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John Norman (California)
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John Norman is the Trustee Area 3 representative on the San Jacinto Unified board of trustees in California. He was first elected to the board in 2000.[1] Though Norman identifies as a Republican, his position on the board is nonpartisan.[2]
Norman won re-election in the general election on November 8, 2016.[3] He participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 school board candidate survey. Click here to read about his campaign themes.
Biography
Norman worked as a professor of health at Mt. San Jacinto College from 1988 to 2013, when he retired. He previously worked for the Hemet Unified School District and the Banning Unified School District as a teacher and a coach. He is a member of Rotary International, the San Jacinto Rotary, the Hemet-San Jacinto Student of the Month Committee, and the Family, Child, and Community Task Force. He has also served as a board liaison for the San Jacinto Education Foundation and as a member of the Valley Restart Board of Directors, the City of San Jacinto Task Force for Safe Travel and Bike Lanes, the Healthy San Jacinto Coalition, and the Downtown Specific Plan.[2]
Norman attended Mt. San Jacinto College for general education and transfer curriculum before he went on to earn a bachelor's degree in physical education and health from Oregon State University. He also earned a master's degree in education from Azusa Pacific University, a food science certificate from Mississippi State University, and an online teaching certificate from the University of California at Los Angeles. Norman also earned a master's in governance from the California School Boards Association in 2015.[2]
Elections
2016
Three of the five seats on the San Jacinto Unified School District board of trustees were up for by-district general election on November 8, 2016. In their bids for re-election to Trustee Areas 1 and 2, incumbents Trica Ojeda and Willie Hamilton, respectively, ran unopposed and won re-election by default. The Trustee Area 3 race featured incumbent John Norman and challenger Jeremy Fontes. Norman won re-election.[3][4]
Results
| San Jacinto Unified School District, Trustee Area 3 General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 John Norman Incumbent |
53.62% | 1,311 |
| Jeremy Fontes | 46.38% | 1,134 |
| Total Votes | 2,445 | |
| Source: Riverside County Registrar of Voters, "Consolidated Presidential Election Official Results," accessed December 2, 2016 | ||
Funding
Norman reported $4,400.00 in contributions but no expenditures to the Riverside County Registrar of Voters, which left his campaign with $4,400.00 on hand as of September 24, 2016.[5]
Endorsements
Norman was endorsed by the following organizations and elected officials:[6][7][8]
|
|
2012
This election was canceled due to lack of opposition. Incumbents Rose Salgado, Willie Hamilton, and John Norman from Trustees Areas 1, 2, and 3, respectively, were re-elected by default.[9][10][11]
Campaign themes
2016
Ballotpedia survey responses
John I. Norman 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 September 14, 2016:
| “ | There is no more important time to provide leadership in education for our students. Competition for jobs and opportunities are currently on a global scale. Jobs that are being created now did not even exist 15 years ago. It is imperative that support be given to our students and our schools. I hope to continue to be a catalyst for change and development.[12][13] | ” |
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 |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| “ | College and Career readiness is the underlying theme of all of our programs from K-12. Being thorough and planned will allow for the Achievement Gap to close, although it will still exist in some cases. Our special needs students require additional programs and funding that is targeted for these programs. Special needs also includes accelerated students and dual enrollment students (college coursework while in high school) as well as students with challenges. Because we are a caring district, relationships are held in high esteem, and therefore relations with teachers is not as large an issue as some districts. We hold Arts and Music education in high value in our district. Portions of the brain are developed through Arts and Music that resemble language development. We embrace this and have vowed not to cut or curtail any of these programs.[13] | ” |
| —John I. Norman (September 14, 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.) |
|---|
| No. If charter schools had to "play by the same rules" as public schools, then I am all for them. Since they do not, I am not a strong supporter. |
| 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 always defer to school board decisions. Local control is paramount. Sacramento and its politicians are too far removed from the governance in the schools and should not be allowed to mandate. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. Standardized tests are a simple way of assessing a large number of students simultaneously, but falls short of what education the student may have acquired from the tutelage of their instructors. Legislators create these accountability systems to be able to reference and categorize schools and students for purposes of funding, etc. I am more of an advocate for project based learning where an outcome that is relative to a person's life or career goals is created. |
| What is your stance on the Common Core State Standards Initiative? |
| It is law. We embrace it as a positive change in the way that education is delivered to students- but one size does not fit all. |
| 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? |
| Offer additional training options. If you thought enough to hire them originally, then you should invest in their coaching and future success. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| No. Although I am not totally against this, some of the teachers who are stronger may have had a greater impact on the learning of a student, but that maturity and application of this learning may npt take place for several months or years- and that teacher is not a beneficiary of the "merit pay" for that particular student's achievement. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. This is a scenario where the elite become more removed. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| In California, there are the "Big 5" transgressions in our education code. For these, expulsion may be appropriate, but every case should be looked upon on its own merit. there are circumstances that could be mitigating factors that must be considered. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Parent involvement When the parents also collaborate with the teachers and administrators in their child's education, we all win. |
Political philosophy
Norman described the following as his political philosophy:
| “ | Education as our parents or grandparents knew it is moving toward extinction. With the advent of technology and the world wide web, our skill sets now need to be competitive on a global scale. Information accessibility is enormous and pervasive in almost every aspect of our lives today. to keep up with the changes, and yet keep what we hold with high esteem regarding our educational system, it takes both great courage, innovation, and leadership. My experience on the board has allowed me to network with other boards, other districts, colleges, and career-technical pathways, to seek out best practices, successful programs, and to plan assiduously for the future of our students. With this education that we can achieve, citizens will be developed that could possibly come back into our community to carry on and make our city and school district strong. With education of our students, we can create a safer community to live in, a more productive environment for families to grow within, and a more prosperous future for all.[13] | ” |
| —John Norman (September 2, 2016)[2] | ||
He also said the following about the 2016 election:
| “ | I have been given opportunity to lead in almost all of my activities relative to the school board. I embrace this position and give wholeheartedly back to the community in any way that I can. I believe strongly in the community of San Jacinto and the San Jacinto Unified School District. I would be humbled and honored if re-elected in 2016.[13] | ” |
| —John Norman (September 2, 2016)[2] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'John Norman' 'San Jacinto Unified School District'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- San Jacinto Unified School District, California
- San Jacinto Unified School District elections (2016)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ San Jacinto Unified School District, "Board Members," accessed September 12, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Ballotpedia's Biographical Information Submission Form, "John Norman's responses," September 2, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Riverside County Registrar of Voters, "Contest/Candidate Proof List," accessed August 15, 2016
- ↑ Riverside County, "Consolidated Presidential Election," accessed November 9, 2016
- ↑ Riverside County Registrar of Voters, "County of Riverside Public Portal for Campaign Finance Disclosure," accessed October 4, 2016
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Diane Perez," August 31, 2016
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Diane Perez," September 6, 2016
- ↑ Evolve, "Endorsements: November 8, 2016 General Election," accessed October 13, 2016
- ↑ Smart Voter, "Trustee; San Jacinto Unified School District; Trustee Area 1 Voter Information," accessed August 5, 2014
- ↑ Smart Voter, "Trustee; San Jacinto Unified School District; Trustee Area 2 Voter Information," accessed August 5, 2014
- ↑ Smart Voter, "Trustee; San Jacinto Unified School District; Trustee Area 3 Voter Information," accessed August 5, 2014
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2016, "John I. Norman's responses," September 14, 2016
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| 2016 San Jacinto Unified School District Elections | |
| Riverside County, California | |
| Election date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | Trustee Area 1: • Incumbent, Trica Ojeda Trustee Area 2: • Incumbent, Willie Hamilton Trustee Area 3: • Incumbent, John Norman • Jeremy Fontes |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
