Ellen Multari, Neighbor

My husband, Al, and I have been married for 24 years and have three children: Emily, 20, UCSB junior; Joey, 17, LCHS senior; and Jack, 13, LCHS 8th grader. I was born and raised in the city of Los Angeles and graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Developmental Psychology.   After college, I deferred my acceptance to UCLA graduate program in Education to pursue a career in retail management and worked as a buyer in several different merchandise categories.  I developed excellent financial planning skills and managed profit and sales goals on businesses with annual revenue in excess of $30 million. I enjoyed a successful 13 year career until we moved away from Southern California in 1997.

During the 10 years that we were away from the Los Angeles area, my children attended both public and private schools around the country.  Some were great, some okay and some were unacceptable.  Through my involvement in the classroom as well as through my growing roles in PTA's, Site Councils and fundraising organizations, I gained great insight into the common elements that made for a great school:  a highly involved community; engaged and well motivated faculty and staff; effective communication between school and home; and reliable supplemental financing to provide for continuity and improvement of programs that were underfunded by tuition or public funding alone.  To the extent that any of these elements were absent or poorly supported, educational quality suffered.  We expect far too much of our students to not provide them ALL the tools to help them achieve their personal best.

As a member of the LCUSD Governing Board, I will work to create an environment of ever-improving excellence in our schools and in our community.   I believe in greater teacher and board accountability to student performance and parent concerns.   I believe in financial clarity at the board and district level that provides the community with a working understanding of our budgets and our fiscal challenges.  I believe in reliable supplemental funding to insure the continuity and improvement of our hallmark programs such as class size reduction.  I believe the board needs to communicate on a regular, timely basis and seek community input on policy changes that impact us all. With your support, I commit to bring perspective,  common sense and experience to the challenges that face us today and in the future.

In the past four years, my LCUSD experience includes:

• PCR PTA Financial Secretary, 9/07 - 6/10<br>• PCR Site Council, 9/09 - 6/10<br>• LCUSD Bond Oversight Committee, 10/07 - Present<br>• LCHS 7/8 PTA Spring Home Tour Publicity Chair, 2008 and 2011<br>• LCHS 7/8 PTA Auditor, 9/10 - Present<br>• LCFEF Director, 9/09 - Present<br>• LCHS School Site Council, 9/10 - Present<br>• 2011 LCFEF Gala Publicity Chair<br>• LCUSD Task Force 7/8 Site Leader, 1/11 – 6/11