I’m writing to share with the community why I believe those of us in Morgan Hill Unified School District Trustee Area 7 should vote for Tom Pocus.
Since earlier this year, many of us parents have been deeply involved with the school board and district, pushing for the accountability, financial stability and transparency our children deserve. The challenges ahead are immense—only strong, dedicated leadership will guide us through.
I’ve had the privilege of getting to know Tom through my involvement with the district. Tom isn’t just a name on a ballot; he’s a familiar face at board meetings, school events and community gatherings. He genuinely listens to parents and teachers, making himself available to hear our concerns. If you haven’t had the chance to meet him yet, I urge you to reach out.
Tom’s values—integrity, hard work and compassion—are the bedrock of his character, and everything he does is centered on students’ success. He’s not afraid to show up and do the hard work that’s needed.
This election is a critical one.
Anahita Yazdi
MHUSD parent
I’ve attended MHUSD Board meetings and have only witnessed T. Pocus only once attend a Board meeting while I was there. I saw him one other time in front of Coffee Guys at a meet and get to know him and another candidate. As a retired Special Education ParaEducator for Santa Clara County Office of Education, Court Schools it is in my opinion that a person running for School Board Trustee have some experience or background in academic or vocational education and child development training to be qualified.
I was a former student of Ms. Andrade. Having her as a teacher was a pleasure and a privilege. I met Ms. Andrade back in 7th grade at Britton middle school. She was my ELD teacher. Throughout that time, I struggled a lot but I was always able to count on Ms. Andrade. From homework to resumes, Ms. Andrade has always been there to provide guidance whether it was in class, office hours, or even giving up her personal time to ensure I got the support I needed. She has taught me to always persevere and never give up, especially when times get hard. Because of her, I was able to graduate earlier than expected, things became tough, and it seemed like something I wasn’t going to accomplish in the first place. Even though my grades and attendance wasn’t the best, she was the only person who believed I had a chance. She constantly made sure I was receiving help and encouraged me to reach all the requirements needed to graduate. She made sure I was able to be a part of a college tour at San Jose City College, where I am now enrolled and completing my last year before I graduate with an associate’s degree in construction management. Even now after graduation she continues to be someone I can always communicate for advice. She has had a big impact on my life and helped me get to where I am today. I will forever be grateful for her continued support and encouragement. She is the ONLY candidate who cares and believes in students like me.
1. Your declaration “She’s the ONLY candidate who cares and believes in students like me” is a dog whistle to racially-sensitive voters that a Republican-org-endorsed White man like Tom Pocus can’t be expected to care about or believe in English Language Development migrant Latino students. Do you think that’s a fair, impartial claim? Why are you prejudging Mr. Pocus? It sounds like it arose from a victimhood mentality that wants to advocate for Ms. Andrade based on your intersectionality of race and ethnicity.
2. While lauding Ms. Andrade’s mentoring and guiding and your school success speaks to her effectiveness as a teacher, what about her perceived abilities as a trustee overseeing schools, removed from direct student interaction? I suggest you go beyond your anecdotal ad hominem praise and focus on such contemporary issues as DEI and gender-transitioning at schools and traditional concerns like spending priorities, curricula programming and what media titles and subject matter are acceptable in school libraries.
I only saw Pocus at the Board meetings one. I asked him if he was going to show up for the AAUW forum and he said “NO”. I asked him why and he made several excuses. I asked if he did not want to let voters know where he stands, to answer questions next to the other candidate for the seat, Veronica Andrade, so that voters can compare and contrast and he still said no. I hope he changes his mind and shows up and participates in the forum.
Pocus is also either a “suggested vote or endorsed” by the Silicon Valley Association of Conservative Republicans. I would like for him to answer what is it about his policy positions that the Conservative Republicans would recommend him for a suggested voter or endorsed him.
Hello Morgan Hill Times, I am a former student of Mrs. Andrade. I would like to start off by saying that Mrs. Andrade has been such an inspiration, always advocating and raising her voice for situations that matter. When I was her student, her classroom full of books had always caught my eye and I started reading constantly. I ended up writing a short story about my mothers life and asked Mrs. Andrade to look over it and give me feed back. Never in my life did I have a teacher encourage and believe in me the way Mrs. Andrade did. She has sent books to my work by my favorite author, for me to continue reading. To this day, I still write and I still read. I am so thankful and proud to know Mrs. Andrade. She is no doubt going to make change for the better.
I think that probably anyone who is running for Trustee has done good things and cares a great deal for the children of MHUSD. This role is about ensuring that we spend our funds on programs with a direct benefit for the classroom and students. We need someone who understands a budget because we are overspending. And, we need someone who recognizes that most parents want to partner with the school for their child’s well being and academics and it is important to know what their kids are being taught. I believe that Tom is the right person for this role.
Agreed. Local elections are about people, their connection to their community, and their values. It is unconscionable to create a divisive and false narrative about the “far right.” If the candidates indeed hold values in conflict with a voter, that will come out. It is shameful and “othering” to paint any local candidate with a partisan brush. At the end, we’re a community who cares about our schools, and decent people with decent values and a track record of service should not be asked to defend a national political party’s platform 🫤
And I agree with you, Jill–on all but one point, that is. Mr. Pocus’ “decent” political values are a valid concern for both simply partisan and racially-conscious, CRT-approving Democrat voters. While I believe that the two of us and Jeane Schow are partly voting for Tom because of his expected Republican opposition to ’21st-century’ socio-political issues that have come to dominate the priorities of the Democratic Party and are increasingly invading our schools, Democrat-aligned voters should support candidates whose non-personal and, possibly, even personal values align in order to ensure they are actualized through or influence board decisions.
Interesting comments about “qualifications.” Why is it that we complain about candidates when they have no experience in the field, but then say the same when they do? Makes no sense, looking at both candidates it’s clear who has recent experience in the public school system. An instructor at that and now we are questioning whether she has the ability to do right by our children? Help it make sense to me?
An individual who taught during the MOST difficult period in time-2020, for kids who had the least and experienced the worst in life has full knowledge to do right by our community. Tom indeed sounds experienced and qualified, on a technological company board of executives. Not for a school board in the 21st century. It’s frustrating, we finally have a SME running and it’s still not enough.
What’s the real issue?
I refer you to “2.” in my reply to Teo Martinez above. Do you believe 21st-century socio-political issues pervading districts and their boards trump traditional board duties and the qualifications expected to fulfill them?