Job View Differs Among School Board Candidates

With two weeks until Election Day, Sequoia Union High School District Board Trustee candidates are delivering polished speeches that effectively relay their backgrounds and viewpoints on issues.

Their perspectives on what their role on the Board will be differ.

Some candidates such as say they would act as they would if they were on the Board of Directors for a large corporation, assessing the performance of the superintendent as if he were the CEO of the company.

“Education is a complex business that depends on data analysis,” Weiner said.

“I can bring research that can help make real changes at our school," he added, highlighting his immersion into the research on educational approaches being done at Stanford University, where is a professor.

He said the key measure of policy would be its impact on the students. Weiner was one of five candidates who participated in a debate Monday night, which was hosted by The League of Women Voters of South San Mateo County at the district’s headquarters in Redwood City. Voters will be asked to select three of them on November 8. 

About ten people attended the debate. Gauging from the questions asked, it appeared that some people had misconceptions about the scope of a Trustee’s job, which is primarily to create and review long-range financial plans for the district and work with the superintendent to unfurl them in a manner that adheres to the district’s mission statement.  

Trustees hold the highest office within a school district, voting as a body to approve or deny changes to various policies. They are elected by people who reside within the boundaries of the school district and partake in the democratic process. 

Menlo Park City School District Board Member Laura Linkletter during her campaign last year people often misunderstand a board member's role in the district administration.

"Sometimes a parent will come to a meeting and tell us about a particular email, or the in this classroom; and we're looking at a much higher level than that," Linkletter Rich said.

But communicating with parents in town is unavoidable and should be expected, said incumbent candidate , so candidates should "do their homework."

“It’s very easy to be swayed by one or two people who give you a long, sad story,” Martinez said, “Board members need to make sure to talk to everybody before coming to conclusions.”

Martinez added that if she was elected she would encourage the creation and facilitation of programs that would enable English-as-a-Second-Language students to have options while enrolled in the district, and after graduating. She would also work to improve athletic programs, she said. 

“Our job is not to run programs,” contested Weiner. “Our job is to set strategic priorities for the district, communicate to the superintendent what metrics we’re evaluating him on, and in turn principals tell teachers what goals they should be working on,” he said.

The board is also responsible for ensuring that resources are available for the principals and teachers who implement the district's plans. These plans include determining how the district will be funded.

Some candidates such as Weiner and , would pursue partnerships with private community foundations similar to the Menlo-Atherton Education Foundation to supplement the money that the district receives from the state of California, while identifying operational costs that could be reduced or eliminated.  

“Most senior teachers in our system tend to be the most expensive,” Weiner said, “Maybe early retirements or buyouts could help us.”

DuBois was visibly disturbed by this proposition.  Are you?