School board’s Iser campaigns on experience

Cindy Iser Cindy Iser has served on the Las Virgenes Unified School District Board of Education for four years, but says she’s just now hitting her stride.

Iser is one of two incumbents running for three school board seats. Longtime school board member Judy Jordan did not file for reelection. The election is scheduled for Nov. 8.

As the current board vice president, Iser has tackled everything from shrinking budgets and community oversight of new facilities to character issues, the importance of art and music in the curriculum, and the overall improvement of educational programs in the Las Virgenes district.

Iser favors a collaborative approach to education in which the local cities and businesses try to help the school district financially. The partnership has helped bolster academic and extracurricular activities throughout the district and has helped bridged the budget gap that resulted from extensive state cutbacks two years ago.

Creating public awareness of school issues has been important to Iser. Her work with the city of Calabasas prompted the city to finance the televised broadcast of school board meetings. And Iser helped form citizen oversight committees to provide expertise on construction and Measure E expenditures.

“Cindy has proven to be a dedicated and immensely productive school board member,” said fellow school board member Terilyn Finders. “She’s a great leader, willing to ask tough questions and make the right choices for our kids.”

“Leadership is not about having all the right answers, but knowing how to ask the right questions,” Iser said.

As an attorney, Iser asks insightful questions and has honed her mediation skills, both of which help the school board’s focus.

“I listen to all sides, and always work to bring people together to find solutions which work for everyone,” she said.

A lifelong learner herself, Iser studies national and statewide educational trends and distills pertinent information that might benefit Las Virgenes. She’s the force behind the popular “Every 15 Minutes” program, a safe driving program for high school students, and was involved in hiring new counselors, deans and assistant principals.

Iser’s background in corporate law and management has been a valuable asset to local schools. She currently works on a district committee that oversees placement of a new elementary school in Calabasas and the construction of Yerba Buena Elementary School in Agoura Hills.

She’s also a member of the school board curriculum council and says that she regularly meets with parent leaders, teachers and students to discuss their education concerns.

Of all her school board achievements, Iser said that her greatest accomplishment was creating a vision of what the district’s new leader should offer. The school board hired new superintendent, Dr. Sandra Smyser, last summer.

“If you speak with a principal or teacher, you will find (that Dr. Smyser) is changing the tenor and tone of the district for students and staff,” Iser said.

Iser foresees much more work on the horizon.

“Let’s face it—public education is under the microscope, the pressure is on and the heat is up,” she said. “From the federal push for No Child Left Behind to state standards and billion-dollar budget cuts, public education faces converging demands while underscored by extraordinary—and justified—expectations of excellence.”

Iser is married with two sons and lives in Calabasas.