Abbe, Trujillo, Sawyer win LHPUSD seats By MATT KAPKO Half Moon Bay Review November 3, 2004 In an election decided by 1,668 voters, Jessica Abbe, Larry Trujillo and Ed Sawyer came out on top, ending a campaign for seats on the La Honda-Pescadero Unified School District Board of Trustees that's been free of mudslinging and rested solely on the issues. They will join the board Dec. 9. All four candidates brought unique experiences in education to the table and remained determined to improve students' potential by diversifying programs at the schools. Abbe got 608 votes, Trujillo received 526, Sawyer picked up 376 and Robert Monsen got 158. Abbe, 47, wants to continue her fund-raising efforts for the schools, and hopes to find the money to increase teachers' salaries. She wants the district to put more energy into meeting the needs of gifted students, saying that they are often left out of the bigger picture. She thinks the district is making great strides of improvement and wants to facilitate a better promotion of that progress in the community. "I'm delighted to be serving on this board," she said. She said her first goal would be to better understand the causes of declining enrollment in the district. The district needs to take a more active role in recognizing public dissatisfactions by making itself more available to hear parents' concerns, she said. Trujillo, 57, wants to review district funding and hopes to create a sound budget through more fund-raising. He also wants to introduce new, innovative programs at district schools and further extend the Step to College program that he introduced in the district. The program is a collaborative effort between area universities and K-12 students to better prepare district students for college and introduce them to university life. "I'm very honored that the community had the confidence in me to represent them on the school board," he said. Sawyer, 52, ran a campaign focusing on his ability to think outside the box. He's aware of other small public schools that excel in education and arts despite similar budget constraints, and wants to seek their advice. He wants the district to pursue more funding that would be free of regulations, and sees government placing too many hindrances on schools' abilities. "I think it's great. I'm in there," Sawyer said shortly after seeing the final results. He said he looks forward to joining the board and learning more about the process. Home