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Matthew Singer
Matthew Singer was a candidate for an at-large seat on the Tustin Unified School District school board in California. Singer was defeated in the at-large general election on November 8, 2016.
Singer participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 school board candidate survey. Click here to read his responses.
Elections
2016
Three of the five seats on the Tustin Unified School District Board of Education were up for at-large general election on November 8, 2016. In their bids for re-election, incumbents Tammie Bullard, James Laird, and Francine Pace Scinto defeated challengers Matthew Singer, Karen Twaddell, and Elias Teferi.[1][2]
Results
| Tustin Unified School District, At-large General Election, 4-year terms, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Tammie Bullard Incumbent |
23.81% | 23,040 |
| James Laird Incumbent |
23.05% | 22,304 |
| Francine Pace Scinto Incumbent |
22.93% | 22,190 |
| Matthew Singer | 11.74% | 11,361 |
| Karen Twaddell | 11.67% | 11,296 |
| Elias Teferi | 6.78% | 6,563 |
| Total Votes | 96,754 | |
| Source: Orange County Registrar of Voters, "2016 Presidential General Election Official Results for Election," accessed December 7, 2016 | ||
Funding
Singer reported $1,604.73 in contributions and $1,281.99 in expenditures to the Orange County Registrar of Voters, which left his campaign with $322.74 on hand as of October 31, 2016.[3]
Endorsements
Singer was endorsed by the Democratic Party of Orange County and the community organization Evolve.[4][5]
Campaign themes
2016
Ballotpedia survey responses
Matthew Singer 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 30, 2016:
| “ | I want to work with parents and the community to ensure Tustin students receive the world-class education they deserve. I want to ensure our students are prepared for the workforce of the global economy and have the tools to be college-ready. If elected, I’ll diligently work toward retaining and recruiting highly qualified teachers, developing and supporting academic initiatives that will prepare our children for rigors of high school and higher education. As your trustee, I will work to ensure our taxpayer dollars are spent directly in the classroom, reduce class sizes, and expand after-school programs.[6][7] | ” |
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 |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| “ | All the choices given are important. It is impossible to list which selections is deemed to be prioritized.[7] | ” |
| —Matthew Singer (October 30, 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. |
| 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. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. |
| What is your stance on the Common Core State Standards Initiative? |
| Against Common Core. Standards of what should be taught is best determined by the local expert who knows the student which is the teacher with input from administration and parents. |
| 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. 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. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Only in extreme situations of violence, a threat of violence, drug use or bullying. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Matthew Singer Tustin Unified School District. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
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
- ↑ Democratic Party of Orange County, "Democratic Party of Orange County Official Endorsements for The November 8, 2016 General Election," accessed October 13, 2016
- ↑ Evolve, "Endorsements: November 8, 2016 General Election," accessed October 13, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2016, "Matthew Singer's responses," October 30, 2016
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| 2016 Tustin Unified School District Elections | |
| Orange County, California | |
| Election date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Tammie Bullard • Incumbent, James Laird • Incumbent, Francine Pace Scinto • Matthew Singer • Elias Teferi • Karen Twaddell |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
