EDITOR: Jan Masuda pinpointed the problem in one sentence when,
in Tuesday
’s article, she mentioned the workshop she gave for prospective
candidates, and she said that she talked about “what it was like to
work for the superintendent.”
EDITOR:
Jan Masuda pinpointed the problem in one sentence when, in Tuesday’s article, she mentioned the workshop she gave for prospective candidates, and she said that she talked about “what it was like to work for the superintendent.”
Even after nearly eight years the veteran board members haven’t figured out that the superintendent works for them – not the other way around. They have let her call the shots and rubber-stamped her questionable decisions far too long. Maybe they didn’t want to take the time to do the homework necessary to make informed decisions, maybe they didn’t want the board meetings to be strung out till after 10 p.m. with a bunch of questions, or maybe they didn’t really care as much as they claimed they did.
Case in point: if Tom Kinoshita realized 40 years ago (as he revealed in a touching story at a recent board meeting) that there was a problem at Live Oak, why hasn’t he tried to do something about it during his nine year tenure as a board member? How often has he visited Live Oak, especially recently, and seen the shameful condition of the campus and the influx of non-district students who have changed the entire environment?
If he thinks it had problems 40 years ago, he ought to really be worried about it now. But instead, he buries his head in his hands when people at the podium present possible solutions to the board.
When Shellé Thomas, the board member who received the second-highest number of votes during the last election, does do her homework and asks valuable questions, she is often met with curt answers, no answers or dismissal. Why shouldn’t she question the district’s practice of taking out loans to remain solvent (especially when the amount has reached almost $20,000 in the last six months)?
Why shouldn’t she question opening a new school when we can barely pay for the schools we currently have? Why shouldn’t she question spending nearly every penny of our construction money on building a new school when many of our existing schools are in dire need of repair? It’s about time someone asked these questions.
One thing Jan Masuda was right about is when she said, “It’s time for new leadership in the district.” Kudos to her and Del Foster for recognizing this, and hopefully, George Panos will follow suit and leave the election wide open for new blood to see the district through the next “phase.”
We need more trustees who are willing to listen and stay informed and then represent the community responsibly and insightfully. Most importantly, though, they need to realize who’s the boss.
Brooke Bailey,
Morgan Hill
