Although I have not heard any rumblings about the City Council race in November, I have heard some names being tossed around about possible School Board candidates. In light of the tight race for Measure H, it is more important than ever to consider the upcoming School Board race. Keep in mind not one, not two, but three seats will be up constituting a majority on the School Board. Countless letters to the editor in both the Alameda Sun and Journal have asked the question, what is next for the school district now that Measure H has passed, pending certification from the Registrar of Voters.
The next step I see is the election of responsible and informed members of the Alameda community to sit on the School Board. Sometimes, we get lucky and have great candidates for what is often considered a thankless job. But what I want to know is, if we were able to have our choice of any candidate what sort of person or who would it be? What type of experience would we want our School Board member to have? Would we want him/her to be a financial wizard? Or would we want someone with policy experience? Would we want someone to have contacts at the State level to help us with efforts to equalize funding for Alameda?
But before we start tossing out names of folks who have already decided to throw their hat into the proverbial ring. An interesting exercise would be to talk about folks that maybe wouldn’t consider running for this particular office, but yet would probably be a huge asset to AUSD. For me, this goes beyond personality of who I “like,” or who is “nice.” I want someone who is going to sit up on that dias and be informed every single time about every single issue. I want someone who is not afraid to piss off a bunch of parents, or teachers, community members, or administrators as long as what they are doing is for the benefit of the children being educated in Alameda schools. I want someone with the political wherewithall to be able to move the district into looking at issues more globally in addition to concentrating on the local aspects.
But in other Alameda schools news, according to news reports, an Alameda High School teacher is one of five Bay Area High School teachers in the running to win Comcast’s All-Star Teacher award, from the article:
…[Alan] Nakumura is on campus “24/7,” math teacher Karen Harrington said. “He’s just devoted.”
Harrington ran a bit of a campaign for Nakamura. She made business cards with the Web address to vote for him, something he’d never do himself, she said.
“Had it not been that the school be given an award, he would not have consented to the award,” she said. “It’s very difficult for him to say, ‘Vote for Nak.’ It’s easy for everybody else to say that.”
Nakamura, who has been at Alameda High since 2000, teaches history and ethnic studies, coaches freshmen basketball and guides student leadership. Directly or otherwise, nearly every event on campus involves Nakamura in some way, teachers said.
“He just has a really good vision of what to let (students) take control of, where they need help, he just has such great experience doing the job,” said Brad Thomas, the school’s athletic director, who called Nakamura “a mentor” to himself, other teachers, and especially to students. “There’s some amazing things going on with student leadership at the school, and Nak’s had a hand in all of it.”
…
“I think he gets to their level, where they’re at, and then brings them forward,” Harrington said.
“He’s very demanding,” Thomas added. “His classes are not easy. He demands a lot of work from you, but he does it in a way that students don’t mind it.”
Nakamura himself was reserved in a phone interview, something fellow teachers said was out of character. He shrugs at the award, but said he’ll work to win the extra money for Alameda High.
“It’s an honor,” he said, “but, in my heart, I know that almost every teacher here deserves that recognition, so it’s kind of embarrassing.”
$10,000 is a lot of ducats, so take a few seconds, literally it takes seconds, to vote for Alan Nakamura. Only one vote per IP address. Do it to award a great teacher and do it to help out your school district.
For additional characteristics and traits of school board member, I have created the following:
http://mikemcmahon.info/boardroles.htm
Comment by Mike McMahon — June 25, 2008 @ 9:48 am
how about Rob Siltanen or Alan Nakamura for this role
Comment by Samir — June 25, 2008 @ 3:22 pm
While I don’t know Alan Nakamura, Rob is absolutely amazing. Of course, AUSD employees cannot run for the BOE. I do believe that this next board will require skills that are exceptional given that our budget problems are far from over. My hope is that we will have some candidates who have “big picture” understanding and experience with a more global perspective that just AUSD. We have already seen that understanding budgets alone is not enough. We need people who understand policy and how a board can me limited by its understanding of policy. We need people with a vision about what we want and the willingness to dream and build programs and not just cut in response to the State. We need to be prepared for the State and not be blind sided by what we should have expected.
We need a board that has a vision for our district and understands that the lens for all decisions should be that vision. I am hopeful that there are some people in the community who will step forward and or be encouraged to run.
Comment by Sylvia Kahn — June 25, 2008 @ 3:30 pm
We need a BOE members, not with their own vision, but members who will help form a community vision.
Big difference.
Comment by David Kirwin — June 26, 2008 @ 10:06 pm
We need members with both. If you have no vision, you can’t work on one. I read over what I wrote and would apologize to anyone who thought I was saying we need members who come in knowing what “has to happen”.
Comment by Sylvia Kahn — June 27, 2008 @ 3:49 pm
AUSD BOE needs members who put up with democratic process, who can guide and lead with public consensus. I don’t think we want BOE members who are as strong willed about their own vision as the community members who designed Measure H for the BOE.
That was an example of monarchy or oligarchy perhaps, but certainly not a democratic or publicly open approach which is what AUSD will need to pull the community together to support our school district.
While I appreciate and respect the MH leadership for taking action, their style of action is far too self-directed lacking in pubic input, it neglected the concerns of the community as a whole and is too divisive for this community.
The fact that they even repeatedly refused to publicly acknowledge who they were, speaks volumes as to how they would behave as the governors of our local education system.
Comment by David Kirwin — June 27, 2008 @ 6:54 pm
It takes a Village, People.
Comment by Mother of 4 — June 27, 2008 @ 8:54 pm
disregard #7 - meant to post on Altogether Now.
Comment by Mother of 4 — June 27, 2008 @ 8:56 pm
Mr. Kirwin, you do not speak for the community. I am a parent, a tax payer, a lifelong Alamedan and an educator who has spent almost 20 years in the district. I am thankful for those who spear headed measure H. I frankly don’t care who wrote the language. It sounds like you think it was a conspiracy. It is unfortunate that your opinion is that the style was “far too self-directed” although the commment itself does not make sense to me. It definately represented the concerns of the community as it required a 2/3 vote to pass so clearly far more wanted it than not. As for being devisive, I think not. The parents, teachers, children and those without children that I know were thrilled. It actually was an experience that left me feeling better about my community. I am sorry you don’t have that experience. It is truly unfortunate that have not been able to share in the great feeling.
Perhaps you should get to know some others who are actively involved in the district. We are supportive of the schools, watchful and often distrustful of the district administration but will also support them when they are doing the right thing. I will admit that there are some issues at this time that cause me great concern but I would advocate that it is not the handling of finances that is the problem.
I am hopeful to have a board that is made up of members that want to look at our vision and mission and use that as a lens for policy. I want a board that asks questions from that understanding. I do not want to attend or watch board meetings where board members sit passively by without asking questions that are relevant(and don’t just assume that the staff is painting the whole picture)and when they do ask questions, I don’t want to wonder what they did instead of reading their Board Packet prior to the meeting.
In my opinion, AUSD is an amazing place to be able to send my children. I feel great about so much of what we have to offer. I think I need to introduce you to some people who you would really like and who would perhaps inspire you to write happy, positive statements. It feels really good.
Comment by sylvia kahn — June 27, 2008 @ 10:48 pm
I have never seen so many people who are blind in my life. What we need on the school board are people who have common sense. Better yet, what we need is a school administrator who has common sense, and who also has the balls to do the job she/he was hired to do. It is painfully obvious that the main problem with the AUSD is the teachers union and the teachers themselves, to a degree. The teachers don’t want to teach more than 20 students per class. The union somehow has that in their contract.[?] Clearly, things have to change, and we need someone in there who will just take care of business, and not cowdown to the union. It is like I was taught by my first boss way back when I was 16 and at my first job. I asked for a raise and my boss told me that if I didn’t like what I was being paid, that I could go elsewhere. Sure, I was a little miffed at the time, but he was right. These teachers need to be told that they WILL teach in classes with between 35-50 students per class, and if they don’t like it, then they can teach elsewhere. Oakland is hiring and pays better, but of course, it is OAKLAND. Then again, Alameda schools already get a sizeable number of their students from Oakland anyway, so what does it matter? If these teachers don’t weant to deal with Oakland students, it is already too late, as they are already at our schools in Alameda. For example, why does the School Resource Officer at Encinal High School, ferry students from the Bart station to school everyday? The last time I checked, we don’t have a bart station in Alameda, which means that these students are clearly coming from out of town to go to school here, and yet, nobody seems to care about that. I will make this promise right now. I will do the school administrator job at half of what she is currently being paid, and I will balance the budget, which is what she was supposed to be doing with her high salary.
Comment by * — June 28, 2008 @ 10:52 am
11
By the way, since you know the meaning of the word “kowtow”, you should know that “having balls” has nothing to do with biology. More importantly, your ingenuous argument that District scores get higher as AUSD teachers make less would make an uninterested observer say…hmmm.
Comment by A Parent — June 28, 2008 @ 1:32 pm
9
“I think I need to introduce you to some people who you would really like and who would perhaps inspire you to write happy, positive statements. It feels really good.”
http://www.feelgoodgirl.com/node/144
Comment by HapHapHappy — June 28, 2008 @ 1:39 pm
An ability to write happy, positive statements that make me feel really good is a quality I am definitely not looking for an a school board candidate…
Comment by AD — June 28, 2008 @ 2:43 pm
#13-
HapHap - Thanks for the link, I nearly laughed till I cried the 1st time I heard that on KPIG, 1510 am. I wish Alameda had better am reception - I usually listen to KPIG via the web at home because of poor local AM service. I may be near too much interference caused by all the area’s microwave cell towers. Fortunately our honey bees are thriving, I was wondering if they would be okay here. Not only are they a ‘canary in a coal mine’, they are also very educational for us and many others in our neighborhood. Local honey is the healthiest…
As to the gist of your comment, which I thought you were directing to me rather than to Sylvia; perhaps I would post and drool hap-hap-hic-happy thoughts if I just drank tequila. When I look at “the masses” who ignorantly maintain their bliss, and the majority in Alameda as elsewhere in the USA who ‘don’t care’, don’t vote, & don’t have a clue of how their lifestyles and those of their descendants are formed and manipulated, I am glad not to be “just a tequila drinker.”
I had turned to the Alameda blog scene hoping to learn more facts about what is going on. I hope more people begin to bring more information to these sites.
Comment by David Kirwin — June 28, 2008 @ 3:02 pm
Why don’t the “balls advocates” from 10 and 12 above(one of whom claims he/she could solve AUSD’s challenges simply by kicking the lazy, overpaid teachers’ asses) have the balls to use their real names?
Comment by * + A Parent = Balls? — June 28, 2008 @ 4:17 pm
Been gone on quite a bender for a few weeks. Heard that school tax thing passed despite Kirwin’s endless questions. Trying to cut back on drinking, but may have to have a couple after reading 6 and 15.
6 says the school board should be more democratic and operate based on public consensus. Would that be the consensus about charter schools (DK still hasn’t answered the questions about the payoffs from right wing foundations I asked him about several weeks ago) or the consensus about how best to teach tolerance or the consensus about keeping neighborhood schools?
After 6 calls for democracy, 15 seems to disparage the demos part of democracy (“the masses . . . ignorantly maintain their bliss, and the majority in Alameda as elsewhere in the USA . . .‘don’t care’, don’t vote, & don’t have a clue”).
More democracy or the masses are ignorant? Don’t get it. Need another drink.
Comment by Otis Campbell — June 28, 2008 @ 9:39 pm
Ok, I will respond to #11 above. His first question was
“How many students in a class?
Fifty?” My answer, is that 50 should be a maximum, but I see nothing wrong with having between 35-50 in a classroom.
“How many students were in your classes when you were in school at the little red school house?” Answer, I didn’t go to school in a little red schoolhouse. I went to a public high school in a state that consistently has high rankings of its students and which also has high graduation rates. We had 596 students in my graduation class, and the classes usually ranged from between 30-50 students per class.
“Does every superintendant have to have “balls?” Answer, Yes, as the one we currently have does not want to make the decisions, however hard, to make in order to balance the budget.
“We just had one with “balls” and this current one is better.” My response; If this one is better, I would hate to be still stuck with the old one then!
“Surely you cannot be saying that your job you had when you were 16 and the response of your boss is the model we should use for all public employees?” Why not? We are free to go and come as we please, and that includes working for wherever we want to if we can get them to hire us. You apply to work somewhere because you want to work there, and if they offer you a salary that you are happy with, then you take the job. Let me see now, you unionize, and then negotiate so that everyone gets the same benefits and raises, regardless of performance. Hmmm, sounds like communism to me…
“You are aware that it is not illegal for students to come here from out of District, aren’t you?” Answer,I don’t know if it is legal or not, but I do know that if one does not live in the district for the school they want to go to, then they will not be allowed to go there, except under special circumstances.
“Did you know the State pays the District to teach them?” Answer, sure I know that, and therein lies the answer to why outside interlopers are allowed to attend and degrade the alleged quality of the Alameda schools.
“And what exactly are you trying to imply about students from Oakland?” My answer, Isn’t it obvious? Oakland schools have one of the worst graduation rates in the country because of the students who attend there. Now if these students come over here to our schools in Alameda, then can we not see the correlation there to the low rankings of the students at Encinal, where most of them go?
“Did you know because of increases in the costs of health benefits, all AUSD teachers make less than they did a few years ago yet District scores have never been higher? Answer, again, if the teachers don’t like what they are being paid, then they can always go to Oakland, where the salaries are higher. I sure don’t see a flock of teachers flying over to teach in the Oakland school system…;-)
By the way, I used to teach high school at a private school and I also taught college for several years. I would hear complaints from the English instructors, about how they had stacks of papers [such as compositions] to grade everynight. My answer to them was, that they knew what they were getting into, when they decided to become English instructors. I mean, it is common sense that it is a lot easier to grade a math test, with definitive answers [1+1 will always equal 2] than it is to have to read a stack of composition papers. So I have no sympathy for teachers who complain about stacks of papers that they have to bring home to grade. It is obviously a matter of proper time management at the school and course assignment. And if you have to spend hours in preparation for what you are going to teach the next day, then again, you should not be teaching anyway, since you obviously don’t know the material. I hope this clarifies my earlier comments…
Comment by * — June 29, 2008 @ 3:29 am
# 16
Try these: http://www.gethappyballs.com/
Comment by anthappy (reelname) — June 29, 2008 @ 9:28 am
# 18 do you know who the last superintendent was? If you don’t know that, I take your opinions with a grain of salt. It also makes me suspect who you are, if you don’t know I also will never know unless you are honest about it.
I suspected you were you after reading #10 last night and almost unloaded on you, but now I am 90% certain who you are.
No time to dwell here now. See you later.
Comment by Mark Irons — June 29, 2008 @ 4:54 pm
To Mark Irons post #20, I have put in a name to make you happy. Believe me, you do not know who I am. I am not well known in the community. I am just an ordinary citizen with common sense, which it seems, is sorely lacking in the school administration and on the city council. I have learned though, that some peoples’ minds will never be changed and they can never see the obvious truth. Example, the schools said they needed a $109 parcel tax, which would alleviate their shortages. It didn’t, due to their continuing to spend spend spend. Then, they asked for, and received, an additional $80 parcel tax, which brought it up to $189 a year. Now, with measure H, they asked for, and unbelievably, they received an additional $120 a year, which brings it up to $309 a year. Three strikes and you are out, and I can’t believe that the people of Alameda, who voted FOR Measure H, actually think it is going to help. Today’s headline in the Alameda Journal points out that because Measure H passed, school sports can be saved. There they go again, continuing the same old spending practices, when they should be curtailing these wasteful and needless expenses. If one wants to participate in sports, then let one’s parents pay a fee for that. It is that simple.
Comment by Jim — July 2, 2008 @ 4:40 am
re #21, is it that simple?
Rather than “spend spend spend,” it sounds as though you are an advocate for cut cut cut. With your common sense, please explain the “obvious truth” of how the School Board should have/could have cut roughly 4 million dollars from the AUSD budget.
Please be more specific than just calling vaguely for cutting “wasteful and needless expenses.” Please do not include any cuts that would violate common sense.
Comment by Rob Siltanen — July 2, 2008 @ 6:11 am
Not sure where I found this:
What should I look for in a school board candidate?
First of all, you should think about the issues that are important to you in your school district. Are you concerned about student transportation, textbook adoption, funding for extracurricular activities, new curriculum standards and/or construction of new school facilities? What’s your hot button? You’ll want to find out where the candidates stand on issues that are important to you.
You might also look for the following qualities:
-The ability to work well with a team and support group decisions, along with an understanding that the board sets a climate for the entire district
-A desire to work toward a stronger relationship between the district and the public it serves
-A keen eye toward serving the needs of all students, regardless of their abilities and backgrounds
-A professional, poised demeanor and respectful, respectable behavior
-Respect for diverse points of view
-Commitment to the time and energy required each week for meetings, phone calls, conversations, visits to schools, and professional development seminars and workshops
-Knowledge about district policies, guidelines, needs, challenges and strengths
-At the heart of it all, members of a district’s board of education must believe, unequivocally, in the value of public education. They must be dedicated to serving and teaching all children. They must believe in the democratic process and understand that their role is to act strategically, in line with the interests of the entire school community.
Comment by Mike McMahon — July 2, 2008 @ 6:38 am
By the way filing for school board starts July 14th at the Alameda County Office Registar of Voters.
Comment by Mike McMahon — July 2, 2008 @ 6:39 am
Not directly related to school board elections, but the district announced today that Superintendent Ardella Dailey will be retiring effective 1/1/09. See http://www.mikemcmahon.info.
Comment by A little birdie — July 9, 2008 @ 4:33 pm
I think Luz Cazares has been such a blessing for AUSD as CFO. With her at the financial helm of AUSD it became possible to better understand the financial situation, how all the education revenue sources blend & merge or need to be kept separate, what kinds of funds can be spent where most needed, and which must be reserved for mandated expenses. She really informed all of us who are interested in following the money. AUSD and the BOE need the openness of public financial books, and to improve clear and honest public communication. I was so disappointed to learn just weeks ago that Luz is leaving for another position. I understand her decision to take the position as “Assistant Superintendant in Charge of Finances”, since Luz has expressed her desire to one day be a School Superintendant herself. Following this announcement AUSD’s BOE should immediately solicit Ms Cazares to apply for the position that Ardella Daily is vacating.
I have appreciated Ardella’s “Leadership-By Consensus” as opposed to the “My Way or the Highway” leadership style we had in the past. I think the BOE should again look within the District for a Superintendant rather than searching elsewhere for someone to entice with a higher wage package. It seems that type of search will only yield someone who will just as quickly leave AUSD for a better deal as our last Superintendant did. Ardella Daily had invested her career in AUSD and this community, and I am grateful that the BOE selected her. Thank you Ardella!
I pray for the best for Ardella’s family and health.
Comment by David Kirwin — July 9, 2008 @ 5:20 pm