My goals

Address district spending
The district’s trustees needs to do a better job of understanding expenses by asking more questions, second guessing anyone who suggests that “it’s always been that way,” and demanding that administrators come to the board with solutions that reconsider, renegotiate or reinvent existing spending patterns.

Provide rigorous bond oversight
If Measure B (a $289 million school facilities bond for Tam Union) passes, bond oversight will be critical. I am the only candidate with experience as a member of a bond oversight committee. As a trustee I will make it a priority to review contracts and invoices, and hold administrators accountable.

Close the achievement gap
Students are entering the district from middle school unprepared for the higher expectations of high school. The district believes $480,000 in consultant fees will solve the problem. It may help, but it does nothing to address early intervention and the need to partner with middle schools and parents to address the problem before students arrive unprepared for high school.

Focus on academic achievement
The jobs of tomorrow are different and the world’s talent pool is more competitive. Using equity as a lens, I want to offer a high quality range of educational tracks that reflect the diverse interests of our students while providing them with the best curriculum, technology, and teachers that will help them excel at every level.

Access state and federal funding
This November, a $10 billion state sponsored school facilities bond will be on the ballot. If passed, our district could reap over $40 million to support facility upgrades. This is just one example of state and federal money that’s frequently available. I want to push administrators to work harder to identify and apply for these grants and programs. If we don’t apply for this money and we sell bonds to cover our expenses, we are being taxed twice, which is no good for anyone. 

Uphold our values
I’m committed to educating our students to be critical thinkers who are caring, collaborative, and knowledgeable community members with the goal that our students will work to improve a diverse and dynamic society.

Measures A and B

I did not support Measure A, the school facilities bond that failed this past spring. I am the only candidate who did not support the measure. It was too expensive, it wasn’t equitable across the different high schools, and the administration did not do their due diligence to see if other sources of funding were available. Measure A was a $500 million bond that, with interest, would have cost taxpayers over $1 billion.

The district has returned with Measure B, a $289 million school facilities bond. I support Measure B and commend the district for slimming down the size of the bond and making the distribution of money more equal across the high schools.

Voters should understand, and school board trustees should be transparent about, how bond monies will be spent and how much of the $289 million will actually be earmarked to directly repair old facilities and build new ones. That’s why my commitment to accountability and rigorous oversight is so important.

Getting on the ballot
First the district hired consultants to come up with a plan. Then they paid $157,000 just to get Measure A on the ballot. They spent thousands advertising it. When the measure failed, they paid more consultants to figure out why. Measure B will experience similar costs to get on the ballot and advertise. The district will spend over $500,000 on marketing the bond proposals.

Bond issuance costs
There are fees to sell bonds in the marketplace. These fees go to financial institutions and the district expects those to reach $1.8 million. This is money that won’t be spent on building new facilities.

Renting portables
If the bond passes, the district will sign a contract for portable rentals at a cost of $1.7 million. This is money that won’t be spent on building new facilities.

Architecture and engineering
Generally, we can expect these fees to total 10% or more of the construction cost. If the district spends, say, $250 million of the $289 million on actual construction, fees could easily total $25 million.

Photocopies
No joke. When I served on the Lagunitas School District’s bond oversight committee, I was floored by what vendors were charging for photocopies. Many vendors see government work as an opportunity to gouge since oversight is lax. All the more reason that we need someone on the school board who is not a rubber stamp.