Editor's Note: This is the sixth in a series focusing on candidates seeking one of two seats on the Murrieta Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees. The election is Nov. 8.

MURRIETA —— Teachers need more training, more support.

That's the message candidate Jacqueline Hanny emphasizes as the main reason she is running for a seat on the Murrieta Valley Unified School District board.

By teaching the teachers how to better deal with the variety of students that are entering public school —— especially students with special needs —— teachers can then improve on their instruction and the whole district benefits, she said.

"When you are training the teachers, it has a domino effect," Hanny said. "You're changing the whole system. It affects the community as a whole, because the quality of education can go nowhere but up."

Hanny is running for one of two seats on the board, challenging seven other candidates: incumbent Kris Thomasian, attorney Richard Ackerman, small-business owner Jan Fletcher, small-business owner Robin Crist, market researcher Wyatt Haupt, educational research consultant Sheree Jederberg and pastor John Wells.

The other seat up for grabs belongs to Austin Linsley, who is not running for re-election.

Hanny's concept includes instructing teachers how to better teach students with special needs.

"I am finding that teachers are not getting the support they need to deal with the 'diverse learners,'" Hanny said, referring to students who need a little bit above and beyond what the classroom is capable of giving, such as speech services and one-on-one aid.

Hanny said there are some issues of concern within the Murrieta school district, but declined to offer specific examples. One general example, she said, is that some students are not being placed in the proper classroom environments. That's where the extra training comes in, Hanny said.

"If the teachers get the support they need, they'll know how to accommodate and modify the curriculum," she said.

Hanny said she wants to see more teacher-to-teacher training, which would cost the school district nothing, and also encourage parents to participate more in the education of their children.

She has in the past confronted the Murrieta school board on her desire to see more teacher training for special education and asked for the district to be more accountable on their education methods, she said.

Hanny, 43, has lived in Murrieta since 1994 and has two children with special needs, one of whom attends a Murrieta school. Hanny is a special education teacher with the Val Verde Unified School District. She has worked in the field of special education for more than 15 years, she said.

While the status of special education is a subject close to her heart, Hanny said there are other issues the school district is facing, such as a ballooning student population.

To help alleviate that concern by building schools faster and cheaper, Hanny said an emphasis needs to be placed on working better and more closely with housing developers.

She also described herself as a "child advocate," and said that, if elected, she would listen to the needs of the community and respond to them.

"I am in a unique situation because I am on both sides of the fence," Hanny said of being a parent and a teacher. "I want to know what their issues are … and how they can be addressed by the school board."

Fellow Val Verde Unified teacher Laura Muehlebach described Hanny as someone who has tirelessly volunteered for PTAs and is someone teachers go to for questions, especially about special education issues.

"I have known Jacqueline for seven years," Muehlebach said. "She is very strong, very dedicated. … She firmly believes in working hand in hand with teachers and educating teachers."

Contact staff writer Jennifer Kabbany at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2625, or jkabbany@californian.com.