Lesli Stein Three Las Virgenes Unified School District Board of Education incumbents and two newcomers have filed to run in the November 2009 election.

President Dave Moorman and incumbent board members Gordon Whitehead and Cindy Iser are seeking reelection, while newcomers Lesli Stein and Diane Combes are running for the first time.

But Iser said she wouldn’t return to her fouryear post because she wants to fill the twoyear spot left vacant by Terilyn Finders, who left the school board in 2008 after accepting a job with a Los Angeles law firm that handles educational issues, including those in the Las Virgenes district. The job would have posed a conflict of interest for Finders, so she resigned.

Former board member Pat Schulz has filled Finders’ spot for the past year, but did not want to run for reelection.

The two years remaining on Finders’ term will be filled by Iser, who is running for the post uncontested.

Diane Combes “I decided to run for the twoyear seat in order to be in a position to continue to focus on the important and difficult business of the board and district, and not be distracted by the extraordinary time and effort required to campaign for election, Iser said. “I have not made a decision whether to run for another term after the term of the two- year seat expires. That’s always an option.”

Stein, an Agoura Hills resident, said she is “passionate” about public education, especially the Las Virgenes Unified School District.

Stein has 12 years of volunteer leadership experience. For eight years she served as the Parent Faculty Club president at local schools including Agoura High School, and has been actively involved in all levels of education from kindergarten through twelfth grade. She also worked as a volunteer at the district level, chosen as a member of the K-12 Student Success Task Force. The committee studied ways to increase student achievement.

Stein also helped implement the LinkCrew transition program that made it easier for middle school students to move into high school.

Stein launched a parent education lecture series, was a member of the team that developed a plan for new school and district websites, and worked on a college application and acceptance program.

“I have a record of consistent and productive collaboration with parents, students, teachers, administrators, and district personnel as well as business and city leaders,” Stein said.

The most critical issue facing the school board is the budget, she said.

“The state budget is fragile, the school budget is fragile,” she said. “We need experienced people listening to the right people and asking the right questions. That’s what I do.”

A former retail executive who now works as a business broker, Combes said she has been active with the Calabasas High School Parent Faculty Club for the past year. She was elected to the school’s site council and was nominated to serve as secretary for the council.

In addition, Combes is the cochair of the PFC hospitality committee and accepted the post of vice president of the volunteers this year.

Combes said her background in the intense, fast paced retail industry will help her on the school board.

“My constituents were consumers,” she said. “They were demanding and clear about their needs. I am trained to meet the demands of a very articulate group. My skills will transcend into playing that role on the board where my constituents will be parents, students, teachers and administrators.”

A former high school special education teacher, Combes said she is committed to improving the environment for special ed students and their teachers and parents.

“I will be an advocate for all groups concerned,” she said.

Combes lives in Bell Canyon and has two children attending Calabasas High School.