ENCINITAS – Candidates for the Encinitas Union School District board of trustees are staking out positions on such issues as preparing students for a rapidly changing work environment; boosting revenue to augment art, physical education and other programs; and determining the role of charter schools.

Three candidates, including one incumbent, are running for two open seats in the Nov. 4 school board election.

Those who win four-year terms on the board will oversee a district that encompasses nine elementary schools in Encinitas and south Carlsbad, with about 5,600 students and a general-fund budget of $50.6 million for the current fiscal year.

The district's test scores, according to the state Academic Performance Index, rank near the top in San Diego County. However, challengers Maureen “Mo” Muir and Mary Page and incumbent Carol Skiljan said the district must continue to improve academic performance while making sure the needs of all students are met, from English learners struggling to keep up with their classmates to advanced students who need increased challenges.

Encinitas Union School District General-fund budget: $50.6 million Enrollment: 5,600 Campuses: Nine Awards: All district schools have been named California Distinguished Schools; two have been named National Blue Ribbon Schools.

“I want the focus to remain on keeping the doors open for all of our kids,” said Page, 48, a part-time attorney and stay-at-home mother making her first run for elective office. Students need to be well-prepared in such basics as language arts and math, and encouraged to appreciate the sciences, where highly skilled workers are needed, she said.

Page said that as a strong advocate for public education, she wants to put her legal background and experience to work for the district by seeking school funding at the local, state and national levels.

Skiljan said that among the challenges faced by the district is helping students who speak a foreign language – whether Spanish, Russian, Farsi, Chinese or something else – to learn English and core academic subjects. At the same time, the district must not neglect the needs of high achievers, she said.

“We're looking at accelerating achievement for all kids – really getting to know our students from the day they enter school, so we're helping kids stretch and learn at their highest rate possible,” said Skiljan, 59, who is seeking her fifth term on the board. She said teachers must help students see how math and technology can open doors for them in the future.

“That's the kind of stuff that has me still excited about being on the school board,” Skiljan said.

Muir, 47, an international flight attendant for American Airlines, said she agrees that the gap between native English speakers and English learners must be closed. Muir, whose 7-year-old son attends Mission Estancia Elementary School, said the district should build on its academic success and work to make public schools the first choice for community residents.

“I think I have enthusiasm; I have fresh ideas; I'm excited about school,” Muir said. “I love Encinitas; I love the school district.”

Among upcoming decisions for the school board is what to do with a 2.8-acre parcel about a block from the beach in downtown Encinitas that once was occupied by Pacific View Elementary School. The school closed five years ago because of declining enrollment, and the district is considering a deal with a developer to swap the campus for land with an office building or other revenue-producing property.

The issue is complicated by a state law called the Naylor Act, which could require the district to offer the land to the city of Encinitas – at a discount – for use as a park. School board President Cathy Regan contends that the law does not apply to the Pacific View property. The issue has recently come into dispute in Encinitas among residents and city officials who support the idea of a park.

Skiljan and Page want to pursue the land swap and use the money that is generated to expand offerings in art, science and physical education. Skiljan said the site is too small for a school by current standards. Only grades five and six were housed there immediately before Pacific View closed.

“If we could create something where we're getting income, everybody wins,” Skiljan said.

Muir said she believes the district should keep the property, which could be used for future school expansion if enrollment increases. She suggested that such a significant issue should be voted on by the public.

“I just don't want to lose the property at this point,” Muir said. “Once the property is gone, it's gone.”

Another area of disagreement centers on charter schools. In August, the school board voted to revoke the charter of the TIP Academy, which had been beset by management problems.

Muir said she would be open to another charter-school proposal.

“I think a well-run charter school would provide one more option for the children of the community,” Muir said.

Page said she would want the district to improve its own schools before establishing another charter school, while Skiljan said the laws governing charter schools in California have a negative impact on students who are not in them.

“This takes money away from the kids who are already in our schools,” she said.

Charter schools are independently run entities that agree to meet academic goals in exchange for freedom from many state regulations. Local school boards grant a license to operate by approving the charter, or founding document.

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Joe Tash is a freelance writer.