Election signs are running rampant. Campaign buttons are in
fashion. The voting season is in full tilt.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Part one of this story, which featured Armando Benavides, Brenda Cayme, Kirsten Francis Carr and Bart Fisher ran in Tuesday’s edition of the Times. To see the previous story, click here.
Election signs are running rampant. Campaign buttons are in fashion. The voting season is in full tilt. Election Day is 25 days away.
Tuesday, we introduced – in alphabetical order – four candidates who hope to serve on the Morgan Hill Unified board of education for the next four years. Today, meet the next four, in the simplest terms: An experienced incumbent, a school volunteer, a veteran trustee and a retired educator.
MOODY: SERVING IS MY WAY OF GIVING BACK
Incumbent Don Moody had a hand in all things Morgan Hill Unified throughout his daughters’ childhood until their eventual graduation from Live Oak. He waited to try for the school board until they left for college, to avoid any conflicts, he said.
“I was as close to being on the board as you could without being on the board. It gave me a good background and I got a good sense of things,” Moody said. Before he was appointed to the board in 2004 after a trustee resigned and his re-election in 2006, Moody was on school site councils, district committees and engaged in school fundraising efforts.
“My daughters have good, sound educations. I give a lot of credit to their teachers. Here’s my chance to give back. Also, I really am interested in academic achievement,” Moody, 58, said. His wife, Sandy, is also employed with MHUSD as a Jackson Elementary School office secretary.
Moody said his experience will put him ahead of the learning curve. He knows what it takes to get up to speed; “It can be very challenging,” said Moody, who by day is the general manager of a biotechnology company with offices in Hollister and San Diego.
This year, the board will look at the budget even earlier than it has since Moody joined the board six years ago. His experience as a parent volunteer adds to his perspective of a board of education’s role: Creating the vision for the district.
“I know what it’s like to stand at the podium (at the board meeting) and advocate for my special interest. It’s hard but at least you’re able to understand the impact and the alternatives,” he said.
Maintaining fiscally sound practices at the district office is essential, though candidates and the community know cuts are likely on the horizon.
Moody said he would look at increasing class sizes to 30 children to one teacher in elementary schools, adding employee furlough days and continuing the early retirement incentive given last year to save money but keep the newer and often lower-salaried teachers.
“All kids need to succeed and I would like to see the district do that better,” Moody said. He advocates “education equity” and said that when he makes a decision, “I think, ‘is this the best decision for the kids?’ ”
Working with Superintendent Wes Smith after he and the current board hired him last November made his decision to seek re-election an easy one.
“He’s brought about a change. We were very ready for that,” Moody said.
Now, it’s time to focus on increasing overall academic performance, closing the achievement gap and ensuring the schools are safe environments.
“Whether I get re-elected or not, it has been a real honor to serve the community in this capacity,” Moody said.
ROSSI: BILINGUAL TRUSTEE WOULD OPEN COMMUNICATION
When Claudia Rossi was in elementary school, she was an English language learner.
“I have perspective. And I have a lot of fire inside of me. A mother’s voice can be very useful in the process,” Rossi, 42, said.
The mother of two was a registered nurse before she became a stay-at-home mom and a full-time volunteer at Nordstrom Elementary School where her children attend.
“I’ve made volunteering my job. I get up in the morning and go to school,” Rossi said. She said a mother’s viewpoint is important and her vote in any decision would directly affect her children, making the job even more serious.
As a first-time candidate, Rossi is excited at the possibility of serving and if elected she would like to hold office hours at the district office, though she understands her schedule is more flexible than her colleagues.’
“I want to listen and I am comfortable with different opinions. I come to it with an open mind and open heart,” Rossi said. Her experience as a nurse and having to work collaboratively was an education on dealing with different temperaments and problem solving.
“I want to hear about things before they boil over,” Rossi said.
Currently, no member of the current board is a minority. To that point, Rossi said it’s something that would be helpful in communicating with the school population, which does include a large group of parents whose first language is not English.
“I think the fact that people can approach me in Spanish and English is helpful,” Rossi said, who is from Colombia.
She said she often gives out her phone number to parents at the school “if they need anything. My phone is always ringing,” Rossi said.
Rossi didn’t specify what she would look at first if she must make cuts to the budget, rather she would consider all options and work with other board members and staff before making a list of ways to save.
She would like to see increased parental involvement among English learners and the low socioeconomically disadvantaged groups to help close the achievement gap. Also, after-school tutoring has demonstrated to be cost-efficient and highly effective, Rossi said.
THOMAS: CONTINUING ACCOUNTABILITY TO THE COMMUNITY
She’s the veteran school board member – two four-year terms and counting – and three superintendents later, Shelle Thomas still wants to serve and her values remain the same: Accountability to the community and fiscal responsibility.
“Everyone has to be your priority,” when serving the school district, Thomas, 59, said. “I can’t put one above the other. It’s a juggling act, but they’re all our kids.”
Thomas said employees, students and parents have to feel valued and she’s encouraged by the move toward positive changes under Smith and the leadership he has hired.
But, just as every other year in recent memory, the budget is tight and reductions are necessary.
“How do we get those programs back to the kids? Some of the extra-curriculars are so de-emphasized, they’re a skeleton of what they were,” said Thomas, a retired banker and property manager.
The most important factor to student success is a well-trained and supported teacher, she says, adding family support is equally necessary. She would propose a salary freeze for employees and possibly a class size increase in grades kindergarten through third grade – up from the current 23 students to one teacher, which is still lower than many other districts in the county.
“If our schools are stronger, we become better. Our property values go up because our schools are successful. We have to look at the bigger picture. I think the place we’re in now, I see as a real springboard to continue to see real change. … I’ll continue to improve communication and accountability with the public,” she said.
Thomas does believe the board has been “good stewards of taxpayers” in times of budget crises, doing their best to curb big cuts and keep programs afloat, though she would love to see students become more well-rounded in their education at MHUSD.
As a 38-year resident of Morgan Hill, Thomas was involved in her children’s schools as they went through the district. She served as president of school site councils, home and school club president and has been part of the Live Oak Foundation for 27 years.
She revels in the scholarship award nights and graduations every year.
“It’s so great. It’s better than Christmas for this town. To see how proud everyone is. I just love it,” Thomas said.
WOOLF: EXPERIENCE IN SCHOOL GIVES SENSIBILITY
For years people have been encouraging Ron Woolf to run for a seat on the school board. But it took good leadership by the superintendent to convince Woolf this year was the year.
“I’m so exhilarated by Dr. Smith. Finally we found someone working toward the future. I think we’ve hit the jackpot here,” Woolf, 69, said. He said this is his way of giving back to the MHUSD community and “his” children or the thousands of students he’s taught over the years.
Woolf’s ideas of how to develop the goals for the school district are rooted in his 35 years as an educator. He’s been teaching since 1963 and after moving to Morgan Hill 26 years ago he’s taught at Britton Middle School, was awarded Teacher of the Year by the county in 2003, was a teacher, counselor and later principal of the Morgan Hill Community Adult School until his retirement in 2006.
His wife was a school nurse in MHUSD before retiring with Woolf.
Woolf has described himself as a critical person who can make the tough decisions and his experience as the Adult School principal was in some ways similar to a small school district’s superintendent. Woolf hired, fired and evaluated his staff, dealt with the bargaining organizations, and was in charge of the budget, which he kept in the black every year he was there.
“The biggest challenge now at the district is balancing the budget and not reducing services. I would stay away from increasing class sizes in the seventh through 12th grades … but we might have to cut the school year. In 1967, there were 175 days and now 180. It’s something to look at,” Woolf said.
“When was the last time we looked at the cost of fuel for our buses? Or the number of management positions at the district level?” he said.
His time on the Mushroom Mardi Gras board for the last 22 years – he’s the man you see honoring students with scholarships each year at the festival – has been a delight. “I want to make people feel good about their accomplishments,” Woolf said. He suggested bringing back the “golden handshake” early retirement incentive for administrators, teachers and classified staff that Smith implemented last year and generally ramping up positive reinforcement at the schools.
Woolf wants to seek academic improvement at all schools and insists on safe school environments. Collaboration among sites is essential, Woolf said, as is a principal advisory group at the high schools so understanding of issues on campus can be hashed out and discussed more openly.
“I won’t micro-manage. I’d keep it under control fiscally and make sure the district office is doing the right thing,” Woolf said.
ONE CANDIDATE LEAVES RACE
Father of four, small business owner and longtime Pony baseball volunteer Bob Benevento announced two weeks ago that he would have to stop campaigning to attend to a family emergency on the East Coast. Benevento said that it had been his intention to run and serve if elected but his circumstances made campaigning all but impossible. Benevento will continue to serve on the MHUSD personnel commission and his name will remain on the ballot, according to the county Registrar of Voters.
