Ross Valley School District: Trevor Hughes

Patch will be introducing each of the four  Board of Trustee candidates this week. Elizabeth Peacock has reportedly withdrawn from the race.

The only public forum scheduled among the four candidates -- Annelise Bauer, Anne Capron, Hadley Dettmer, and Trevor Hughes -- will be hosted by Manor PTA at 's multi-purpose room on Oct. 19 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Each candidate has, in the mean time, volunteered to answer a number of questions for Patch.

Their answers will be published on Patch, one candidate each day this week -- in alphabetical order. Read the Q&As from , and as well.

Name:  Trevor Hughes

Age:   75

Town: Fairfax

Occupation: Retired Physician/educator

Other Boards/Commissions you have served on:

•    In the past: Many committees in medical schools and hospitals
•    Recently: Fairfax Deer Park Area traffic study, Fairfax “Chipper Day” committee; RVSD Measure A Oversight Committee (appointed); Bennett House Garden Committee;  HLC ad hoc committee

Why are you running for RSVD School Board?

As a retired physician/educator I have the time, experience, and desire to facilitate the education of Ross Valley children. From attending almost 100 district meetings in three years, I believe my knowledge and experience as an educator will complement those of incumbent trustees. One of my major interests is curriculum development and implementation. Another is teaching critical thinking skills and values. 

Key issues facing the school district include:

• adapting to rapid cultural change with a “21st Century education”
• understanding the changes in attitude, behavior and potential of children raised in the digital age who, experts tell us, are very different from previous generations
• providing facilities to accommodate increased enrollment, this includes spending Measure A bond money effectively supporting our teachers by
  • seeking their advice,
  • protecting them, as far as possible, from political mandates (they inhibit the teacher’s ability to educate creatively in the moment) and
  • organizing more volunteer help in the classroom.
• giving more emphasis and support to teaching the sciences
• communicating more effectively with the community-at-large to encourage volunteerism and pro bono consultation from community experts in various disciplines.

How would you address budget concerns and decreasing federal and state revenues?

I have watched the present board deal with this topic over many meetings. I am impressed with how they have considered every dollar and made cuts that have not radically impacted the excellent quality of present programs.

However, the board has recognized future cuts will entail laying off teachers. (salaries and benefits constitute 70-80% of the budget). This will mean an increase in class size. There is some discussion in the literature that this may not impact education as much as feared in a highly-motivated school district such as ours, but if this radical step proves to be necessary it will increase our teachers’ workload and stress. Providing needed technical equipment can to a certain extent ameliorate this stress.

Another more humanizing solution is to organize more in-class volunteer aides. The senior population is a relatively untapped resource of energy and wisdom. Anthropologically, trans-generational contact was essential for survival. Sociological studies show it is still essential for seniors to have contact with the young for many reasons.

Do you agree with how the district is currently dealing with the increased enrollment and overcrowding issues? What would you do differently?

Yes, I support the direction the district has taken. I was a vocal critic of opening a public school at Deer Park. My primary reason was the $10M plus cost involved. Spending this amount on Deer Park would not have left any bond money to upgrade the other K-5 campuses, and would have raised problems on inequity. It was not a wise way to spend our tax dollars.

With many others, I worked hard to . I spent more than 20 hours on the phone bank, and discussed the situation with at least 300 residents, leaving messages for many more. I have a personal commitment to them to ensure their bond money is spent wisely.  

What are the biggest issues that need to be resolved regarding Measure A construction?

Much of the basic planning was completed during many meeting I have observed. There is a schematic design for the middle school and the four K-5 campuses, with a provisional timeline. We are fortunate to have responsive architects and an experienced project manager to work with our dedicated district staff. 

The biggest issues are economic, and educational.

Economically, it is essential that does not have budget over-runs, otherwise there will be insufficient funds to provide for the needs of those K-5 campuses updated later. From personal experience it is very easy to want more than one can afford, and one has to avoid costly change orders that usually come from incompletely considered specification designs.

This is a very complex process and the district and architects will benefit from help and oversight by community members skilled in design and construction.

Two aspects of education are involved. Firstly, the new structures must provide for future educational practices and obviously the board relies on input from the teaching staff. Secondly, onsite building must not compromise the education of present students. The staff and board are well aware of this issue and plans are already being made to avoid disruption. 

In the long-term, how can the district ensure its financial sustainability and sustainable growth? 

Our economic future is not encouraging because increasing demand from developing countries for energy and diminishing natural resources will result in increased costs. Mindfully decreasing expenditures will still result in painful cuts in present programs and increased class size.

However, with the speed of modern cultural change, the educational process may rapidly change in ways we cannot presently imagine. Self-paced, online learning in the classroom is a distinct possibility and is proving to be very effective.

The words “sustainable growth” implies a continually increasing enrollment. This is by no means certain. There is strong evidence in the demographic literature that the birth rate falls in times of economic downturn. 

It is impossible to consider these complex questions in detail here. They will be visited and revisited by board members in the coming months and years. No one person can accumulate sufficient experience and wisdom to address all of these questions with sufficient authority.

The strength of any board depends on the diversity and depth of knowledge and experience of its members. The quality of leadership depends on distilling this collected wisdom into a vision based on a team approach.

I would consider it a privilege to be a member of the RVSB team.