2016-10-12



Candidates: from left to right, Jean Morgan, Mavrick Von Haug, Tom Courtney and Ruben Medina; FFA members (who served as event moderators) Alexa Walkovitz, Diego Orozco and Keagan Weiss (Madison Redding not pictured). Peter Day, Lucerne Valley Leader

By Peter Day

Staff Writer

LUCERNE VALLEY — A quartet of Lucerne Valley High School FFA student leaders last Tuesday queried, corralled and coaxed the four candidates for two Lucerne Valley Unified School District board seats with more effectiveness than major TV network presidential debate moderators.

Hosted by the Lucerne Valley Economic Development Association, the moderators — all 2016-17 FFA officers — were Alexa Walkovitz, Keagan Weiss, Madison Redding and Diego Orozco. Kris Reilly, former editor of the Leader, served as moderator coach for the students. Currently Reilly is the public information officer for the Victor Union High School District. LVHS FFA adviser Troy Van Bavel introduced the students.

“Working with these students has restored my faith in the future,” said LVEDA president Chuck Bell.

The students introduced the candidates in order of their randomly chosen seating arrangement: Jean Morgan, Mavrick Von Haug, Tom Courtney and Ruben David Medina. With David Orozco keeping time on his cellphone with precision, the moderator team led the candidates through questions for more than an hour. The event was held at the Lucerne Valley Senior Center.

To start off the forum, each candidate was asked to share their reason for running for a school board seat. (The election will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 8).

Morgan, a long time resident, served on the school board several years ago. She recently sold a part of her consulting business and is ready to bring her experience and expertise to the school board.

“I have the time now and certainly the commitment,” she said. “This is a personal thing for me. I had a very unusual education, and for me public education is a miracle. It’s probably the greatest thing our country has for our citizens.”

Von Haug, an incumbent who was appointed to fill former board trustee Joanne “Jodi” Collingham’s vacant seat last spring, first started coming to the High Desert in the early 1970s when his father bought a vacation property near Bell Mountain. Seven years ago, Von Haug purchased a ranch in eastern Lucerne Valley. He became a fulltime resident four years ago and opened the White Elephant Thrift Shop on Old Woman Springs Road. He subsequently moved his business to Big Bear but owns a gym in the Lucerne Valley Shopping Center.

During the last year, he has hosted several giveaway events for the town’s young people. With the help of donors from the Los Angeles area, Von Haug gave 250 bicycles, hundreds of shoes and backpacks to deserving youth.

Von Haug said he is “bringing enlightenment to the students out here.” He wants to help students “technologically and emotionally” and to make each “a more productive person.”

Incumbent Courtney is the longest-serving Lucerne Valley elected official. He started coming to the area in 1969 and moved his family to Lucerne Valley in 1984. He was a Little League organizer for 12 years and was instrumental in founding the school district’s first booster club. After being asked to run for office, Courtney was first elected to office 21 years ago. He currently sits on the California School Board Association and several other district committees.

“I keep myself fairly well busy making sure Lucerne Valley is recognized up and down the state of California,” he said. “It’s important that they know we’re different from Los Angeles and even Victorville area.”

Regarding the school district’s rocky times, Courtney said, “We’ve had a lot of different leadership come and go but I think we have a great leader now.”

A father of 10 children, Medina, his wife and young child moved to Lucerne Valley in 1983. All of his kids went through Lucerne Valley schools and most are grown and with jobs and families of their own. Medina’s family owned three businesses in town, Taco King, the General Store and Rube’s Country Kitchen. He also worked at Omya for 10 years. He currently works for Acosta Sales and Marketing.

Medina currently has more time and wants to “participate more in the community.”

“I’ve got free time,” he said. “I care about my kids, and I care about your kids, and I just want to help make a difference.”

Next, the moderates asked each candidate what would make them a good school board member.

“First, commitment,” Morgan said.

Morgan brings years of education and special districts experience. She has worked with governments and districts for 25 years and has expertise in training and objective and goal setting. She is cooperative and has owned her own company for 26 years.

“I would like to come back on the board to take all of this experience, all of this life skills, all of this education to bring it back to the board and take care of some of the really serious problems that come up.”

Von Haug has performed community service for 10 years in the Inland Empire and Los Angeles area.

“I’m trying to bring the new and upcoming criteria that the children are having down the hill that they’re receiving and make sure they’re receiving up here.”

Courtney’s experience is a plus, he said. He performs ongoing educational training and makes an effort to create and maintain connections up and down the state with educators and legislators.

“I still have another good run in me and I would like to see the schools continue to do better and continue to grow, students and curriculum and opportunity.”

A political newcomer, Medina believes his experience in business and taught him how to think on his feet “without emotion involved.” He knows how to remain calm and make the right decision.

“I think my experience with my 10 children in the school district gives me the experience that I need to be a good school board member. And I’m a hard worker and I’m dedicated to whatever I commit myself to.”

Moderators asked each candidate what goals they have for the school district.

Von Haug said he wants to help bring a “higher form” of education. “The kinds they haven’t seen before.: He also wants to bring adult education opportunities to the town. “It works hand in hand together.”

Courtney, who is a LVUSD representative to the Mitsubishi Cement Corporation Educational Foundation, wants to make sure all deserving students get their scholarships. He also wants to see the addition of science laboratories at each school.

“I would like to see us becoming more involved in science.”

He believes that whether or not a student goes onto college, they can receive good jobs and become valuable community members.

Medina would like to see the addition of a nutrition program and an emphasis on improving student physical fitness through the addition of stationery bikes and other cardiovascular tools and equipment.

“I think we need to focus on our kids more. I think we can do better in physical education.”

Despite a lack of Average Daily Attendance funding due to small student population, Morgan believe the district needs to “do whatever it takes to bring students back.”

“Find out from them, their families how we can better meet their needs,” she said.

Candidates were asked what type of higher education programs they wanted to change or add.

According to Courtney, “As a school board member, you can’t change a lot yourself.” But he would like to see more online classes and concurrent enrollment with Victor Valley College.

“There are opportunities for advancement, and we are working on them,” Courtney said.

Medina wants to see an increase in Advanced Placement classes and the ability for students to take college credit classes during high school. He sees many paths for students following high school, citing his children as examples. One is a teacher working on her master’s degree, another is a chef while another child is a diesel mechanic.

“I know that if it was offered they would have taken advantage of it, and I want to work to make that happen.”

Morgan believes it is important to set realistic goals but find ways to attain those goals “regardless of what monies are available.” The school district’s direction depends on teachers, the board and the community. “All three,” she said.

Von Haug, who was a five-time mixed martial arts champion with the name Mavrick Harvey, said that under the Local Control and Accountability Plan, school districts and their stakeholders “can guide and determine where this money is going.”

Through his participation in the state schools sponsored Masters of Governance class, high school students are making six-figure incomes straight out of high school and being hired by Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the likes.

“It is a small town but we have to realize that technology is here and our children can benefit from there.”

The FFA moderators asked candidates to describe their past and present involvement in the community.

Medina said his entire family worked together in their community service based businesses.

“We tried to provide good food for the community at reasonable prices,” Medina said. “I love this community and my desire to serve it and be a part of it has grown more the older I get.”

Morgan shared her extensive list of experiences and contributions. She has been a Lucerne Valley community volunteer for several decades, she is a member of LVEDA and a lifetime member of the Chamber of Commerce. She is a technology trainer and was involved in a volunteer group that helped bring the Science Center to Apple Valley.

Von Haug has acted in seven movies, is a five-time MMA champ, has worked with at-risk youth and currently serves as Lucerne Valley’s honorary mayor.

My goal for Lucerne Valley is to continue to keep it a small town but bring in the wants, needs and desires that the community needs, not for us, but for our children. If our children do not grow and have the ability to grow in this small town, they become the status quo. They don’t become the doctors. They don’t become the lawyers. They don’t become the leaders. And they don’t become community participants.”

Additionally, he said, he wants to “unify the community, make Lucerne Valley a great town and make it respected across the country.”

Courtney has been active in the town, Little League, the first booster club and helped to start the FFA program. His construction company donated — and constructed — the basketball court for elementary school and he has donated tractor work to the FFA. He also has donated a taco cart lunch to show teacher appreciation and has a sponsored a DC Trip student.

“We like to be involved at all levels.”

What are the pro’s and con’s of a small school district, the student moderators asked.

“Nobody appreciates how good this district is until you live in this community,” Morgan said. “They provide a service to each child individually.”

Von Haug said that students a likely to fall through the cracks in larger school district.

“Our students are getting much more care, they’re getting a better education and they getting more attention,” he said.

Courtney recounted his own education in the small town of Hinton, Oklahoma. Lucerne Valley is similar. “There shouldn’t be anything we can’t do in a small school district.”

“Get to know each other is a pro,” he said. “A con is that we’re limited in terms of ADA, but we make up for it by the commitment of staff and parents.”

Medina said students in Lucerne Valley get a better education, have great teachers and enjoy improved student-teacher relationships. The negative is a smaller school budget.

The candidates were asked what they know about the FFA program.

“The FFA program is best,” Von Haug said, adding that a large number of FFA graduates go onto college. “It’s the No. 1 program we do have here in Lucerne Valley.”

Courtney said he is extremely proud to have been named an honorary member of the FFA. He also said FFA students are well behaved.

“They are a shining example of what a school should be,” he said. “They make us proud wherever they go.”

Medina said that all of his 10 children went through the FFA program and that it helped them build strong character.

“It gives them so much more than raising a pig for the fair,” Medina said, adding he would like to see the FFA program continue to grow. “I’m in love with it.”

Morgan called the FFA program the “best program at school.” Moreover, she would like to see the addition of other technology-based programs of the same quality. “I’d like us to to look at some parallel programs that might help.”

Candidates were asked about the importance of sports programs in the district.

Courtney said sports teaches team playing, following instructions and rules and getting along with other people.

“I don’t think schools could get along very well without them.”

Medina said sports such as football, basketball and baseball are needed, however, he would like to see the additional of other aerobics based activities.

“I do think we need to diversify.”

Morgan was a participant in the World Softball League and believes sports is in an integral component of a student’s life. She also appreciates the role volunteers and coaches play.

Sports have been at the center of Von Haug’s life. He played sports in elementary, middle and high school and then became a pioneering MMA professional athlete. He talked about an $8,000 grant that NFL Legend Toussaint Tyler is obtaining for the school district.

Candidates were asked what they think about the Julia Bell Early Learning Center, which provides pre-kindergarten classes.

Medina said that preschool is a positive impact on a developing young student.

Morgan believes that the special facility, located behind the elementary school, separates the youngest students from the rest of the grades, which is positive, she said. Morgan has taught in pre schools and believes that parents deserve a say.

Von Haug sees the Pre K program extremely important in helping a student get off to a good start.

“Preschool is extremely important,” he said. “These kids are going into accredited programs right after high school.”

Courtney noted that the Pre-K academy “it is something that Julia Bell cared a lot about.”

The FFA students asked the candidates about extra classes, summer school and online classes.

“Absolutely!” Morgan said. She recalled a time when students were allowed to take a class in Japanese.

“Online is good,” she said.

Von Haug said that LVHS principal Douglas Ferber and superintendent Peter Livingston are in the process of working with VVC on college credit classes for Lucerne Valley students. Taking college-level classes can help elevate grade point averages, he said.

Courtney noted that Sky Mountain Charter School, which is sponsored by the LVUSD, offers more than 100 advanced courses online.

“We need to keep looking in that avenue.”

Medina concurs with the idea.

“I’ll do everything I can to make it happen,” Medina said.

The moderators asked the candidates the community’s relationship with the school district.

“I want to see the school district grow,” Von Haug said. He wants the district to be competitive with the other district’s in the area.

Courtney commended the LCAP for involving the community in the funding allocation process.

“It’s not just the state’s decision, it’s not just the board’s decision anymore. A perfect example is the music program.”

Medina said he would like to see the school-community dynamic to stay the same, “but improve.”

Morgan said that before coming up to Lucerne Valley, she worked in a department with 100 staff and 300 volunteers. There were seven advisory councils. Lucerne Valley should do the same, encouraging the community to get involved.

“Put them in the driver seat,” Morgan said.

Following a brief question and answer period, the FFA student moderators were given a hearty round of applause.

A video of the candidate forum can be viewed on the Lucerne Valley Leader’s Facebook page at Facebook/LVLeader.

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