The procedure isn’t pretty. In truth, it’s probably about as
nerve-wracking as a job interview
– that is executed in front of a panel of six people, a packed
room and a reporter’s video camera.
The procedure isn’t pretty. In truth, it’s probably about as nerve-wracking as a job interview – that is executed in front of a panel of six people, a packed room and a reporter’s video camera.
“It’s not a pleasant process. I’ve not heard anybody say they enjoy it,” said Peter Mandel who was elected the president of Morgan Hill Unified School Board of Trustees at Tuesday night’s meeting.
In three weeks, the sitting six trustees are planning to hold interviews publicly, deliberate publicly and appoint its seventh member Jan. 12 at a special session to fill the void left by former-Trustee Julia Hover-Smoot after she resigned Nov. 30. Hover-Smoot did so after winning the Nov. 3 election for a post on the Santa Clara County Board of Education despite bowing out of the race in September and backing retired educator and Morgan Hill resident Adam Escoto.
The school board voted 6-0 Tuesday to open the position to the public instead of calling for a special election that would cost the district at least $40,000. That idea was immediately blitzed by newly re-elected Trustee Don Moody.
“Don’s taking the controversial view of not favoring it,” Mandel joked. He went on to say that the open interview process may not be comfortable, “but it’s a democratic process and appropriate for this sort of task.”
In November, nine candidates were on the ballot for four openings on the school board. Incumbents Moody and Shelle Thomas, and newcomers Claudia Rossi and Ron Woolf were successful. The four were sworn-in Tuesday by Mayor Steve Tate.
The five unsuccessful candidates – former board president Bart Fisher, Armando Benavides, Bob Benevento, Brenda Cayme and Kirsten Francis Carr – now have an opportunity to try out for the job, though this time the sitting school board will make the decision, not the voters.
The position is a two-year term until the next rotation of MHUSD school board elections in 2012.
So far, just one former candidate has said he will apply for the position: Benevento. His name remained on the Nov. 3 ballot (he placed sixth among nine), though he pulled out of the race early due to a family emergency on the East Coast he had to attend to.
Benevento is a 26-year resident of Morgan Hill, step-father to children in MHUSD schools, small business owner and longtime Pony baseball coach and supporter.
The last time the school board had a vacancy was 2004. It happened previous to a scheduled election that June, however, no one applied and the position was left to a similar process that will occur for the current open spot. Thirteen people applied for the vacancy in 2004 that Moody secured Dec. 6 following a 20-minute interview at a public school board meeting. Benevento was the runner-up.
Benevento is the current president of the MHUSD personnel commission, which is an independent and appointed board that recruits and reviews applicants for classified positions at MHUSD. He has served on the committee since 2006; served on Live Oak High School’s school site council and on the Youth Sports Group committee.
Carr, a mother of two children at Charter School of Morgan Hill, said Wednesday that she is still considering whether she will apply for the vacant seat.
Benavides and Fisher have not returned phone calls by the Times. Cayme said she will not pursue the position.
A new face to the mix may be Teresa Murillo, a mother of MHUSD students and the president of the independent neighborhood group Padres Unidos. Co-president Roberto Aguirre – also Cayme’s husband – spoke on Murillo’s behalf at Tuesday’s meeting saying her knowledge of Morgan Hill schools and the challenges facing the English language learner population would be highly valuable.
Murillo confirmed Thursday afternoon that she will apply for the seat after being encouraged by the Spanish-speaking parents at San Martin-Gwinn with whom she works to get more involved in their student’s education and classrooms. Murillo is a San Martin resident who has four children, three who attend San Martin-Gwinn and a teen who attends high school in Gilroy.
The new seventh member and the rest of the school board will have to make decisions about the district’s waning budget (a deficit of about $2 million is expected), the potential for a parcel tax, digging Jackson Elementary, P.A. Walsh Elementary and San Martin Elementary out of the distinction of Program Improvement and how to likewise elevate the education of all MHUSD students.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Benevento was the only candidate or potential candidate present. Escoto did sit in the audience for part of the meeting, causing a few to quietly theorize his attendance. Escoto, who has backed Rossi through her candidacy, said he was there to support her but that he will spend the holidays considering “future options,” Escoto wrote by e-mail Thursday.
The application is online now at www.mhu.k12.ca.us, or a hard copy can be picked up at the district office at 15600 Concord Circle. The paperwork is due at 5 p.m. Jan. 7 to Superintendent Wes Smith’s secretary Julie Zintsmaster.
The board will convene a special session at 6 p.m. Jan. 12 to hear statements from each candidate and interview each person. The county office of education requires the process be completed by Jan. 29.
The Morgan Hill Times will update the list of candidates as people begin to turn in their applications or announce their intent to apply.
HOW TO APPLY
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You must be at least 18 years old and a resident of the Morgan Hill Unified School District (you do not need to have a child currently or previously enrolled). Current employees of the district are not eligible.
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Obtain an application from the district office at 15600 Concord Circle. Applications are due to Julie Zintsmaster, the superintendent’s secretary, by 5 p.m. Jan. 7.
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The board will hold public interviews beginning at 6 p.m. Jan. 12 at 15600 Concord Circle. It’s anticipated the board will take action and appoint a board member after candidates give a statement and answer questions posed by the board.
