HOPEFULS OUTLINE POSITIONS 5 IN PALMDALE SEEK 2 SCHOOL BOARD SEATS.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer

PALMDALE - Teacher layoffs, class sizes and low-performing schools are some of the issues in Palmdale School District's board election Nov. 4.

Incumbents Dolores Dominguez and Tom Lackey are facing threechallengers: social worker Rebeca Brown, businessman Robert ``Bo'' Bynum and teacher Terri Elaine Cope Goff.

Brown, 41, works for the Los Angeles County housing department. She is a member of the district citizens committee that oversees spending of the $25 million school construction bond measure that was passed by voters in November 2001.

Brown said she would work to make schools safer and to provide more funds for school supplies by cutting fat in upper management and administration.

``I see so many teachers at the dollar store buying supplies for their classroom; it's so sad,'' Brown said. ``They don't even make that much money.''

Brown said more accountability is needed because 18 of Palmdale's 24 schools are not making adequate progress in improving test scores and could face sanctions if they don't improve.

Brown also decried Palmdale school officials' decision to lay off 83 teachers earlier this year to deal with the budget shortfall. The layoffs were based on seniority, resulting in the ousting of some teachers who hold full teaching credentials while keeping some with emergency credentials.

``Kids need the best teachers teaching them,'' Brown said. ``You know why they laid them off: They are expensive. Were they concerned with money or about children's education? They were more concerned about saving money than the children.''

Brown, calling it better to concentrate on teaching students English, also said she is against the concept of Los Amigos School, where children from both English- and Spanish-speaking families are taught in both English and Spanish.

``Any child who learns English has a better chance of getting a job in the labor market,'' Brown said. ``I don't believe in Spanish-speaking schools. It doesn't benefit the children.''

Bynum, 51, is a former Palmdale planning commissioner and owns a sports store. He narrowly lost to Dominguez in last November's election to replace former trustee Larry Logsdon, who resigned because he moved out of Palmdale.

Bynum also is founder of the Antelope Valley Youth Development Foundation, a nonprofit organization involved with basketball for girls. He coaches girls basketball at Palmdale High School.

``I think we need a change in the board and we need to go in a different direction,'' Bynum said. ``We need to bring back class-size reduction. I want to build trust in the district. It's been lacking over the last few years. I want to make sure everything is open and above-board.''

Class size had been no larger than 20 students to one teacher in the primary grades, but the board approved increasing that as part of $12 million in budget cuts made earlier this year.

Bynum, noting departures of administrators and teachers, said he would like to see more stability in district employment ranks. ``I will make sure all employees are treated fairly and paid fairly. We've lost too many good people over the last few years,'' he said.

Bynum said he will work for accountability and improvement in test scores. Working at Palmdale High School, he said he sees incoming ninth-graders who do not possess basic academic skills for high school.

``The high schools are put in the position of failing simply because teachers are not given the proper tools,'' Bynum said.

Bynum also said he would try to bring developers and city officials together to brainstorm how to fund the construction of schools and reduce dependence on state and local bond measures.

``We've been taxed enough. With the growth we are having, I think the building industry can help us get schools quicker. If we can form an alliance ... it can be a win-win situation for everyone,'' Bynum said.

Dominguez, 70, retired last year after teaching more than 16 years in Yucca and Juniper intermediate schools. She was elected last November after spending only $250 on her campaign.

``I have seen that there are many problems that we need to solve. The biggest one is for more schools and students to progress in their (Academic Performance Index) scores,'' said Dominguez, referring to the state's API ranking of schools based on standardized test scores.

Dominguez said she would work to improve academic achievement of every student. ``We have high- and low-achieving students, second-language learners, special-needs and average students. Sometimes we forget some of them,'' Dominguez said.

Dominguez also is concerned about school safety and supports zero tolerance for any type of violence, vandalism and other offenses. She wants to expand a neighborhood school-watch program in which parents and residents keep an eye on schools and report anything suspicious.

In the last election, Dominguez said she ran because of concerns over what appears to be unequal funding among Palmdale schools. She said the differences persist.

``I've been visiting all the schools, and I've seen the differences in some schools compared to others. I would like to equalize it so that all schools would receive a good education,'' Dominguez said.

She said the district needs to improve maintenance at older schools in low-income neighborhoods that, she said, appear not to be given a high priority.

``I have one agenda. I'm too old to want to climb. I have no intention to go anywhere else except on the board. My main agenda is kids and their education,'' Dominguez said. ``That's the single most important advantage that we have in this country. People come to this country for the American dream. I think what they come for really is we can get an education in this country.''

Goff, 25, is a teacher at Antelope School in the Keppel Union School District. She was one of the 83 teachers laid off from the Palmdale district.

``I want to make the schools as good as they were when I was in school. I want it to be as awesome for my kids and all kids,'' Goff said.

Goff said district officials, by laying off credentialed teachers, went against the No Child Left Behind Act, a federal law that requires highly qualified teachers in the classroom.

``Those who have received training had the methods classes. They know how to reach their students, where those who are not credentialed ... are learning on the job. I wouldn't go to the doctor who is on-the-job training,'' Goff said.

Goff said she will work to rehire fully credentialed teachers. ``I am going to make it so that we bring credentialed teachers back and we retain them. We need to value our educators who have gotten the training that is expected and required. Just as we want our children to see there is benefit to learning, teachers also need to show that,'' Goff said.

Goff also said she wants to bring back smaller class sizes, if not in kindergarten through third grade three, at least in kindergarten and first grade.

She wants a close examination of the district's budget to see where spending can be trimmed. ``We need to open the books. We need to look where we can cut extras and make sure dollars go to the classroom,'' Goff said. ``We need to see where we can find money, where we can stretch the pennies.''

Goff, who has a master's degree in educating the deaf and whose son is deaf, said district leaders need to focus on special-education programs and improving services. ``Parents need to be made aware of what services are being offered and what is not being offered,'' Goff said.

Lackey, 44, is a California Highway Patrol sergeant seeking his second term on the board.

He said he is running because his daughter is a student in Palmdale and he cares about local schools. As the son of a former trustee in the Muroc Joint Unified School District, he said he knows the value of being involved.

``That's what kind of prepared me. I always wanted to be on a school board because of what I learned from my father. I knew there was a lot of difficulty, but I also knew there was a lot of reward - as far as the contribution value,'' Lackey said.

Lackey said his main focus will be to support efforts at low-performing schools to improve student performance, and he said his experience in his first term, when the district experienced cuts in three of the four years, will be of help.

``When you come as a new board member, you are one of five. You need to understand your role as part of a team. I felt I have done that,'' Lackey said.

Lackey said he would work to improve morale of employees in the district, which has been affected by the cuts, and he said his law-enforcement background helps in school safety.

``Even though we've escaped any real violent events on our campuses, we still need to be diligent in enforcing zero tolerance against guns and drugs,'' Lackey said.

``I feel like I can offer a genuine neutrality when it comes to a decision. I don't have any specific biases when I come forward with a decision. That makes me a credible board member,'' Lackey said.

Karen Maeshiro, [phone]

karen.maeshiro(at)dailynews.com