Just two weeks ago, there was some indication that this year’s election would also be canceled. Millard announced his candidacy on July 9, but then rescinded it after Broberg told his campaign manager that if any new candidates run for office, the election would cost the cash-strapped district $75,000.
Dave Wilcox, a longtime engineering professor at USC and UCLA, said he found it “alarming” that the election might once again be canceled, and said the city and the school district will benefit from a little healthy competition.
If elected to the school board, Dave Wilcox said he would push the district to explore the possibility of seeking charter status for its schools. In addition, he would take a much harder line in negotiating with teachers’ unions, he said, which wield too much power within the district.
“I would want to hire the toughest lawyer to handle those negotiations,” Dave Wilcox said. “I would want the strongest legal representation that we could possibly get, and not just hand over all kinds of goodies to [the teachers] to the detriment of the students.”
Koeppen said his background as a financial consultant and his experience handling multi-million budgets for major entertainment studios make him a strong candidate for the job. He said he too would like the district to explore the idea of charter schools because it will untie the district’s hands in terms of spending.
“I believe it is an option because it does give us as a community control of where the funds go,” Koeppen said. “We are in control of the direction of the schools. Money won’t have a lot of strings attached to it.”
