Hello! My name is Steve Schulte. I invite you to follow my blog on my
campaign website (SCHULTE for LACCD).
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| SCHULTE for LACCD |
I am a candidate
for the Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees. The election will be
held on March 3, 2015 along with the election for other city offices. I
am running for Seat 5.
There are nine community colleges in the district
(essentially covering the entire City of Los Angeles). These colleges are a
very important entry point towards obtaining a college degree as
well as for preparing students to move into a sound adulthood and into the
workforce. How successful the colleges are in meeting these
objectives clearly affects each of us. None of the nine colleges ranks
anywhere near the top of California’s 112 community colleges.
Therefore, my campaign slogan states…..The college
education you deserve. My overall goal in running for this important
office is to help improve the standards, outcomes and satisfaction rates
with the community colleges.
When I went to college from a farm in Iowa I was fortunate enough to
receive a four-year scholarship at one of the country’s finest colleges---Yale
University. I believe that anyone who aspires to college, has the innate
ability and is willing to work hard deserves the same sort of excellence in an
education that I received at Yale.
So I am running for the LACCD to work with other board members and
the community of Los Angeles to bring improvement. In addition I want to help
strengthen the preparation of future workers for the job force. This will be
incredibly and increasingly important as we compete more vigorously in the
world and in the global economy. Thirdly, I want to support the colleges in
helping to develop students as social and civic successes. Because of their
critical position in society and in the lives of the students our colleges have
a tremendous responsibility in this regard.
I have a life-long love
for learning and for teaching. I believe strongly that good
education leads both to personal improvement and to a strengthening
of our democracy.
In addition to being raised on a family farm in Iowa, I was an
Eagle Scout and an altar boy. I attended a Catholic high school.
I received my BA in political science and history from Yale. After
graduating I taught elementary school in Newark, New Jersey for three
years. I then returned to Iowa and
obtained an MA in public administration from the University of Iowa.
Following work in community development and in healthcare for several
years I moved to Califorrnia. I worked in City Hall for the City Council and
then was hired to be the Executive Director for the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian
Community Services Center. All these were wonderful and
very formative experiences for me. I am grateful for all that I experienced and
learned.
In 1984 I was elected with four others to the first City Council for
the newly incorporated City of West Hollywood. I served as Councilmember and
Mayor for six years after having won reelection.
In 1994 I enrolled in the UCLA School of Public Health and received a
Master’s in Public Health. Following this I was hired at Kaiser Permanente in
Pasadena and worked there for seven and one-half years. I worked in outside
contracts and as area director of strategic planning and analysis.
Since that time I have worked in government relations and since 2006
have been certified as an instructor in an OSHA-sponsored program (HAZWOPER)
that prepares professionals in environmental science, safety and emergency
planning, handling hazardous materials, transportation and regulation. I
currently teach part-time.
One last note: for two summers I attended the excellent Summer Classics
program at St. John’s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I took seminars in the
philosophy of Martin Heidigger and in a work by the ancient Greek historian
Xenophon. This past summer I completed a nine-week intensive in Homeric Greek.
I look forward to meeting you and discussing the campaign and my goals
for the community colleges. I welcome your consideration and your vote on March
3.
Thank you.
Steve Schulte
