. Some board members and current candidates want to re-introduce race into the diversity index system, even though it is illegal to do so under Prop. 209. Though well-intentioned, this action will lead to more unnecessary and expensive litigation and will probably be defeated in court

Since the ultimate and rightful school choice lies with the parents, we need to improve the quality of our lower-performing schools so parents have more good schools to choose from. I would work to make all schools "good" schools so we can return to more of a "neighborhood schools" structure.

Presently, there is a need for some kind of system of student assignment. What I would do on the school board would be to revise the index system to use student's academic levels as the main criteria for school and classroom assignment. Students should be able to develop to their fullest potential. To do that, they should be placed in schools and classes most appropriate for their individual level. I would work to do that by assigning students to schools and classes that are of a similar academic level, because this is the one factor that impacts education.

When we can increase the number of "good" schools, I believe more diversity will be achieved naturally from the bottom up, fueled by parental choice. Our city is quite diverse as it is and our population is in flux. Let's focus on education.
4. If you could implement one change as a BOE commissioner to address the achievement gap, what would that be? What is the most important action that you, as a BOE commissioner can take to address this problem?
I would write a resolution to have the school board meet with the teacher's union and the administrator's union to find ways to have veteran principals and teachers work in our under-performing schools and to offer them incentives to do so. I believe it is in the district's best interest to devote our most talented personnel in the schools where they are needed the most.
5. Give us your opinion of the recent school closures and consolidations. What would you do differently when this issue comes before the BOE.
I see school closures as the result of the lack of a long-range, comprehensive plan for the district and of the injection of personal political beliefs into public policies on the part of the board that cause families to take their children out of our public schools.

Unfortunately, with declining enrollment and an ensuing declining budget from lost per-pupil state funds, there may be little choice in the short run but to close some schools. When we see a need to close schools, we should work with the School Site Councils and give ample notice so parents have time to plan for alternate schools for their children. In the long run, we need to elect people to the School Board who will focus on education, not personal politics, and improve our lower-performing schools in accordance with parental desires. Then we can offer parents more good schools to choose from and hopefully stem family flight.
6. Enrollment is declining in district schools, and is projected to continue declining for the immediate future. What does this portend for the district and what can the BOE do about it?
We have been losing on average about 1,000 students per year for the last 40 years or so. We are continuing to lose that many each year and San Francisco is now seen as being unfriendly to families. If this trend continues unabated, eventually we won't need a school district, a teacher's union, or a Board of Education. There are many reasons why families leave San Francisco. One of them is our public schools. My question is: will the School Board be part of the solution to family flight or will it continue to contribute to family flight? Though housing prices in San Francisco are high, if parents had good schools to send their children to, more families would consider staying. As a member of the Board of Education, I will represent the aspirations and concerns of parents and work to ensure that every child gets a good education in order to develop to the best of their ability. When I moved back to San Francisco in 1995 with my wife and three children, we sent our children to public schools. We had come from Virginia, where our local public school worked closely with each student to make sure they were developing according to their ability. My oldest son entered 6th grade at A.P. Gianini and it was two years before he learned anything he didn't already know. It is so painful for parents to send their children to school every day knowing they aren't developing to their full capability. This is why I support individualized assessment of each child in order to ensure they are developing at their own level, in accordance with the deeply-held desires of their parents. As a member of the school board, one of the first things I would do would be to revise the student assignment index to use student's academic levels as the main criteria for school and classroom placement. When children are placed in the most appropriate environment for their individual level, they can develop to their fullest potential. If we can offer this type of education in our public schools, I believe families will flock to San Francisco. Then our only problem will be where to put all our students.
7. The distrist has had a rocky history implementing its Small Schools initiative . Please tell us what you think are the pros and cons of small schools, and what do you think is an appropriate small schools policy for the district at this time?
I support small schools by design. They may not be for everyone, but they have been shown to increase student performance. Leadership High has the highest African American and Latino graduation rates in the city, Aim High Academy has shown a high rate of English Language Learner improvement and every senior graduating from June Jordan School for Equity qualified to apply to the University of California system. Small schools by design raise attendance rates and lower drop-out rates, they are closing the achievement gap while lowering rates of violence and substance abuse and they are increasing graduation rates for African American students. These are all positive results we desperately need in San Francisco.

As valuable as small schools by design have been shown to be, our district hasn't provided them quality housing, has restricted their curriculum design, squeezed their budgets and are planning to close them because they are small. I would support small schools by design. They are offering the personalized attention students need to feel that they are inherently valuable and to help them develop to their full potential. We should do everything we can to encourage the development of such schools in San Francisco, including seeking funding partners and allowing more innovation.
8. What do you see as the future of Lowell High School and School of the Arts, the district's two selective high schools? What, if any, changes would you make to enhance GATE and AP offerings throughout the district?
As a member of the Board of Education, I would be proud to have Lowell and SOTA in my district. Lowell is one of the top High Schools in the nation. SOTA has the second highest test scores in the district and has exceeded its API goals. It shouldn't matter what the racial make-up of the student bodies are.

When parents look at their children, they don't see just the color of their skin. They see the vast potential and value every child possesses within and they want to nurture that potential and value. I am concerned about the achievement gap among San Francisco public school students, but the way to address this issue is not to punish those students who do well and promote a kind-of class warfare. Rather, we should emulate their success and work to replicate it in our other schools.

I support making the opportunity to attend Lowell and SOTA more widespread, but to change their admission policies out of a concern for more racial diversity would not only be illegal, it would lower the quality of these fine schools and would drive more families out of the city. Personally, I value diversity. My wife is first-generation Japanese. Our fathers and uncles fought against each other during WWII, yet we've been married for almost 25 years and have three wonderful children. So for me, desegregation starts in the home. It's just that diversity isn't a factor in improving student performance and the focus of the School Board should be on education, not social outcomes.

All of my three children attended Lowell (our youngest is now a senior there). Each child had a different experience there. Our oldest son was turned off by the intense focus on academics on the part of many of the students. He felt there was too much pressure. Consequently, he didn't make much effort academically. Instead, he focused on music. He's now a senior at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where he studies the cello. Our daughter thrived on the challenging atmosphere at Lowell and did very well. She took many AP courses and is now at UC Berkeley where she wants to study genetics. Our youngest son would probably prefer to be at Lincoln. He's doing fine, though, although he doesn't have the same challenging spirit of his older sister. One draw back at Lowell is the tendency for some teachers to grade hard, eking out few A's, now matter how well the students do. This can be a drawback, especially if admittance to colleges are based on high school grades equally across the board. Some parents feel it's better if their children go to an "easier" school and end up with a higher grade point average. This is one area I would want to look into.

Generally, I would seek to make GATE and AP offerings more widely available and to make more effort to identify students for these programs. As I mentioned, I believe it is crucial that we make sure each child is able to develop to their full potential, simply because this is what parents are hoping for and the function of the district should be to satisfy the parent's desires for their children to get the best education possible. This is how I would define success for the SFUSD.
9. What experience with California school finances do you have? What have you done to familiarize yourself with SFUSD finances?
From the research I've done on California school finances, I tend to be more concerned about how we are spending education money and how our students are performing than about the amount of money we are spending. The way education spending in California is structured often leads to waste and ineffectiveness. For example, some of the funding from the state is earmarked for certain purposes. Districts with large amounts of such categorical funding have to spend disproportionate amounts of money on administration linked to these programs. Most of these categorical programs are never evaluated and those that have been reveal a mixed record of success. Complex requirements tied to these funds reduce the flexibility schools need to substantially improve student achievement. Finally, there is a lack of accountability for the state doesn't monitor how these monies are spent.

I am in favor of block-granting categorical funds down to local school districts with the understanding that they be spent to purchase standards-aligned textbooks and in other ways that contribute to enhanced student performance.

On the local level, I have reviewed budget summaries. I've been an independent businessman for over thirty years and usually do my own bookkeeping. I intend to familiarize myself with the school district budget more intensely. Generally, I'm very comfortable in the realm of budgets.
10. Prop H, the Public Education Enrichment Fund, will bring new revenues into SFUSD during the coming years. What do you think of the way Prop H funds have been allocated so far, and how do you see them being used going forward?
I believe in the value of the arts in our public schools. My oldest son has been playing music since he was three. He started playing cello in school when he was ten and is now a senior at the San Francisco Conservatory of music as a cellist. My daughter and youngest son have also played music most of their lives and it continues to enrich them. So I support the use of Proposition H funds for the arts in our public schools. The $2.28 million of Prop H money spent by the board on teacher's salary increases, though "legal", was unfortunate. When the public votes for more funding for public schools, it is imperative that the school board spend those funds appropriately. To not do so betrays the public trust. Ultimately, we need to improve our public schools to reverse declining enrollment and increase the school budget so we won't need to be diverting funds from their intended purpose. To do that, we need to elect members to the board who will focus on education, not political and social issues. That's why I'm running.

I believe Prop H funds should be sent to the local schools who could decide best how to allocate them. For future financial allocations, I would try to close what seems to be a loophole through which a certain percentage of funds can be spent for other than their intended purpose. I don't think this is fair to the public who often bears the burden of funding.
11. What is your experience with Special Education? Are you close to anyone who has a child with disabilities?
My next door neighbor of eleven years has a son who is in special ed. I've known him since he was little. I have always treated him as the unique son loved deeply by his parents that he is. To parents, children with disabilities are just as priceless as any other child, if not more so. Their concerns for their child's education are the same as any other parent's. For these reasons, we should take responsibility to give special ed students a good education. As a board member, I would strive to receive input form parents regarding the best way to educate their children with special needs.
12. The IDEA law mandates that children with disabilities must have a right to a free and appropriate education in the least restrictive environment. What practical steps do you think the BOE can take to reach that goal?
This is an area I would need to become more familiar with. However, my understanding is that while IDEA calls for the federal government to cover 40% of the bill for special ed, they are actually paying less than 18%. The state ends up making up for the short-fall. As a member of the Board of Education, I will work to get special education fully-funded.
13. Do you support the proposal to eliminate the JROTC program at SFUSD?
No. I believe a good education is more than just an academic one, but should also involve education of character. This is what the JROTC program offers. Through it, students learn life skills that will benefit them far after they have forgotten much of the knowledge they are learning in their other classes.

The JROTC has been around since 1916 and is currently in seven high schools serving some 1600 students. It employs sixteen instructors and brings in over half a million dollars in federal funding, which covers half of the instructor's salaries. The city also pays for the instructor's health benefits. Uniforms and other equipment used by the JROTC are all free.

These programs are supported by all the principals, PTSA's, alumni associations and student organizations in the seven high schools as well as by the only gay American Legion post, the Alexander Hamilton post and openly gay students who find the JROTC a safe haven ...

It would be difficult and not cost-effective to attempt to replace the JROTC, which offers a comprehensive program of instruction, drills and service learning activities. The quality of the instructors, who put in many volunteer hours and often act as surrogate parents for students from disadvantaged homes, would also be hard to duplicate. For these reasons, I am opposed to eliminating the JROTC.

The justifications for eliminating the JROTC, that it is an inroad for the military in our schools, that the military discriminates due to "Don't' ask, don't tell," and that the federal funds are tainted because they come from the Defense Dept., are another example of elected officials injecting personal politics into public policies that will end up hurting the very people and institution they were elected to serve. Eliminating the JROTC would contribute to more family flight, smaller budgets and more school closings.

14. The recent contract negotiations with the SEIU and UESF unions were difficult. The UESF agreed to a two year deal, meaning negotiations will resume during the next BOE's tenure. Tell us your views on the recent labor negotiations, and what will you do as a BOE commissioner to influence the labor negotiations to come?
My belief is that quality teachers are an essential component of a good education. I realize that the Bay Area is a competitive market for teachers and a very expensive place to live. I am in support of paying teachers competitive wages to attract and retain quality veteran teachers and am also in favor of offering incentives such as affordable housing, if possible. I need to look into the details of contract negotiations more in depth to decide exactly how I will work to ensure things go well for all parties involved in the education of our public school students. My philosophy is that when all parties involved work harmoniously to accomplish a certain purpose, in this case offering the best education possible for our public school students, everyone should benefit. The key is to focus on the same purpose. As a board member, I would welcome input from all sides while maintaining quality education as the top priority.