Edward Wong
Edward Wong was a member of the Saddleback Valley Unified School District school board in California, representing Trustee Area 2. He assumed office on December 11, 2020. He left office on December 13, 2024.
Wong ran for re-election to the Saddleback Valley Unified School District school board to represent Trustee Area 2 in California. He won in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Elections
2020
See also: Saddleback Valley Unified School District, California, elections (2020)
General election
General election for Saddleback Valley Unified School District school board Area 2
Incumbent Edward Wong defeated Tricia Yee in the general election for Saddleback Valley Unified School District school board Area 2 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Edward Wong (Nonpartisan) | 54.2 | 11,024 |
| Tricia Yee (Nonpartisan) | 45.8 | 9,323 | ||
| Total votes: 20,347 | |||
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2016
Three of the five seats on the Saddleback Valley Unified School District Board of Education were up for at-large general election on November 8, 2016. Incumbents Amanda Morrell and Suzie Swartz filed for re-election and faced four challengers: Mark Tettemer, Edward Wong, Theo Hunt, and David Johnson.[1] Morrell and Swartz won re-election, and Wong won the other seat on the ballot.[2]
Results
| Saddleback Valley Unified School District, At-large General Election, 4-year terms, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Suzie Swartz Incumbent |
24.68% | 44,812 |
| Edward Wong |
21.13% | 38,359 |
| Amanda Morrell Incumbent |
20.30% | 36,855 |
| David Johnson | 16.68% | 30,284 |
| Mark Tettemer | 9.29% | 16,864 |
| Theo Hunt | 7.91% | 14,364 |
| Total Votes | 181,538 | |
| Source: Orange County Registrar of Voters, "2016 Presidential General Election Official Results for Election," accessed December 7, 2016 | ||
Funding
Wong reported no contributions or expenditures to the Orange County Registrar of Voters as of November 1, 2016.[3]
Endorsements
Wong was endorsed by the Saddleback Valley Educators Association (SVEA), the California School Employees Association Chapter 616, and the community organization Evolve.[4][5][6]
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Edward Wong did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2016
Ballotpedia survey responses
Dr. Edward Wong participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates. In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on October 27, 2016:
| “ | To bring Fiscal Accountability to the district. To maintain the high academic standards and achievement that our community has come to expect in our neighborhood schools that are safe. Finally to bring more stakeholder involvement and transparency in the district![7][8] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in California. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| “ | no need to comment here[8] | ” |
| —Dr. Edward Wong (October 27, 2016) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer nine questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| Yes. |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. they are only one measure! |
| What is your stance on the Common Core State Standards Initiative? |
| I think Common Core recently has done a lot to have our students think more critically and creatively then ever before. I see it in what my grandchildren are doing! |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students. Offer additional training options. Put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve. Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| Yes. Mixed Feelings on this issue! |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| To dismiss students who violate school rules and policies! |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers no need to! |
See also
2020 Elections
External links
|
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Orange County Registrar of Voters, "Candidate Filing Log," accessed August 15, 2016
- ↑ Orange County, "Orange County Unofficial Results for Election," accessed November 9, 2016
- ↑ Orange County Registrar of Voters, "Orange County Public Portal for Campaign Finance Disclosure," accessed November 1, 2016
- ↑ Facebook, "Saddleback Valley Educators Association (SVEA) posted July 28, 2016," accessed September 26, 2016
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Ian Morrell," September 21, 2016
- ↑ Evolve, "Endorsements: November 8, 2016 General Election," accessed October 13, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2016, "Dr. Edward Wong's responses," October 27, 2016
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
