An election should provide choices. It’s the reason Morgan Hill
Unified school board Trustee Julia Hover-Smoot entered the race and
it’s the same reason longtime educator Adam Escoto decided to run
for District 7 on the Santa Clara County Board of Education. Santa
Clara Valley Water District Director Sahib
”
Cy
”
Mann opted to not run for re-election on the water board and
announced Aug. 11 that he was running for the county board of
education,
”
which will allow more time for family and to serve my
constituents,
”
Mann wrote in an e-mail.
An election should provide choices. It’s the reason Morgan Hill Unified school board Trustee Julia Hover-Smoot entered the race and it’s the same reason longtime educator Adam Escoto decided to run for District 7 on the Santa Clara County Board of Education.
On Aug. 11, the deadline day for candidates to file necessary paperwork with the Registrar of Voters, both Hover-Smoot and Escoto quickly filed and qualified to compete against each other and the former lone candidate, Santa Clara Valley Water District Director Cy Mann.
Hover-Smoot did not want such a vital position, she said at the time, to go uncontested.
Yet Sept. 22, Hover-Smoot pulled out of the election to instead fulfill her remaining two years on the MHUSD board and released a statement endorsing Escoto, a retired assistant superintendent.
“With a mixture of regret and pleasure, I am endorsing Adam Escoto … My decision to run for the county board seat was motivated by a desire to ensure that a qualified candidate was on the ballot with the knowledge and experience to address the many complicated issues that face public education today. Although this is a very difficult personal decision for me, after several weeks on the campaign trail with Mr. Escoto, I can assure voters that Mr. Escoto is a well-qualified and competent candidate who will provide meaningful leadership to the families of the districts he will represent,” Hover-Smoot wrote in a statement that was e-mailed to the Times Sept. 22.
“I was so proud and in awe of Julia being willing to put herself on the line so that children would have better representation at the county board,” MHUSD Trustee Kathy Sullivan wrote by e-mail. She added that she also is impressed with Escoto’s knowledge and dedication.
Mann opted to not run for re-election on the water board and said Aug. 11 that he was running for the county board of education, “which will allow more time for family and to serve my constituents,” Mann wrote in an e-mail. His term at the water district expires in December.
Mann has a cattle ranch in Morgan Hill as well as home in the Evergreen area of San Jose. Mann is a real estate investor and owns a farming equipment business. He has served on several boards that deal with water issues, such as the district’s Coyote Flood Control and Watershed Advisory Committee and the Environmental Advisory Committee. With regard to any public service related to education, Mann said he was the catalyst in expanding a youth advisory committee for the water district. Several requests for an interview have not been answered by Mann.
It was Mann’s limited experience in public education and the lack of a second candidate that piqued the interests of both Escoto and Hover-Smoot.
“I felt that the people needed a choice and, it was in my opinion, critical that the candidate had some background in education,” Escoto said. He said that he and Hover-Smoot met to chat just after the August deadline and had a good laugh about entering the race last minute, acknowledging that if either had known the other was running the list of candidates may have been just two, not three. Nonetheless, Hover-Smoot said she believes Escoto is the capable candidate that the county school board will need to tackle issues such as closing the achievement gap and thinking creatively with a dwindling budget.
“There are a number of vital, pressing issues in my own hometown schools that demand my continued attention and I am relieved that I will be able to continue to direct my focus to my constituents in Morgan Hill,” Hover-Smoot said.
The victor in the Nov. 2 election will replace Jane Howard and represent District 7 that covers Alum Rock Union, Mount Pleasant, Morgan Hill Unified and Gilroy Unified and corresponding portion of East Side Union High school districts. Howard has since endorsed Escoto.
Escoto, who has lived in Morgan Hill for 23 years with his wife Laura Gonzalez-Escoto, most recently was the assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction and also special education at the Ravenswood City School District in East Palo Alto. For more than 20 years prior to Ravenswood, Escoto worked for the San Jose Unified School District as an assistant principal and later the principal of Horace Mann Elementary. Under Escoto’s tutelage, Horace Mann became one of the first schools in Santa Clara County to exit Program Improvement and exceed the Academic Performance Index goals for six consecutive years. He said closing the achievement gap is high on his list of priorities if elected.
“We don’t take a close enough look at practices that show results. We list the schools with high (Academic Performance Index) scores and move on. Despite trends of improvement, we’re needing to make significant impacts. It’s not enough to make incremental successes,” Escoto said.
Escoto said he’s been attending the county board meetings and has quickly recognized needed changes; “we need to raise the bar with regards to civil governance. There seems to be a misunderstanding and miscommunication. And the amount of time board members spend on these issues appears to far exceed those issues that would resonate with those who serve or attend,” he said.
Escoto said besides focusing on how the county can better serve its districts, he wants to better examine which programs are working, specifically sharing ideas among charter schools and the traditional public schools. In addition, Escoto said looking at ways to be more innovative in closing the achievement gap and bringing English learners up to grade level proficiency is essential as a board that provides oversight to so many districts, with diverse needs.
“Throughout Santa Clara County we’re already doing this, from providing professional development to site administrators learning effective strategies in becoming effective instructional leaders. This is an opportunity to bring people together to show best practices … An opportunity for the county to demonstrate leadership,” Escoto said.
The last day to register to vote is Oct. 18. Polling places in Morgan Hill will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 2. Check www.sccvoter.org to find your polling place.
Adam Escoto
Age: 61
Last job: Assistant superintendent in the Ravenswood City School District in East Palo Alto
Family: Married to wife Laura Gonzalez-Escoto, two adult children, four grandchildren
Sahib “Cy” Mann
Age: 43
Last job: At-large South County Director for the Santa Clara Valley Water District board
Family: Father, married to wife Harkirat Brar
