Our Social Policy Positions
Education
In 1993, following the defeat of a state wide initiative to establish a school voucher system, the League of Women Voters of the Monterey Peninsula concluded that it did not have sufficient information on the state of education in the public schools of the Monterey Peninsula. An extensive three year study of the three local school districts, grades K-12, was concluded in March, 1996. The following position was adopted as a consequence of this study.
Position: Clear learning standards with tests to determine student achievement should be established by local school districts, the state, and the nation. Student achievement should be a factor in the evaluation of district superintendents, principals, and teachers. Provision should be made for quality education for students with varying goals, i.e., higher education at college or university or vocational. A primary goal of school districts and the state should be the reduction in class size. It is appropriate for school districts to make provision for instilling values as well as developing academic skills and imparting knowledge to students.
The League supports:
- Establishing clear learning standards by the state at each grade level and in all areas of the curriculum. These standards should define what students should know and be able to do.
- Establishing any additional standards deemed necessary by school districts, above and beyond those established by the state. Until such time as state standards are established, local school districts should define and adopt their own.
- Frequent testing of pupils at each grade level in all areas of the curriculum to determine the level of attainment of local school district standards (and state and national standards when these are established).
- Using state and national tests based on a standardized norm to assess the achievement of pupils.
- Offering courses for the college bound as well as vocational preparation.
- Requiring students to pass established minimum standards in English and math as a part of high school graduation requirements.
- Involving business persons and the community at large in evaluating student preparation for the job market.
- Using district resources to make specific provision for instilling values such as cooperation, honesty, responsibility, and citizen participation in pupils. These should be incorporated into general class instruction as much as possible without affecting the teaching of subject matter.
- Establishing a clearly defined evaluation and accountability system for the district superintendent, principals, and teachers that includes student achievement as a factor. The learner's progress should be measured in terms of growth from an established baseline for that learner.
- Providing opportunities for parental involvement in the educational policies affecting their children's learning.
- Reducing the number of pupils per teacher with a goal of 1-20 at K through three and 1-25 at four through twelve and working with the state League to support a state mandated maximum class size of 25 pupils per teacher.
- Exploring additional means of making open enrollment and interdistrict transfers available to all peninsula students, contingent upon space available. Priority should be given to students wanting to attend their neighborhood schools.
- Consistently enforcing district enumerated consequences for unacceptable behavior.
- Providing computer education programs, including opportunities to apply learned computer skills to academic work.
- Directing district funds towards reducing class size.
- Recommending that Monterey County require school districts to use a standard program budget format.
- Using general education funds for staff development programs. However, the school year should not be less than 180 days, and alternative times outside the school year should be encouraged for staff development. Eight days for staff development seems excessive.
Housing
The League of Women Voters supports measures which would ensure an adequate supply of affordable housing on the Monterey Peninsula. We recognize that the scarcity of affordable housing constitutes a crisis. We also realize that the need for increasing housing must be balanced with the need for open space. We give attention to the stresses involved the impact on transportation and services of all sorts and the fact that there is a limit to the supply of land, water, wastewater treatment, and parking. We also take into account that the County and city general plans limit the amount of development. While recognizing these constraints, we support the following objectives:
- To stress that priority be given to development of housing for low and moderate income persons.
- To support both public and private programs aimed at providing affordable housing.
- To encourage governmental officials to keep abreast of the most recent and innovative ways to promote increased affordable housing, i.e., innovative financing, land availability, streamlining the permit process, and assignment of a staff person to housing.
- To encourage private and public entities to make increased land available for affordable housing.
- To press for the dispersal of affordable housing throughout the community. This includes support for on-site inclusionary housing policies.
- To encourage the State to employ sanctions to enforce Housing Elements of General Plans.
We support reasonable flexibility in zoning laws and development standards to keep building costs down. This could include cluster development, decreased height restrictions, smaller units, decreased setbacks, second units on existing family property, manufactured homes, and well-designed mobile home parks.
The League supports educating and motivating the community about affordable housing issues. This includes writing and distributing factual pamphlets, meeting with neighborhood associations, and sponsoring housing forums.
Probation
The following position was adopted after a study in 1974:
The League supports measures which will enable Probation Systems of Monterey County to protect society by means of adequate assistance to both the courts and probationers.
Objectives:
- Probation Department: The Department should define for itself written goals and objectives that are reasonable and measurable. Pertinent records should be kept current so that the effectiveness of probation can be measured and evaluated on a regular basis.
- Courts: Courts should explore a broad scope of sentencing options appropriate to offender needs, other than probation and fines, to assure that those placed on probation receive assistance to develop a more normal life in the community.
- Community Resources: Adequate community resources should be made available to meet the individual needs of both juvenile and adult probationers.
- Client Involvement: The probationer should be involved in determining needs in planning his or her own probation program.
- Juvenile Justice Commission: As a citizens' group, the Juvenile Justice Commission should take more initiative in fulfilling its functions.
- Personnel: Personnel should reflect the client population and culture and include non-professionals as aids, paraprofessionals, and volunteers. Hiring policies should be sufficiently flexible to include a balance of education, experience, and personal attitudes and qualities which are sympathetic to human needs. Staff orientation, in-service training, and on-going evaluations should be developed and periodically updated.
- Funding: Consideration should be given to any and all sources of funding available to provide adequate supportive services within the community.
Public Assistance
The League position grew out of a study on Monterey County Government. The Study Committee produced a detailed report entitled "Welfare in Monterey County, Burden or Opportunity?" which contained recommendations on administration of public assistance, services for families and children, and need for public information. In April, 1968, the League adopted the following position:
- Support of Public Assistance Programs that respond to changing economic and social needs of the poor in Monterey County, including elderly and working poor.
- Support of measures that will promote greater public understanding of public assistance in Monterey County.
