Menlo Park City School Board Will Appoint New Member

The Menlo Park City School District Board of Education unanimously voted Tuesday night to fill outgoing board member Mark Box’s seat through an appointment process.

Superintendent Ken Ranella recommended that the district do so to save the $45,000 it would cost the district to participate in an election.

“The amount is substantial, considering the financial and fiscal challenges the district faces right now,” Ranella said, during the special meeting that was held to decide whether the board would elect or appoint a new member.

Mr. Box will be relocating his family to Barcelona, Spain and to the district that will become effective on June 30. This is the first time that a board member has not completed their term of office in the nine years he has served the district, Superintendent Ranella said.

Board member motioned to approve the appointment process and was seconded by board member . Mr. Box will be able to participate in all board activities, including the June board meeting, until he departs, except in the selection of the new person, Ranella said.   

The incoming member will be considered an appointed incumbent, as they will be serving the remainder of Mr. Box’s term, which ends on the last school board meeting of the year in December 2012. Board members do not have term limits.

After the board decided to use the appointment process, they discussed the application process and the criteria that would be used to judge those who want to service. Not everyone was pleased with the phrasing in the materials which will be used to select the candidates.

is a Menlo Park resident who on the school board last November.  She said that the wording of the criteria that will be used to select the candidates, as originally stated, discouraged qualified people in the community from applying.

“There is a clause that suggests only people who have governmental agency experience should be the ones to apply for the position,” Uribe-Ruiz said, noting that the process seemed designed to benefit people who already have an established presence in the district.

“Yes, I'm an outsider. But I have business experience from New Jersey and have worked with the PTOs, and helped the special education system here, ” she added.

Menlo Park resident Ben Wilson was also in the audience that evening, and said that the criteria did appear designed to attract candidates from within the district.

“It seems to me that board members are supposed to represent the community and the key stakeholders, and hold the superintendent accountable,” Wilson said.

“Sometimes the best individuals are those who come from outside the field; by using other criteria, such as being a good collaborator, or having fresh ideas, that would encourage a broader group of people to apply,” Wilson said.

Board President Maria Hilton said that while the language could be interpreted as conducive toward an internal hiring process, the board would consider applicants whose professional background lay in other industries.

“During the interview process, applicants can relate to us how their previous experience will translate into addressing the work at hand, and how they can apply their knowledge to the work of the school board,” Hilton said.  

Who is eligible to be on the board?

“Any person, regardless of sex, who is 18 years of age or older, a citizen of the state, a resident of the school district, a registered voter, and who is not disqualified by the Constitution or laws of the state from holding a civil office, is eligible to be elected or appointed a member of a governing board of a school district without further qualifications," according to California Education Code Section 35107 (a).

School district employees are not eligible, unless they would like to relinquish their position for the one on the board.  Board members are not paid a salary.

Process by which candidates can apply:

A person who wishes to serve on the board should write a statement of up to 400 words that indicates their purpose and qualifications for serving the term that will begin July 1, 2011 and end on Nov 30, 2012.  They will also need to complete a two-page candidate information sheet and submit a hard copy of it to the superintendent's office.

According to documents that were distributed during the board meeting, the board will interview candidates and ask them questions that will be focused on the following criteria:

1) Level of understanding of the roles and responsibilities of a public school Board of Education

2) Leadership within the Menlo Park City School District or within other entities, business or public service, that is relevant to serving on the board

3) Level of understanding of the California public school system (laws, financing, challenges, etc.)

4) Level of understanding and potential contribution as a member of the Board of the conditions and challenges of the Menlo Park City School District

All candidates will be asked the same questions; interviews will last about 30 minutes.  People who are out of town can participate via conference call.  

Timeline:

Superintendent Ranella will publish the final wording of the criteria, as well as the link to the dowloadable candidate information sheet on June 3. After that is released, candidates need to file their applications by 4:30 p.m. on June 17. 

Interviews will likely begin at 3 p.m. on June 21 and may go through the 22, depending on how many people apply, to allow the board ample time to deliberate. Interviews, deliberation, and a decision will all occur the same evening.

Superintendent Ken Ranella volunteered to be the official contact point for candidates who have questions about the position, although people are free to speak with current and former board members in the meantime.