Síndico, Area de Síndico 4 —

I was born in 1960 in Long Island, NY. At 18 months old, I was talking but not walking and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy which affects the right side of my body. I had several surgeries growing up which resolved much of my mobility problems as I learned to adapt.

My mom brought my sister and me to California in the late 60's after divorcing my father who suffered from alcoholism. Fiercely independent and self-reliant, Julie Dresdner passed those traits on to my sister and me. She worked as a high school librarian in Arcadia and went to night school to get her administrative credential. While not particularly religious, mom instilled in us the importance of public service and civic responsibility – that somehow, we were to make a difference in this world.

In 1978, I received a scholarship to attend UCLA. I soon found my niche as a political science major and planned to become a diplomat and save the world! The best thing about UCLA, of course, was meeting my future wife, Danielle and following her to Berkeley after I graduated in 1982.

My career in public education is thanks largely to Mrs. LeRue. I remember walking down Prince St. and hearing a very loud voice coming from the classroom on the corner. You see, she was a drill sergeant before becoming a teacher and she was used to commanding attention! It was abundantly clear she cared very deeply for those fifth graders, and I was soon hired as an aide for two Vietnamese boys struggling to adapt to a new country and culture.

I was offered a position in Evergreen School District in 1985, and I practiced negotiating peace with 5^th and 6^th grader for 25 years! Thanks to my mom, I was pro union from the beginning because it felt right and I was never alone, but I didn't give it much conscious thought for first 10 years as I focused on my students. I began to sense something was very wrong that I couldn't fix on my own. In 2001 No Child Left Behind was signed into law and the imposition of the harsh test and punish regime seemingly designed to produce failure in students and promote the narrative of the “bad teacher” was born. I realized I needed to find out more about the big picture.

I became more involved in the Evergreen Teachers Association when I was elected to the Executive Board and then asked to join the bargaining team in 2004. I soon became the chair and we negotiated our ‘06- ‘08 collective bargaining agreement. I then decided to run for ETA President and was elected beginning in the 2008-9 school year.

I have learned so much about how to lead and manage people thanks to training through Working Partnerships (WPUSA) and the multitude of conferences I’ve attended with the California Teachers Association (CTA) and the National Education Association (NEA). Throughout all of these positive interactions, I have learned that alone we are almost powerless to improve the lives the students we serve, but together we can accomplish great things!

Danielle & I were married in 1984. She started her own career as a librarian for the city of San Jose, took a job in the same capacity in Evergreen, and decided to go back to school to become a kindergarten teacher when funding issues at the state level caused librarians be eliminated in most elementary schools throughout California. She has become an institution at Montgomery and has always been incredibly supportive of my expanding public life.

While all this was happening for both of us, Danielle and I decided to expand our family. Nessa was born in 1988 followed by Julia in 1990. Both kids came with me to Norwood Creek starting in kindergarten and ended up going on to UC Santa Cruz and San José State. Nessa is now enjoying life in New Orleans as a musician and substitute teacher. Julia is in her fifth year as an English and drama teacher at Overfelt HS. We’re proud of both children as they carry on the family tradition of community service, each their own way.

In our personal lives, Danielle and I always wanted to find in ministry we could do together. She was raised Catholic, and I was baptized after we were married. We got involved in San Jose Engage Encounter early on and began presenting weekends to couples interested in getting married in the Catholic Church in 1993. We’re still at it and enjoy spending time with young people so in love and full of hope.

Our family life experienced another major change when we decided to become foster guardians for teenage sisters from Ethiopia who became SJUSD students, and I joined the District Advisory Committee in 2016-17. Fiercely protective of each other and their culture, the girls spent a very difficult but fascinating year together with us. Danielle and I tried to find a balance between successfully guiding them through the pitfalls of life in their new country while giving them the freedom to explore. We eventually parted ways due to their strong desire for complete independence and are now in another living situation more suited to their needs at 19 and 17 years old.

As I contemplate the possibility of becoming a school board member, I still think of my father. In 2015, Danielle and I took a trip to New York. A librarian at heart, she led us to the main library and decided to use her extensive research skills to see what she could find out about Tom Voss. I was amazed by what she discovered. Tom lived in Rockaway Beach until 2008. While I’m saddened we weren’t able to reconnect and he never met his grandchildren, I find solace and the fact that he must have lived a full life, and he was not all alone.

You see, together we can do great things!

B. Wheatley

Michael was born in New Haven, CT and grew up with his parents and three sisters in the suburb of Hamden. As a child, he loved to play sports, particularly baseball and hockey, which he participated in through high school. Michael learned the importance of education at an early age from this grandmother, Adeline Melillo, who always made sure that he was getting good marks in school. She also taught him the value of hard work, how to be responsible with your money, and the importance of spending time with your family.

Michael went to college at the University of Massachusetts and met his future wife Stacy when she handed him a job application at an Apple store near Boston. The couple relocated to the bay area in 2007 when Michael accepted a new position with the company. After spending time in several apartments scattered across Santa Clara county, Michael and Stacy decided to purchase a home in the Cambrian neighborhood of San Jose in 2012. Michael and Stacy now have two children, ages 5 and 6, who attend Reed Elementary School and are proud Bobcats. 

Over the past few years, Michael has begun his journey into public service and volunteering. He will complete his first term on the San José Library and Early Education Commission (LEEC) in June of 2018. As a commissioner, Michael has had perfect meeting attendance, and has been a strong supporter of the Library's early education efforts such as "Wee Play San José" and the San José Bridge Libraries. The Bridge Libraries not only service young children, but also low socioeconomic status families that utilize both the library materials as well as the family resource center (FRC) at each location. He also successfully advocated for the removal of late fees on all youth materials from the SJPL by working with City Council.

In addition to the LEEC, Michael also became a volunteer Partners in Reading(PAR) adult literacy tutor. PAR tutors provide one-on-one instruction with adults who read and/or write below a 9th grade level. By spending time each week with an adult learner, Michael saw first hand how impactful community-based volunteer work can be on someone's life. It also re-ignited his passion for education, and started his investigation into ways he could impact more people's lives in a positive way.