Kathy Howe
Kathy Howe is a member of the Manteca Unified School District Board of Trustees in California, representing Trustee Area 2. She assumed office in 2015. Her current term ends on December 11, 2026.
Howe ran for re-election to the Manteca Unified School District Board of Trustees to represent Trustee Area 2 in California. She won in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Biography
Howe worked as an elementary school teacher in the Manteca Unified School District from 1978 to 2013. She is involved with the Safe Routes to School Committee, the City of Lathrop 2X2 Committee, and the Lathrop Parks and Recreation Committee. Howe earned a bachelor's degree in liberal studies from San Diego State University, a multiple subject teaching credential from Stanislaus State University, and master's degree in elementary curriculum and instruction from Stanislaus State University.[1]
Elections
2022
See also: Manteca Unified School District, California, elections (2022)
General election
General election for Manteca Unified School District Board of Trustees Trustee Area 2
Incumbent Kathy Howe defeated Brandy Perkins in the general election for Manteca Unified School District Board of Trustees Trustee Area 2 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Kathy Howe (Nonpartisan) | 60.4 | 3,002 |
| Brandy Perkins (Nonpartisan) | 39.6 | 1,970 | ||
| Total votes: 4,972 | |||
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2018
Howe won election automatically as the election was canceled due to lack of opposition.
General election
The general election was canceled. Kathy Howe (Nonpartisan) won without appearing on the ballot.
Endorsements
Howe received an endorsement from the Manteca Educators Association.[2]
2016
Five of the seven seats on the Manteca Unified School District board of trustees were up for by-district general election on November 8, 2016. The seats from Trustee Areas 1, 3, and 7 were up for election to four-year terms, and the Trustee Area 2 and 6 seats were up for election to two-year terms due to the resignations of two board members after a recall effort was started against them. Trustee Area 1 incumbent Sam Fant did not file to run for re-election, leaving the seat open for a newcomer. That race featured candidates Eric Duncan Sr., Alison Ordner, and West Walker. Duncan was elected to the seat. In her bid for re-election to Trustee Area 2, appointed incumbent Kathy Howe defeated challenger Tony Berchtold. Trustee Area 3 incumbent Michael Seelye also won re-election, defeating challenger William Klump. In Trustee Area 6, appointed incumbent Stephen Schluer ran unopposed and won re-election by default. Newcomer Robert Wallace also ran unopposed and won election by default to the Trustee Area 7 seat.[3][4][5]
Results
| Manteca Unified School District, Trustee Area 2 General Election, 2-year term, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Kathy Howe Incumbent |
69.77% | 4,165 |
| Tony Berchtold | 29.93% | 1,787 |
| Write-in votes | 0.3% | 18 |
| Total Votes | 5,970 | |
| Source: San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters, "November 8, 2016 Official Final Results," accessed December 5, 2016 | ||
Funding
Howe reported $5,657.42 in contributions and $5,337.00 in expenditures to the San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters, which left her campaign with $320.42 on hand in the election.[6]
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Kathy Howe did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2016
Ballotpedia survey responses
Kathy Howe 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 25, 2016:
| “ | My #1 priority is to maximize student learning. Communication is a good place to start. It's important to develop open two-way communication between the school board, parents, administrators, staff, students, and the community.[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 | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| “ | All of these concerns are important.[8] | ” |
| —Kathy Howe (September 25, 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. Each potentially new charter school should be considered. Approval will depend on the merits of the school being considered. |
| 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 defer to school board decisions in most cases. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. Standardized tests do not measure all aspects of how a student is doing. Tests are just one tool that schools can use to see how students are doing. |
| What is your stance on the Common Core State Standards Initiative? |
| The Common Core sets goals and expectations designed to prepare our students for the future. These are national standards. However, local school districts decide how to implement these standards. Standardized testing required to assess students achievement is expensive. Online testing puts low economic students at a disadvantage. |
| 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? |
| Put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve. An improvement plan that includes additional training and a mentorship program is needed to development underperforming teachers into successful teachers whenever possible. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| No. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. Public schools have the task of educating all of our children. If money is diverted elsewhere, maintaining quality public schools becomes more of a challenge. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Expulsions must be used sparingly. All efforts should be made to avoid expulsions. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers Teachers work closely with our students on a daily basis. They are the ones impacting the education of our children. The curriculum, class size, parent involvement, and the effectiveness of administrators also impact the quality of education. |
Political philosophy
Howe described the following as her political philosophy.
| “ | I believe that I can make a difference in the lives of children as a board member for Manteca Unified. I know how children learn and I know what it takes to provide a quality education program for students. Every child at every school deserves the best education.
As a board member, I want to know what you think and what your concerns are. This is why I reach out to the community. I visit the schools, attend community events, meet with concerned parents or teachers, and I encourage contact both through emails and telephone calls.[8] |
” |
| —Kathy Howe (September 25, 2016)[1] | ||
Howe also added the following statement about her campaign for a school board seat:
| “ | I care about the children of Manteca Unified. I am invested in this district. My husband and I both grew up here. We graduated from Manteca High School. Our daughters went to Neil Hafley School and graduated from East Union High School. I want to see that this district continues to strive for excellence.
I ask for your vote so I can continue to build a district that provides the best education for every student.[8] |
” |
| —Kathy Howe (September 25, 2016)[1] | ||
See also
2022 Elections
External links
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Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Ballotpedia's Biographical Information Submission Form, "Kathy Howe's responses," September 25, 2016
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia via email on July 22, 2018
- ↑ San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters, "Contest/Candidate Proof List," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ Manteca Bulletin, "Romero, Fant opt not to run," August 16, 2016
- ↑ San Joaquin County, "November 8, 2016 Unofficial Final Results," accessed November 9, 2016
- ↑ San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters, "San Joaquin County Public Portal for Campaign Finance Disclosure," accessed March 7, 2017
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2016, "Kathy Howe's responses," September 25, 2016
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
