John Andersen Had the Conejo Valley Unified School District board been more proactive, according to John Andersen, it could have saved a lot of trouble in recent years.

In his second time running for the school board, the 22-year Newbury Park resident plans to focus on bringing back some of the hundreds of students who have left CVUSD.

"I think one of the biggest mistakes the board made was not being proactive in bringing in new programs that would do two things: prevent families from leaving or bring families to the district," Andersen, 53, said. "I'd like to be seen as a little more forward-thinking and willing to look down the road a little bit more."

There's a big difference between raising funds and putting in the effort to stop losing them.

"Some of my opponents focus a lot on cost savings," Andersen said. "That thinking is part of what got us to this point. I focus on revenue generation."

Andersen would prefer to look at why students left and how to get them back.

"We have lost between 400 and 500 students in recent years," Andersen said. "My opponents say we've had 300 transfer in. I say that's apples and oranges.

"We need to take exit interviews seriously. We need to understand why parents left the district so we can fix the problems we have and create the opportunities we need."

Andersen said he thinks magnet schools are smart, and he wished the board had started looking at developing a school a couple of years ago. Programs like the technology magnet in the Pleasant Valley district and the home-based program in Las Virgenes Unified, he said, are examples of ideas that could help bring in more kids.

He also recommended looking at expanding the International Baccalaureate program at NPHS to Westlake in an attempt to draw students from other areas.

"These are cases where we might be able to leverage our success," Andersen said. "If we have something very successful, let's look at it and see if we can multiply that success."

Andersen is convinced that school closure wasn't and isn't necessary. He's in favor of keeping Meadows open and otherwise supports a charter school.

"I don't like looking at education in a competitive environment. We all live in this community together, and we all have to get along. But my first commitment is to try to reopen Meadows."

Andersen also called for better communication between the district and parents, perhaps using the Internet or email to better convey policy issues to the broader community.

The candidate has 27 years of experience in corporate America—22 with GTE/Verizon, most as senior manager, and five years in professional recruiting. In 2005, Andersen opened The Conejo Grind, a catering company specializing in gourmet drinks. In addition to owning the company, he's approaching two years as a financial adviser.

He and his wife of 31 years, Cindy Jung Andersen, have three adult children, all of whom attended kindergarten through high school in Conejo Valley district.

Andersen's been active in parent-teacher organizations during the school years of all of his children.

He's volunteered as a coach for track and cross country, at Newbury Park High School and elsewhere, and he's been active in his church for nearly 20 years.

For more information, visit www.john4schoolboard.com.