School Board Candidate Interview: Matt Smith
The Temple City Voice will be publishing a series of candidates’ interviews for the November 2009 School Board election. This interview is the second of three we have planned.
Matt Smith, incumbent school board member running for re-election this November, is no stranger to Temple City.
Written by TAYLOR EVANKO / Published October 16, 2009
Prior to serving on the school board for a total of 11 years, Smith has always been involved in the community, participating in activities ranging from coaching little league and soccer teams to being involved with Parent Teacher Association (now the Parent Teacher Student Association) and serving on the school site council for Longden Elementary School. He was appointed to the school board in 1998 as a replacement for a retiring board member and has served on the board ever since.
When asked about how long it took for him to completely settle in as a board member, Smith responded by saying, “At least a good year into it, if not more.”
Smith realized early on that being a good board member required far more than the minimum duties of public service. “It’s a commitment of time,” he said.
Smith was able to become a more informed board member by communicating with school board members from other districts through School Services of California Inc., a company aimed at assisting educational agencies across California.
Over the years, he has learned a great deal about issues that other districts have faced and occasionally meets someone dealing with problems similar to those that the Temple City Unified School District (TCUSD) is facing.
“Some issues them are very fun, some issues are more difficult than others, but they are always interesting,” Smith reflected about the issues that frequently come up during board meetings in Temple City.
Two issues that are often discussed are the budget, a problem that school districts all across the state are dealing with as well, and Temple City’s aging facilities. These two issues are not completely independent of each other.
“There are problems that are waiting to happen,” Smith commented on the infrastructure of Temple City’s schools. However, due to the tanking economy, now may not be the best time for Temple City to invest in renovating its schools, something that Smith is very aware of. TCUSD’s shrinking budget does not exactly allow room for projects, such as revamping facilities, that may be needed in the near future.
The budget grew in years 2006-2008, but started to shrink in 2009. It is now down to the size that it was back in 2006. Smith commented on the budget, saying that, “[The] consensus has been that are not out of the woods yet.”
When asked about the upcoming school board elections and his chances of being reelected, Smith responded by saying that he was “optimistic” but isn’t taking anything for granted. “You never know what’s going to happen,” he said.
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