William Steinberg

William Steinberg

---

William Steinberg was a candidate for District 7 representative on the Albuquerque Public Schools school board in New Mexico. Steinberg was defeated in the by-district general election on February 7, 2017.

Elections

2017

See also: Albuquerque Public Schools elections (2017)

Four of the seven seats on the Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education were up for by-district general election on February 7, 2017. In his bid for re-election to District 3, incumbent Lorenzo Garcia defeated challengers Ali Ennenga, Amy Legant, and Charles White. District 5 incumbent Steven Michael Quezada and District 6 incumbent Don Duran did not file to run for re-election, leaving both seats open for newcomers. Four candidates—Annie Bell-Rahman, Rachel Gonzales, Kayla Marshall, and Candelaria Patterson—ran for the District 5 seat, and Patterson won the race. Six candidates—Abbas Ali Akhil, Elizabeth Armijo, C. Douglas Brown, Melissa Finch, Paula Maes, and Paul Sievert—ran for the District 6 seat, and Armijo won. The race for the District 7 seat featured incumbent David Peercy and challengers Ian Burch, William Steinberg, and Brian Tierney. Peercy won re-election to the board. A total of six candidates withdrew from the race before their names were put on the ballot: R. Jason Vaillancourt in District 3, Than-Lan Sena, Alex Villanueva, and Anne Young in District 5, Stephen Verchinski in District 6, and Sina-Aurelia Pleasant-Soul in District 7.

Results

Albuquerque Public Schools, District 7 General Election, 4-year term, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
David Peercy Incumbent	64.04%	4,219
Brian Tierney	26.85%	1,769
William Steinberg	4.58%	302
Ian Burch	4.52%	298
Total Votes		6,588
Source: Bernalillo County Clerk, "APS/CNM School Board Election February 7, 2017," accessed February 22, 2017 and Bernalillo County Clerk, "APS/CNM School Board Election was certified Friday, Feb. 10th, 2017," February 13, 2017

Funding

See also: Campaign finance in the Albuquerque Public Schools election

Steinberg reported no contributions or expenditures to the New Mexico Secretary of State in the election.

Campaign themes

2017

Steinberg participated in a questionnaire provided by the Albuquerque school district. The district's questions are shown in bolded text, and Steinberg's answers follow below.

1. Why do you want to be a board member for Albuquerque Public Schools?

“	A good education should be available for every child. Experienced qualified teachers are essential in helping students become well educated and successful. I want to make sure the teachers have what they need to do that job. The current 1.3-billion-dollar budget should enable us to graduate 90% of our students, however we are woefully below that number. I am committed to "DOLLARS TO DIPLOMAS". The budget must support effective results in our children's education and literacy.	”
—William Steinberg (2017)

2. What is your interest in education?

“	The amount ofmoney we are spending does not equate to the results we are getting. Every child has the right to a good quality education. Every parent needs to know their child is being groomed to realize their potential as leaders in our future communities. The avenue for that is to empower our teachers to teach their students in keeping with their vision and experience. My goal on the APS Board will be to partner with the teachers and the superintendent to support them in reaching their goals for the children.	”
—William Steinberg (2017)

3. In what ways will you support the mission and vision of the district?

“	Teachers provide the foundation for the students. They are the most valued resource ofthe APS system. Our teachers know how to bring out their individuality and how to enhance their students' strength. They do not require a national entity to dictate their curriculum without local input. I want the children to get a good solid education in reading, writing and math. The APS Board ofEducation and the Superintendent are honor bound to support the end-product which is seeing our children succeed through graduation.	”
—William Steinberg (2017)

4. How will you work with the superintendent?

“	The superintendent provides the necessary foundation to the teachers. As a board member, we will support the superintendent in their endeavor to provide for the needs of the teachers. I believe we must work within our budget to accomplish this and it is incumbent on the board to come up with a workable solution.	”
—William Steinberg (2017)

5. What is your past and current involvement with Albuquerque Public Schools?

“	I went through the APS School system, grades 1-12, graduating from Del Norte High School.	”
—William Steinberg (2017)

6. What should be the relationship between the superintendent and Board of Education?

“	It should be a working relationship that gets things done and achieves outstanding results. It also should be a cohesive relationship. When a group has common goals, diversity can bring strength to that group. As a team, we should be results driven.	”
—William Steinberg (2017)

7. What qualities and skills would you bring to the Board of Education?

“	As a retired citizen ofAlbuquerque, I have worked in the private sector for 43 years and can dedicate myselfto my term on the board. I am well versed with the challenges the system is having on educating children. I understand the situation facing the teachers and have spent a better part ofmy discretionary time studying the issues which face the APS Board. I am a no nonsense "get the job done" candidate and tax payer.	”
—William Steinberg (2017)

8. What school or community volunteer activities have you participated in related to the community?

“	I am a founding member ofthe Albuquerque Road Runners Club (ARR) and spent fifteen years volunteering for the them. Founded in 1985, the ARR is Albuquerque's oldest and largest open running club created for the promotion ofhealth through running.	”
—William Steinberg (2017)

9. How do you plan to work with constituents?

“	The board should be accessible to constituents. I will be available at the District 7 PTO meetings. I am open to any dialogue at board meetings with the public.	”
—William Steinberg (2017)

10. What do you see as opportunities and challenges to the district?

“	Opportunities: Utilizing the budget directly toward the goal of educating the students is of primary concern. Helping to clear the way for teachers to be able to have some decision making with their teaching plans is also an opportunity. Challenges: Being discretionary with the budget spending will ensure those funds are directly impacting the children's education. Sometimes you must say no in secondary areas that are of lesser importance. We need to keep the teachers from leaving their profession. The current trend for allowing a national program to dictate the structure, nature and content of what our children will learn, is driving away good qualified teachers. The teachers, who have the training, ability and desire to teach are not being allowed to do their job. We are not graduating the majority of the children.	”
—William Steinberg (2017)

11. What do you think is the best way for the district to accomplish the three academic goals?

a. Early learning - Early learning begins with expecting parents, is nurtured as children develop language and number skills in elementary school, and grows with students as they mature in supportive classrooms becoming adept at using these skills in a variety of contexts.

“	The schools' role is to educate the children from the time they are enrolled in school in the fundamentals of reading, writing and math. While education does begin with expecting parents the role of the school is to work with the children starting with kindergarten and/or first grade on through graduation.	”
—William Steinberg (2017)

b. College and Career Readiness - Students acquire skills which support formal and informal life-long learning to adapt and remain productive through changing economic and job market landscapes. All students will be prepared for postsecondary opportunities (college and/or career) without the need for remediation.

“	If we allow the teachers to design and develop their curriculum and support the students in reaching their potential, there will be no need for remediation. What is affecting our results today is a national entity which robs teachers, parents and children of a skillfully designed curriculum which prepares them for life using their individual talents. Our teachers know you cannot make a society with a template. Empower the teachers to use their instincts, knowledge, talents and influence to prepare the children for a life of growth and success after graduation.	”
—William Steinberg (2017)

c. Developing the Whole Child - APS will ensure each child is safe, engaged, challenged and supported through programs and practices focused on removing social, emotional and physical barriers to learning and increased health literacy.

• Safe and welcoming environment
• Whole Child includes ... physical, mental, emotional, social, intellectual
• Remove barriers to learning
• Discover and develop individual gifts and talents
• Use skills to better the community

“	As stated in item b, allowing the teachers to design and develop their curriculum, will in turn support the children in reaching their full potential. Parents also play a role here to ensure the child is adequately cared for. All children have the same basic needs; to be loved, and provided for by their families. They should be fully educated by the teachers, and once they've successfully graduated, they have the opportunity to be gainfully employed in the community.	”
—William Steinberg (2017)

12. If elected, how will you work with the current board?

“	I believe in being a team player. We are all working toward the same goals to get the job done. Working in the private sector, you are 100% results driven. Failure is not an option. Working with teams you must embrace diversity and drive the goals of the board.	”
—William Steinberg (2017)

See also

• Albuquerque Public Schools, New Mexico
• Albuquerque Public Schools elections (2017)

External links

Suggest a link

• Albuquerque Public Schools