Ron Williams (California)

Ron Williams

Ron Williams was a candidate for at-large representative on the El Monte Union High School District school board in California. Williams was defeated in the at-large general election on November 7, 2017.

Williams participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 school board candidate survey. Click here to read his responses.

Elections

2017

See also: El Monte Union High School District elections (2017)

Three of the five seats on the El Monte Union High School District board of trustees in California were up for at-large general election on November 7, 2017. In their bids for re-election, incumbents Esthela Torres De Siegrist and Ricardo Padilla ran against challengers Florencio Briones, David Diaz, Christian Trigueros, and Ron Williams. Padilla won re-election, and Briones and Diaz won the other two seats on the ballot.

Results

El Monte Union High School District, At-large General Election, 4-year terms, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
David Diaz	24.45%	2,991
Ricardo Padilla Incumbent	24.04%	2,940
Florencio Briones	21.27%	2,602
Esthela Torres De Siegrist Incumbent	20.56%	2,515
Ron Williams	5.92%	724
Christian Trigueros	3.75%	459
Total Votes		12,231
Source: Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, "Local and Municipal Consolidated Elections November 7, 2017," accessed November 21, 2017

Funding

See also: Campaign finance in the El Monte Union High School District elections

At the time of this election, the Los Angeles Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk did not publish school board candidate campaign finance reports online. Ballotpedia staffers requested this information, but the only free method of viewing the files was at their office.

The Los Angeles Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk targeted the end of 2018 to make school board candidate campaign finance reports available online for free. From that point forward, Ballotpedia began including campaign finance data for Los Angeles County school board candidates.

Campaign themes

2017

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey

Ron Williams participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 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 11, 2017:

“

Accountability, and a more transparent reporting function directly from the Board in my position at least.

”

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
1	Balancing or maintaining the district's budget
2	Improving post-secondary readiness
3	Closing the achievement gap
4	Expanding school choice options
5	Improving education for special needs students
6	Expanding arts education
7	Improving relations with teachers

“	I will be working for the El Monte Taxpayer, not the Teachers' Union, Democrat Party, or Republican Party. I am not affiliated with any party, which is why I am best suited to building vote consensus on tough considerations.	”
—Ron Williams (October 11, 2017)

Positions on the issues

The candidate was asked to answer eight 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 always defer to school board decisions.
Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement?
No. Students best demonstrate their achievements by thriving in our community; test-taking is not an all-inclusive guideline,but our local guidelines should be flexible to maintain the National minimum while seeking to exceed it.
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?
Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district.
Should teachers receive merit pay?
No. Most reports on "merit pay" seem to indicate Teachers shave curriculum down to test answer response performance, over developing dynamic problem-solving skills.
Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program?
Yes. Parents should vote with their feet if that option is available.
How should expulsion be used in the district?
On a case-to-case basis, which it is.
What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration?
Student-teacher ratio. Parent involvement and support is a close second-choice which is difficult to maintain when challenged by so many single-parent homes in our District.

Williams submitted an earlier set of responses to the survey. Click [show] below to see those earlier responses.

Click [show] to see Williams' earlier responses to this survey.

Ballotpedia survey responses See also: Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey Ron Williams participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 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 11, 2017: “ ” 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 1 Balancing or maintaining the district's budget 2 Improving post-secondary readiness 3 Expanding school choice options 4 Closing the achievement gap 5 Improving education for special needs students 6 Expanding arts education 7 Improving relations with teachers “ Being on the Board is largely a representational position, not an Educator position. However, other candidates seem to think otherwise based on their history, employment and public statements. Cash flow is the life's blood of any institution, a maxim mostly forgotten or we wouldn't have massive bonds debt and fake taxation measures. Choosing to be unaffiliated with any either Democrat or Republican is proof enough I am open and willing to build consensus for approval of responsible agenda items with either side. I am not unconcerned with the unaddressed spike in disabled youth particularly those with Autism-spectrum issues requiring new resources, yet wish to recommend them forward in priority other more serious issues of fiscal reporting are dealt with. El Monte taxpayers are the Board's boss, not EMUHSD. Otherwise they would just appoint someone. ” —Ron Williams (October 11, 2017) Positions on the issues The candidate was asked to answer eight 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. Our low graduate percentile shows we could be doing better for them, and the El Monte Taxpayer will eventually be called upon to either a) fund it, or b) defer District Funds and Grants. Currently much media buying and hostility is vented against private educators - where our Asian communities wishing to bridge the learning gap simply choose to enroll Afterschool Program teachers. The more we ignore addressing this lack of cohesive learning for the child's benefit, the less mutual both public and private tracks will meet and District goals will continue to diminish at the cost of Union decrees. Charter schools should be an also-track choice for Taxpayer's best value, and not The Enemy politics has proclaimed. 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. State of CA needs to clarify firstly these already-cumbersome guidelines if they wish our participation. Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? Yes. Tests are mere guidelines to gauge an individuals' capacity to achieve a thriving adult existence; however, I have long felt standardized tests (and the so-called "bell curve") favor underachievers against those working hard for individual merit. What standards we do have in placement testing should be created and revised within the District, and not subject to a National or International standard or we can't hope to exceed them. El Monte needs to retain our exceptional history, not ignore it. 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? Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. Should teachers receive merit pay? No. "Merit Pay" is a Union construct, and I would focus more on refining the recommended Termination Policy Procedures (or EMUHSD's equivalents) for dismissing rogue teachers with them, because there are few things more harmful in childhood than to experience than violations of trust by adult figures of authority. The Board recommends and approves special pay for special measures as incentives on a uniquely case-by-case basis. Otherwise no blanket term for "merit pay" exists. Merit Pay as an performance incentive strips out the dynamics of learning and Q&A teacher-student interactions, in favor of input/output knowledge regurgitation over human relationships which I prefer as more how we learn in our homes. Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? Yes. I would vote to develop a dual-track, allowing parents to vote with their shoes. If they think their child's progress has been unproductive, and a competitive private school can develop them better, let them. I believe this is key to ending generational poverty in our city, we have all seen it. I encourage proposals for a voucher system that is effective and beneficial to the child - especially those advanced our curriculum cannot address currently. How should expulsion be used in the district? Expulsions have been one of many "last straw" consequences of student behavior where no other measures of discipline seem available as a remedy - assuming others have been ignored or disregarded. I frown upon "One Size Fits All" extreme countermeasures as a management tool; to me this speaks counter-intuitive to any child's educational interest, and heavy-handed. In cases where no other solution can be considered, school transfers may be appropriate (such as in CA Health and Safety Code violations.) I prefer to retain our students within EMUHSD rather than to an outside district. What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? Student-teacher ratio. I believe Student-Teacher ratio is usually the gold standard for classroom success if default caveat of parental accountability to support this exists. Unfortunately, the economics of our majority - single-parent families - leave our students struggling with ineffective guidance. This special condition is not unique within L.A. County, but being El Monte and not LAUSD, we have greater flexibility to be more creative in the ratio. I wish to consider options increasing this ratio as finance and reports permit, including a voucher system based on an accurate CAFR ledger - not the one currently projected.

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Ron Williams El Monte Union High School District school board. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Ron Williams (California) - Google News

See also

• El Monte Union High School District, California
• El Monte Union High School District elections (2017)

External links

Suggest a link

• El Monte Union High School District