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Lindsay Bryant – Staff Writer
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Morgan Hill
Scooping up the most votes to sit on the Morgan Hill Unified School BOard of Trustees is XXX with XX votes, followed by XX with XX votes, XXX with votes and XXX with votes.
Morgan Hill – Whatever your flavor, the 2010 school board spread has a candidate. If you like a seasoned school board member, there’s incumbents Shelle Thomas or Don Moody. Bart Fisher, too, is experienced with four years on the board and a long-term vision: his daughter starts kindergarten next year.
Feel like electing a first-time candidate? Five are running: Armando Benavides, Kirsten Francis Carr, Brenda Cayme, Claudia Rossi and Ron Woolf. All say they want what’s best for the children, employees and the district, but their experience and vision for the Morgan Hill Unified School District varies.
Voters will have the final say Nov. 2 when the top four vote-getters will plan to be available every other Tuesday evening to meet with their cohorts on the school board and make policy decisions. Statewide voting in all elections began Monday via vote-by-mail ballots.
Veteran trustee, Mike Hickey, has decided not to seek re-election.
The school district’s new board leadership will cast the final vote when it comes to balancing the budget next year and deciding if class sizes could increase, if tenured teachers deserve a golden handshake, what programs will be cut or added. They are the voice of the school community and are responsible for only one employee: Superintendent Wes Smith.
Smith was more often than not referred to when candidates were asked why they ran. “He’s inspiring,” Moody said. Smith has re-invigorated the district, some candidates have said, and has made the race one that at least eight community members in Morgan Hill can’t bear to miss.
Today, four of the slate of eight will be introduced in alphabetical order. The remaining four – Moody, Rossi, Thomas and Woolf – will be profiled Friday.
BENAVIDES: PRINCIPALS SHOULD WORK TOGETHER
Around town, Armando Benavides is known as “Coach.” While his election signs don’t reflect the moniker, Benavides says his 11-year experience of coaching youth sports and associating with parents lends to serving as a school board member.
“I’m a proactive person. I can lead, listen and learn. I like starting at the grassroots to find out the issues, we can’t lose sight of that,” Benavides, 55, said.
The father of three sons is also a member of the local Latino advocacy group, Coalition for Latino Education Achievement Defense, and said the group wants equitable education for all children, though his involvement in Co-LEAD would be limited if elected. His children don’t attend MHUSD schools – rather Bellarmine College Prep in San Jose and St. Catherine’s in Morgan Hill – but Benavides wants all Morgan Hill children to succeed, he said.
“We have to work with the teachers and bring their ideas up to the top to bring about systemic changes, structural changes. There’s not enough focus on the Program Improvement schools. The issue of PI has been left alone to handle at the school. I would have taken it more seriously (at Jackson),” Benavides said in reference to the district’s only school in PI year five, a distinction by No Child Left Behind when schools fail to test proficient in all areas by all children on the yearly state test.
Benavides makes his living as a licensed attorney and family counselor – both private practices in San Jose – and points to his role as advocate for his clients as another leadership quality. He has years of experience dealing in law and litigation and can give the board perspective on legal issues.
Benavides said practical solutions, such as after-school programs for students, are a low-cost way to get parents involved and contribute to student achievement.
Nine bilingual “home and school liaisons” are on the docket to be hired by the district this year to assist with translations for parents in the school office and to translate written materials that are sent home. The district is behind the times, Benavides said. He said the district needs to look at not just teacher collaboration but principal collaboration among the district schools.
“The district in some ways acts as a confederacy, like each school is their own state. There’s no central government. Instead of competing, we should be working together,” Benavides said.
He would also like to see that all students are graduating from Live Oak and Sobrato high schools with a resume that makes them at the very least eligible to be accepted by a state university or University of California school. He said often the most attention is paid to English language learners and those children who receive Title 1 funding and find support in migrant programs for example, while second and third generation Latino students are at the greatest risk for failure.
“These are the forgotten kids. They don’t have the resources. No one seems to target any resources (for them) because the federal government says it goes to the English learners. But we’re seeing the Chicano kids drop out more and more. We need to find out ways to help them, this needs to be a big focus,” Benavides said.
Benavides was outspoken about his dissatisfaction of the current school board’s decision to hire Smith, who he said lacks experience with a community with diverse needs like Morgan Hill. Smith was superintendent of a unified school district in Shasta County before he was hired in November 2009.
“There’s a learning curve, but he has the energy and he will listen and put attention on the problems,” Benavides said.
Benavides said more and updated technology should be a bigger part of the classroom experience, pointing to the SMART Boards as a way to do that. “Just look at all the kids on their iPods, cell phones, they respond to technology.”
CAYME: POSITIVE CHANGES NEEDED IN SCHOOLS
Brenda Cayme and her husband did their due diligence in searching for the best place to raise and educate their two children. Now at Paradise Elementary in third and first grade, Cayme has listened to other parents express a range of frustrations about the ineptitude around the district. *”There are issues that haven’t been addressed. People are looking for a change day to day that would help these kids,” Cayme said. Her husband is Roberto Aguirre, a founder of the community group Padres Unidos and also the English Learners Acquisition Coalition, a separate group that aims to help Spanish-speaking parents and Hispanic students.
Cayme, 45, said if elected, her decisions would be for the betterment of all students not just the Hispanic community. The former bedside nurse turned pharmaceutical professional said her experience of managing budgets at work would be a simple transition to balancing the school district’s budget, which she referenced as one of her top priorities. The other is closing the achievement gap that is most prevalent between white students and Hispanic students, who continuously score lower on state standardized tests.
Her experience in dealing with the Food and Drug Administration has given Cayme a sensible perspective of how to deal with the bureaucracy and rules that the school board must deal with, and that the district deals with at the state and federal level.
One of the most critical lessons Cayme took away from growing up with a principal for a father was that it takes an entire community to support a school.
“Family and parents are also responsible. People are afraid of change and think that’s negative, but I see it in a positive way,” Cayme said. She said working with parent groups is essential and is overlooked at some school sites.
More time should be dedicated to staff development and ensuring teachers are not spread too thin. She suggests that a districtwide plea for volunteers is made loud and clear to help with correcting worksheets, for example, a simple task that can be done using the teacher’s answer key, leaving the writing exercises or more in-depth assignments for the teachers to review.
“I’m here to help the kids at the schools directly. What can we do to make a more positive experience. I want to represent the voices who are afraid to speak out,” Cayme said.
She points to Paradise Valley’s state test scores that have increased and this year’s Academic Performance Index score of 881 is proof that strong leadership and community involvement can better the learning experience. The after-school homework club and Saturday tutoring at Paradise Valley should be implemented at other district schools.
“What can we do right now that the students can benefit from? They can’t go back in time. They don’t have that kind of time. Things need to change now to make an impact,” Cayme said.
Cayme believes the district’s highest achieving schools and the most innovative ideas need to be shared among one another beyond increasing time for teachers to collaborate at each grade level. Who the teachers report to – the principal – need to be effective, responsible leaders.
“We have to set good examples,” Cayme said.
CARR: SCHOOLS ARE A COMMUNITY INVESTMENT
When Kirsten Francis Carr’s term expired as the Gilroy Garlic Festival’s president, she wanted to continue her leadership in the community. The decision to run for a seat on the school board came from her children.
“They said, ‘we want you to run,’ ” Carr, 41, said.
With the biggest backing from her 11-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter, both students of Charter School of Morgan Hill, Carr is on the campaign trail advocating for better communication between Charter School and MHUSD, closing the achievement gap and advocating for more community investment in the school district.
Carr’s livelihood is as community affairs director for the California Apartment Association and she has years of experience since working in public affairs for Norm Mineta and retired state Senator Byron Sher. Yet the face time Carr has had with Gilroy and Morgan Hill is just one piece of why she thinks she would make a good board member.
“I want to do something that’s going to impact (my children). Something where I can make a difference. Not stage a coup or anything, but help,” Carr said.
The relationship between her children’s home school Charter and MHUSD has been adversarial, as Carr describes. Instead of collaborating, the district and Charter have acted as competitive siblings – not sharing well and doing their best to one-up each other.
“We can learn from one another. It’s a two-way street. Sharing programs and ideas. I would be that voice that could bring the two together,” she said.
Carr, who was once married to current Morgan Hill councilman and former school board member Larry Carr, said the classroom experience is the most important ingredient of a successful child. And, the better the schools, the higher property values climb and the more appealing living in Morgan Hill becomes. It starts with the public education system, Carr said, and people in the community who may not be involved now will be a part of her mission to get them involved.
“Our children are going to grow up and work for their companies or purchase their product,” Carr said, adding that she has “many ideas” about getting local businesses to donate or sponsor programs for MHUSD.
Carr was also an elementary school teacher for three years until switching back to community relations and raising her two children. She said she loved being in the classroom and has volunteered at Charter School since her children have attended.
The 2011-12 budget deficit, forecasted to be about $2.4 million, is something Carr said she can quickly get familiar with. “I’m not claiming I have all of the answers but I can think creatively. There are ways to partner with the city, local companies,” Carr said. “We do have areas to improve, but the recent scores are a bright light. We need to focus on being successful with every kid.”
Carr says her background in politics and working with the community, not to mention being a mother, is the impetus for her first try at the school board.
“I can help facilitate the communication. If parents or the public can feel like they’re being heard, that we’re in this together and here to support each other,” Carr said. “The board belongs to the people … if you lose sight of that. This is my domain. I would be honored to be the one representing that for a while.”
FISHER: FOUR YEARS OF PLANNING WILL PAY DIVIDENDS
Incumbent and board president Bart Fisher’s four years on the school board has been spent planning and prepping the district to implement what they have been discussing board meeting after board meeting: improving a child’s learning experience.
“I do believe the district is poised to do some great things,” Fisher said.
He applauds the current board’s decision to hire Smith, who has jumped into the hot seat and has done an impressive job, Fisher said. His promotion of leaders from within the district such as Lloyd Webb and Glen Webb as principals and Lisa Atlas in the district office, is a sign he’s a building a strong cabinet for MHUSD’s future.
Fisher, 44, has a 4-year-old daughter who will start kindergarten next year at Paradise Valley and says it’s important to elect board members who have varying perspectives, from a long-term vision such as himself, to someone with adult children or even a community member without children.
“I want a district that keeps her challenged and engaged,” Fisher said about his daughter. “And helps her fulfill her potential.”
Fisher by day works as a program management consultant and has experience in organizational development and talent management, which he said “does give me a perspective and an ability to help. I’m very detail orientated.”*
His work on the board since 2006 also has prepped him for a second term. Now that curriculum across the district is aligned and a spirit of collaboration has been encouraged by Smith, Fisher asked, “why leave this behind when the best stuff is coming?”
Fisher believes building a culture of respect within the schools is vital along with retaining as many programs as possible – the university program at P.A. Walsh or this summer’s new kindergarten readiness.
Since 2006, the budget has never been in the black, so Fisher said he knows cuts will come again, but he’s ready to again look line by line at how money can be saved especially when it comes to facilities or outside contracts. He said he would keep reductions far away from the classroom.
“I really see the last four years as the runway for the board, now we’re ready for takeoff,” Fisher said.
Differentiated teaching strategies are important to Fisher, as is collaboration, which the district has already kicked off at several sites including both high schools that have late-start on Wednesdays for teachers to meet and share ideas.
When it comes to teacher assessment, Fisher would like to see a more holistic approach that would incorporate observations of teaching methods in the classroom, not just data on paper. And the same can be said for looking at school’s API and Adequate Yearly Progress scores.
“It’s like watching just at the finish line. It doesn’t help in terms of technique. Did you start fast and fade? How well did you do at this corner? Or turning this corner? We have to look at a more informative assessment about how well students are doing. Not just test scores,” Fisher said.
Fisher would also like to see children be rewarded for their progress, and more frequently. Even a pat on the back can be encouraging.
“We can’t just accept the status quo, we always have to look to improve. I want to move the district forward in a more positive light and build on our goals,” Fisher said.
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.
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