Arleigh Kidd To a former student, it would appear that Simi Valley school board candidate Arleigh Kidd hasn’t changed much since his days teaching social studies at Valley View Middle School.

He is still a gentle giant, towering at 6 feet 4 inches tall.

“I suspect if I win I will be the tallest school board member in the history of Simi Valley,” the ex-student basketball player joked.

Kidd has spent nearly all of his 47 years living in Simi Valley. He attended White Oak Elementary and Valley View, and after graduating from Simi High he went on to earn a degree in history and a teaching credential from Cal State Northridge.

His wife, Felicia, and their two children also went to Simi schools. Today, Adam is a freshman at Moorpark College and Jessica is a junior at Royal.

Once Kidd’s teacher and then later his colleague and friend at Valley View, retired physical education teacher Jamie Kogut said he thinks Kidd is the right choice for the board because of his knowledge and experience, as well as his ability to listen and weigh the issues.

“I think he has his hand on the pulse of what’s going on,” Kogut said, adding, “He knows the inner workings of the school district and he knows what the kids need.”

A former Marine Corps active reservist—he served from 1984 to 1990 as an anti-tank assaultman— Kidd said he joined the military for the same reason he is running for school board: to give back.

“My parents weren’t rich. Very working class . . . (but) I was able to go to college and have a career,” he said. “I want the kids starting kindergarten this year to have those same opportunities and times are tough. I’ve always been an advocate for public education.”

Kidd spent all his years teaching at Valley View. He began as a substitute in 1988 and the next year he added coaching boys’ basketball to his list of duties. In 1990, he went full time. Later, he chaired the social studies department and ran the school’s peer mediation program.

In addition, Kidd served as president of the Simi Educators Association (SEA)—the local teachers’ union—from 2002-2005.

At the end of his term, the California Teachers Association (CTA) offered him a job, and Kidd decided to leave teaching. Today, he works as a consultant and teacher representative for California Teachers Association Region 3, which includes Simi Valley Unified School District.

He’s been asked if that presents a conflict of interest but he says the answer is no.

“I don’t work for the local teacher’s association, I work for the state,” he said. “I work for a public employees’ union, but technically, I work for a private employer.”

He added that if elected, another Region 3 representative would handle anything Simi-related, to avoid even the perception of impropriety.

And while the teachers and school workers unions have endorsed him, he said they might not always agree with him.

While good teachers in the classroom is a primary concern, classified employees like bus drivers and school secretaries have an influence on education, too. But a board member has to balance that with looking out for students, their parents and the budget.

At a time when other school districts are cutting back instruction by several days, Kidd said he feels lucky that his daughter goes to school in Simi, which is only taking two furlough days this year.

He believes that’s due to the board’s responsible handling of the district’s resources and he wants to continue that work to get the district whole again—which means returning to a full school year, hiring back lost classified positions and shrinking K-3 class size ratios back to 20 to 1.

The problem, he said, is it’s difficult to budget on a rollercoaster— especially one that is tied to the state. Kidd said there needs to be reform in Sacramento and more local control. The districts, not politicians, should be able to decide what its needs are and how to best use funds.

Once the district is restored, then it can start adding more programs.

He’d like to see more career technical education—such as wood shop, auto shop, drafting and electronics classes—and to partner with the local businesses to offer apprenticeships to high schoolers.

While he believes kids need to be ready for college upon graduating high school, he said having the skills to enter the work force is just as important, since college is not for everyone.

Another issue? Standardized testing, which he says has become “all consuming” and doesn’t always reflect what’s really going on in the classroom.

“The pendulum has swung too far in that direction in terms of the testing and preparing for the test. . . . Because if your numbers aren’t good, suddenly you’re underperforming.”

He said teachers, parents and board members need to look at the “whole child.”

“My biggest fear is that we’re going to become a nation of good test takers but we won’t know how to change a flat tire or work around our own home or get a job,” he said.

“We’ll have all these kids that can pass a test but can’t do much else.”

Kidd is one of four candidates seeking two open seats on the school board. The election is Tues., Nov. 2.