Meet Donalyn Harris, Candidate For Pleasanton School Board

PLEASANTON, CA — Patch reached out to all candidates for the PUSD Board of Trustees with identical questions about their background and their vision for Pleasanton schools. Here are the responses from Donalyn Harris, a candidate for Area 3.

Responses have not been altered.

1. What is your personal, educational, and professional background?

I was born and raised here in Pleasanton, and am a proud alumna of Amador Valley High School. I earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from UC Berkeley with a Distinction in General Scholarship because I was interested in everything and studied in areas outside my major including the classics, anthropology, education, and French. During college, I worked in downtown Pleasanton at Dorothy's Florist. Since college, I've worked for internationally-owned, global corporations, as well as working in local real estate as a buyer's agent and transaction coordinator. I've also held a credential since 2015 and worked as a substitute teacher here in PUSDduring those years.

2. How long have you lived in Pleasanton?

Is this a clever way to get me to reveal my age? I've lived in Pleasanton for all but 6 years of my life so far.

3. What brought you here?

Well, initially my grandparents moved here from Danville in 1966. My parents decided to live here around the corner from them when my brother was born. I've tried living in Brentwood and Berkeley nearby, and in Oregon and Florida, but this is the place that always feels like home. I feel like this place was just as much a part of raising me as my parents, likely because as a free-range Gen X kid, I could ride my bike downtown to work at the fair in the summer, visit the dairy, or hit up the library, or go to a friend's house. I feel like my kids don't know how lucky they are to still have the chance to do that! We have all the amenities of a nearby thriving city with the small-town vibe of everyone looking out for and helping each other.

4. How have you been involved in the community?

When I was in 5th grade at Walnut Grove, my older brother participated in a local Special Olympics event. I showed up to cheer him on and ended up helping hand out medals to the athletes, and that was it-- I found out I loved volunteering. I spent a lot of time with the Rainbow Girls in local philanthropic efforts, like spending time with the seniors and serving weekend coffee at local convalescent homes, and assisting students with special needs during summer day programs. In high school, I was a band kid,and helped prep the campus for the weekly Bingo fundraiser. As an adult and parent, I've spent thousands of hours in PTA and booster-related activities, and helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for our school programs. I've held many different positions, including president, at my childrens' schools' PTAs, as well as in their music boosters organizations. I've done it all, from sponsoring School Smarts at Walnut Grove to chaperoning the Harvest Park band Disneyland trip, to fitting band shoes at Amador, towing equipment with my old truck, taking on a full-time classroom position wasn't a teacher available, driving sick students home from an out-of-town field trip, and generally jumping in to help in whatever capacity my community needs me.

5. What do you feel are some of the biggest challenges facing PUSD?

We need to hire a superintendent who's well-suited to the position--someone who understands and appreciates Pleasanton's unique qualities and the diverse and layered needs of all our students, families, and the community at large. PUSD also needs a balanced budget, not a budget deficit, and the organization needs to behave transparently and responsibly, especially with our limited funds.

6. What are your plans for addressing them?

As a PUSD parent for over 25 years and a full-time, long-term substitute for the past 2 years, I have a thorough understanding of not only how our community has grown, I've seen what our students, teachers, and families need right now because I've lived it. I also live with a sense of urgencyto get the superintendent hire right. Our kids only get one childhood, and time's been slipping away while the adults argued. The school board needs to agree upon and articulate a clear vision of what our community expects from a new superintendent-- a person who doesn't just check boxes, but someone who's completely invested in moving forward with all of Pleasanton, providing the best-quality education for ALL our students, as well as the best possible salaries and benefits to attract and retain experienced staff. Most importantly, the board needs to be a team, working with a superintendent who communicates openly, honestly, respectfully, and truly connects and collaborates with ALL members of the community. The division and divisiveness have left our community battered and tattered, and it's time to remember that we're all in this together for the well-being of ALL our students and stakeholders.

Furthermore, in addition to helping raise six-figures of funds for our schools, I've also had decades of experience balancing non-profit budgets. Every board I've ever served on has managed to spend funds wisely and end with a positive balance at the end of every fiscal year. I don't just talk about fiscal responsibility-- I have real, practical experience executing it.

7. What makes you the best candidate?

I am not just the best candidate, I'm also the best candidate for *right now*. Our district budget faces both onboarding a new superintendent and handling a projected budget shortfall within the next term. The board will need to work closely as a team to ensure the new superintendent effectively handles these obstacles. When other local districts have experienced this, the state steps in to exercise oversight. We don't want this to happen here-- it's a crisis waiting to happen. With my experience on the 2020 Superintendent's Budget Committee, I am not only familiar with our complex budget, I've already participated in discussions with district leadership and stakeholders about how to most effectively prevent budgetary issues from impacting our students' education. Furthermore, my experience isn't limited to interacting with the district office-- I also have deep ties within the schools and parent communities, having worked with teachers and students by day and volunteering with parents during evenings and weekends. I thoroughly understand our communities' priorities and will continue to advocate for our students in the classrooms and for transparency and communication for the district office for ALL stakeholders.

8. Outside of politics, what do you enjoy doing?

My family and I are very lucky that we can get in our Cessna and check out the gorgeous mountains, valleys, and historic sites our state has to offer. My kids' favorite trips, though, are when we transport pets for animalrescue. I have to admit, it's great to get a puppy fix!

9. Any other comments?

One of my clearest high school memories was stressing over missing a PSAT for a jazz band competition. A school board member at the time, Chuck Eddinger, found out what happened, and he arranged a makeup test, proctoring part of it himself. I will never forget how relieved we band members were-- for once, we didn't have to choose between what we loved to do and what we had to do. We had the chance to do both because someone cared enough to make it happen. I've shown how much I care by showing up when the community needs help. I promise to continue doing that, and I ask area 3 to please trust me with their vote. Thank you!