Rob Collins The leading vote-getter in Simi Valley Unified school board's 2004 election is back in the 2008 race.

Simi Valley Unified board president Rob Collins, 65, hopes his experience and deep roots in the education community will catapult him to another four-year term on Nov. 4. A teacher for 40 years, Collins is not short on qualifications.

"I've been on the board for almost four years. I've been a teacher, an administrator, an academic decathlon coach, a basketball coach, a tennis coach and an activities director," said Collins, who has lived in Simi Valley since 1969.

He won a Lew Roth Award in 1998 for teacher of the year and also served on the Ventura County Board of Education before joining Simi Valley's board.

Collins said his biggest goal is to continue to improve the quality of education for district students.

He pointed out the most significant issue clouding the future of Simi Valley Unified is the unresolved California budget.

"The biggest problem, of course, is the budget issue," Collins said. "We still don't have a budget. If cash flow stops, we may have to borrow money. If we have to make cuts, we will try to keep them as far away from the classroom as possible. We have to roll up our sleeves and prioritize how much money we have and what's the best use."

The longtime Simi Valley educator, who teaches two political science courses at College of the Canyons and has recently taught at Moorpark College, is proud of being the first person in the city to propose forming a health and wellness committee, which he did before joining the board.

"Obesity of children is a national problem," he said. "We need to do everything we can to make sure our children are healthy."

Collins also wants to expand vocational technology programs for students entering the working world out of high school and perhaps start a school-to-work task force.

He said he thinks working more closely with the Simi Valley Adult School, one of the most comprehensive institutions of its kind in the county, will give high school students more opportunities to succeed.

"I'm really passionate about that," Collins said. "We need to help all our students be successful. We do a great job with the high-performing students, but that's just 10 percent of kids, and we have a great special education program. Where we fail is with the kids in the middle who aren't sure what they want to do and are not really strong with their goals. We need to help them."

Other important issues for Collins include school safety, expanding communityparentteacher partnerships and equipping classrooms with improved technology.

Collins' wife, Diane, served on the Simi Valley Unified school board for 12 years, ending her service in 2000. Diane Collins teaches third grade at a downtown Los Angeles elementary school. All four of the Collins' children went through the Simi Valley Unified system.

Rob Collins said he enjoys being part of a focused board that gets along well and he thinks he can bring further stability to the district.

Collins, a teacher for nearly his entire adult life, was asked what he was most proud of accomplishing in his career.

"I'm proudest of teaching for 40 years," he said.