Michael Simons
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Michael Simons was an at-large member of the Huntington Beach Union High School District school board in California. He assumed office in 1991. He left office in 2024.
Simons ran for election for an at-large seat of the Huntington Beach City Council in California. He lost in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Simons participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 school board candidate survey. Click here to read his responses.
Elections
2016
Two of the five seats on the Huntington Beach Union High School District board of trustees were up for at-large general election on November 8, 2016. In their bids for re-election, incumbents Susan Henry and Michael Simons defeated challengers Trung Ta, Saul Lankster, and Colin Melott.[1][2]
Results
| Huntington Beach Union High School District, At-large General Election, 4-year terms, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Michael Simons Incumbent |
33.92% | 64,677 |
| Susan Henry Incumbent |
33.15% | 63,220 |
| Trung Ta | 13.81% | 26,332 |
| Saul Lankster | 12.77% | 24,354 |
| Colin Melott | 6.35% | 12,101 |
| Total Votes | 190,684 | |
| Source: Orange County Registrar of Voters, "2016 Presidential General Election Official Results for Election," accessed December 7, 2016 | ||
Funding
Simons reported no contributions or expenditures to the Orange County Registrar of Voters in the election.[3]
Endorsements
Simons was endorsed by the Huntington Beach Union High School District Education Association.[4]
2012
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Susan Henry Incumbent |
29.9% | 53,917 | |
| Nonpartisan | Michael Simons Incumbent |
27.1% | 48,986 | |
| Nonpartisan | John Briscoe | 17.3% | 31,172 | |
| Nonpartisan | Edward C. Pinchiff | 16.1% | 29,093 | |
| Nonpartisan | Tom Dern | 9.6% | 17,357 | |
| Total Votes | 180,525 | |||
| Source: Orange County Registrar of Voters, "Election Results Archives: 2012 General Election," accessed July 22, 2014 | ||||
Campaign themes
2016
Ballotpedia survey responses
Michael Simons 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 25, 2016:
| “ | Continued strong fiscal integrity and budgetary control. Ensure safe, well maintained campuses for students to learn in. Meaningful educational programs for students of all capabilities and interests.[5][6] | ” |
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 | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| “ | We are an open enrollment district so school choice is an open option for our students . There is already a significant emphasis on arts including a large performing arts magnet program our limitations are budgetary. Relationships with teachers and all emplotee groups has been a focus for over 25 years with programs such as Relationships By Objectives for our certificated staff and Team Building by Concepts for the classified staff. Good fiscal planning allows us to focus on the other areas.[6] | ” |
| —Michael Simons (October 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. If they can document need and fiscal solvency. |
| 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. |
| What is your stance on the Common Core State Standards Initiative? |
| Like all preceding attempts to bring meaningful education to our students, Common Core will only be successful if is student centered and easily taught and understood. |
| 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? |
| No. Teaching to the highest level should be the goal of all teachers. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| Yes. Only if the Sate has the money after it has fully met it's obligations to public school funding. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Only after multiple attempts at remediation including transfer to alternative programs. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers The relationship between students and their teachers has been and always will be the most important factor for student success. |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Michael Simons' 'Huntington Beach Union High School District'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Huntington Beach Union High School District, California
- Huntington Beach Union High School District elections (2016)
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 February 23, 2017
- ↑ California Teachers Association, "CTA Locally Endorsed Candidates," September 28, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2016, "Michael Simons's responses," October 25, 2016
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| 2016 Huntington Beach Union High School District Elections | |
| Orange County, California | |
| Election date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Susan Henry • Incumbent, Michael Simons • Saul Lankster • Colin Melott • Trung Ta |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
