EL SEGUNDO HERALD October 1, 2020 Page 3
El Segundo School Board Candidates Q&A
Police Reports
Monday, Sep 21st
An animal cruelty report was taken at 0910
hours from the 1400 block of E. Imperial
Avenue. A puppy was found inside of a
locked vehicle.
An identity report was taken at 0913 hours
from the 1900 block of East Grand Avenue.
Unknown suspect(s) stole several Employment
Development Department cards
An identity report was taken at 1012
hours from the 100 block of Main Street.
Unknown suspect(s) gained access to the
victim’s Postmates account and stole money.
One male adult was arrested at 1745 hours
from the 2300 block of East Rosecrans Avenue
for trespassing.
One male adult was arrested at 0348 hours
from Mariposa Avenue and Penn Street for
identity theft, receiving stolen property and
possession of a controlled substance.
Tuesday, Sep 22nd
A grand theft report was taken at 0629
hours from the 100 block of Loma Vista
Election 2020
Street. Unknown suspect(s) stole a catalytic
converter from the victim’s vehicle.
A stolen vehicle report was taken at 0744
hours from the 1500 block of East Maple
Avenue. Taken was a 2002 Jeep Wrangler.
A burglary report was taken at 1016 hours
from the 900 block of Main Street. Unknown
suspect(s) broke into the victim’s garage
storage and stole his property.
One male adult was arrested at 1304
hours from Mariposa Avenue and Nash
Street for possession of medication without
a prescription.
An identity theft report was taken at 1426
hours from the 500 block of Whiting Street.
Unknown suspect(s) fraudulently opened an
account in the victim’s name
Dog Bite Report- A dog bite report was
taken at 1738 hours from the 700 block of
Hillcrest Street.
An online petty theft report was taken at
0400 hours from the 800 block of South
See Police Reports, page 9
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Candidate
Amy Grant
Candidate
Michael Wagner
Candidate
Dieema Wheaton
By Duane Plank
The Herald does not edit candidate answers.
1. What skill set can you bring to the
school board that is unique, considering
that there will be budgetary challenges
in the upcoming years?
Amy Grant: As the director of accounting
for a prestigious talent agency, I have a clear
understanding of the nuances of finance and
how to keep a company fiscally sound. My
unique experience required me to make
responsible financial choices to protect a
company while keeping the humanity of the
talent in mind. Should I be elected, I will
work to balance prudent fiscal choices with
the human needs of our students, families and
other stakeholders. Educational budgeting is
wildly nuanced; my experience puts me in a
strong position to navigate the unprecedented
financial challenges that are coming our
way. My time spent as a talent agent honed
the following skills: communication, listening,
time management, contract negotiation, selfregulation,
team-motivation, and calculated
risk-taking. I will make choices as a Board
member that will keep us safe financially
while acknowledging the deep humanity
inherent to education.
Dieema Wheaton: If elected, I will bring
years of financial experience to the school
board. As an auditor at KPMG, I analyzed
financial statements and internal controls. At
Universal Music Group and Sony Pictures
Entertainment, I developed and managed
annual budgets, financial reports, forecasts,
and strategic plans. I also managed the capital
budgeting process and provided support for
investment decisions on facilities, equipment,
and other assets. My current role as Chief
of Staff at Palm Tree allows me to bring
additional skills necessary to create operational
efficiencies. These skills will assist with
budgetary concerns, contract negotiations,
human capital management, and operational
compliance. Lastly, I am the proud recipient
of the ESUSD PTA Honorary Service Award
for my three terms as PTA/PTSA treasurer.
In this role, I revamped the financial system,
improved existing processes, and established
new ones. This allowed for enhanced budget
transparency, spending accountability, and
overall financial efficiency.
Michael Wagner: My education and pro-
fessional experience provide me the knowledge
and understanding of subtle differences
between educational and business finance.
As an educational administrator and local
business owner, they are significant, and
understanding how local control funding,
district budgeting and school site funding
operate is different than other type of business
finance. My administrative roles in struggling
schools gives me a unique understanding of
resource allocations and how they impact
programming for our teachers and students.
In those roles, I was tasked throughout my
career to ensure the quality and consistency
of programming in under-funded and under
performing schools. As a district, we are
going to face budget short falls now and in
years ahead. In this context it allows me the
distinct experience to help implement new
and innovative plans for our community
that ensure keeping the highest quality
programming for the students.
2. What do you see as the two most
important issues facing the District,
and why?
Dieema Wheaton: In my opinion, the two
most pertinent challenges relate to the current
budget deficit and transitioning students back
to school.
One major concern is how to do more with
less. The impact of a pandemic-triggered
economic slowdown in California brings a
reduction in school funding. In the current
school year, the state funding for ESUSD
is estimated at $30M. Due to the pandemic,
ESUSD will only receive state funding of
$23M, resulting in a $7M deficit during an
already challenging school year.
While ESUSD has protective equipment
stocked and prepared for the return of our
students, schools will need to provide essential
assistance toward the development of the
whole child, including academic, social/
emotional, safety, nutrition, and specialized
support. Providing timely communication with
families and school personnel will ensure the
successful reopening. Once students return,
teachers will need to address learning gaps
and possible emotional/behavioral factors
resulting from the school closures.
Michael Wagner: The two most important
issues we will be facing is under-enrollment
and funding extra-curricular programming. The
state local control funding does not provide
the expenditures of what each student receives
in our district. The community, Ed Foundation
and PTA are making up current shortfalls.
We are also reliant on permit students and
as other districts pull back to keep their own
funding, we may be facing some loss we
can’t makeup. What goes first in a district
when budget and funding are not available is
extra-curricular activities(arts, music, sports).
Studies show that students that are involved
in extra-curricular programming are better
served in their academic process and for
institutions of higher learning. Without this
funding, it can have devastating outcomes
for a school’s morale, culture and especially
for the students directly involved in those
extra-curricular programs.
Amy Grant: Without question the most
pressing issue that our district faces is the
7 million dollar deficit. The good news is,
ESUSD has handled their finances responsibly
and we are one of the few school districts in
the South Bay that does not need to borrow
from outside sources…yet. This is where
the challenge is…our Board must continue
to make prudent choices that will keep us
on a smart financial path. We will need
creative, out of the box thinking to bridge
at least part of the financial gap. The second
issue is how best to support our students
and families through distance learning while
mitigating any potential learning loss. Our
district has done a phenomenal job improving
the distance learning format and we must
stay diligent with honest communication so
we can address future issues quickly and
thoughtfully. •