Miembre de Junta — Scotts Valley Unified School District

The role of a trustee is to hire a capable superintendent, and then to work collaboratively with the superintendent and the other trustees to lead the district.  In February 2016, Penny Weaver informed us that she would be leaving at the end of the school year.  I was part of the team that interviewed and selected Penny in 2011; she did wonderful things for our district, and we formed a very cohesive leadership team under her guidance. 

Our new superintendent is Tanya Krause.  She has a fabulous skill set and is a great fit for our district.  It is her first superintendent role (she had assistant and interim roles in each of her previous districts).  She’s a long time resident of Santa Cruz County but new to Scotts Valley.  She deserves some experienced board members both to help coach new members (there will be at least two) and to provide local context and a first-hand understanding of the district’s history. 

The Superintendent and the Board work as a team, and the stability of this team is vital to the stability and success of the district.  No one wants to see a Superintendent succeed more than the trustees who selected her (or him) from amongst many qualified candidates.  I am fully committed to supporting Tanya through her first few years in our District, so she can effectively manage the challenges of this incredibly difficult job.  She knows I have her back and that will allow her to act with the confidence needed to succeed. My deep knowledge of Scotts Valley and 8 years as a Trustee position me to be both an effective sounding post and counselor as she determines our best path forward. 

Late this spring, two other trustees announced their resignations. The timing of their resignations allowed us to consolidate the election for their seats with the regular November election.

This may be an unprecedented situation where there could be complete turnover of the Board.  For a failing school district, this could be a good thing.  But that’s not the case for SVUSD.  We have an outstanding staff that strives only to improve.  We effectively manage our budgets, and our facilities within these budgets. We have great community support at every school and at every level.  This is not a district that needs a major makeover.

We have consistently won awards, at every school, for high levels of academic performance.  Our high school has consistently been ranked, statewide and nationally, among the best.  We are not isolated from the world -- we have our share of troubled youth (drugs, bullying, intolerance) but it is generally lower than elsewhere, reflecting the relative calm of Scotts Valley itself. Our goal, as a district, is not to just generate high test scores and admirable graduation rates, but rather to help create responsible citizens who can discern truth from fiction, who can advocate for themselves and manage their path through life, and who can work collaboratively with others to help address the challenges of the world they will inherit.  It is an immense task.  And it's an honor for me to be part of the team attempting to steer this ship.

My goal as a trustee is to help our district face the world that is and continue to adapt in ways that allow our students and our staff to focus on their tasks.  Finding ways to change without breaking what is working well requires thoughtfulness and experience.  I bring these to the trustee role.  I am always prepared for meetings, I do my homework, I ask tough questions. I take the responsibility seriously. 

There are actually two separate elections occuring.  One election is for the two open 2-year seats.  I am confident that all three of the candidates that are actively seeking these two seats can be effective trustees, once they climb the learning curve a bit.

I am seeking one of the three 4-year seats.  I have worked with the other two incumbents (Sue Roth and Kim Shultz) for several years.  We have worked well together and I am confident we can continue to do so.  We were part of a very effective leadership team with Penny Weaver, and we were all part of the team that hired Tanya Krause.  We are the team she signed on to work with.

The other candidates that are seeking to displace us are capable individuals who have previously volunteered in various capacities to benefit our schools.  They have every right to seek a seat on the Board.  But they could have chosen to seek one of the open seats.  That they are instead seeking to displace the incumbents suggests they believe we need a significant course correction.  I strongly disagree.  The culture we have established is one of continual improvement, through staff professional development, engagement of students, and interaction with thought leaders across the educational spectrum. There will be change, but we are in the fortunate position for it to be incremental, measured, and implemented with care and consideration for the well-being of all students.

Being an effective trustee in this environment requires experience and institutional knowledge that is simply not available to PTA members and community fundraisers.  Elections for a 5-member board such as ours are staggered (3 seats at one election and then 2 seats during the next election) primarily to ensure that a district will retain some experienced trustees until new members progress along the learning curve The resignation of the other board members and the hiring of a new Superintendent changes the nature of this election.  The potential for pending decisions to throw the Middle School project off course is not insignificant. The excellent working relationship and trust that now exists between the administration and teaching staff could quickly be shattered without proper attention to the communications and compromisess that are needed to manage a very tight budget.  I bring a steady hand, a calm demeanor, and a solid grasp of the complex issues that our district must address week after week.  I genuinely enjoy this form of public service and I genuinely believe that the District will benefit from my continued service as a trustee.