DEMOCRACY IN ACTION-Simi Valley school board candidates Steven Gould and Jeanne Davis take part in Wednesday's forum held at city hall. Community members had the opportunity to pose questions to the seven candidates who took part. On Nov. 7, Simi voters will have to pick two from the 10 running to represent the area on the school board. Seven candidates vying for two open seats on the Simi Valley Unified School District Board of Education faced a barrage of questions Wednesday night at an informational forum for residents.

The event, sponsored by the Simi Valley PTA/PTSA Council, was moderated by James M. McGoldrick Jr., a professor of law at Pepperdine University.

"Voting in our country is a right and a privilege, and along with that privilege comes the responsibility to make informed decisions," said Tricia Kremer, legislation chairperson for the Simi Valley PTA/PTSA Council.

Candidates taking part in the forum included Randy Sundeen, Eric Lundstrom, Steven Gould, Thurlow Partridge Jr., Jeanne Davis, Raymond Cruz and Tim Camarillo.

MAKING HIS CASE-School board candidate Raymond Cruz, right, responds to questions from a member of the audience. Candidate Thurlow Partridge Jr. listens at left. The format allowed residents to directly question candidates on the issues.

"I'm concerned with the financial situations of the schools and the lack of extracurricular activities. I want to know why more isn't being offered and where all the money in our district is going," said Cheryl Rietveld, the mother of three children in Simi Valley schools.

Questions dealt with a wide range of issues including declining enrollment, the future of elective and arts programs, physical education credits for cheerleading and marching band, and whether there is a role for religion in schools.

Some topics elicited a unanimous opinion from the panel. All the candidates favored P.E. credits for extracurricular sports and backed state guidelines in regard to the teaching of evolution.

Other topics, such as school uniforms, revealed differences in ideology among the candidates. Davis, Gould, Partridge and Cruz favored school uniforms, with parental approval, while Camarillo, Lundstrom and Sundeen spoke for the right of expression among stu

Simi Valley parent of three

dents as long as clothing met school policies.

The candidates also had differing opinions on how to better manage the district's financial situation. Cruz, Partridge and Lundstrom argued that their own financial backgrounds would allow them to do an indepth analysis of the budget to better distribute resources, while Davis and Camarillo stressed the need for the district to find more funding opportunities with grants.

Gould, who served on the school board from 2000-04, saw increased technology in the classroom and development of a new teaching method for the 21st century as vital.

In their opening addresses, Sundeen, Davis and Camarillo all presented arguments for increased vocational programs.

Higher pay and assistance with housing to help retain teachers was backed by Partridge.

Davis argued for comprehensive evacuation plans to help promote the safety of district students.

The school board election will take place on Nov. 7.