A couple of weeks ago I pulled papers to run for San Leandro School Board (see below). After much consideration, I’ve decided that I will not be running for the office.
I have several reasons, but they all come down to the fact that I don’t really want to do it. A friend of mine, campaign manager Charles Gilcrest, told me once that if you had to chose between two equally good candidates, you should go for the one that has the fire in her belly. I don’t feel fired up when I think about serving in the School Board.
My children still have many years in the San Leandro School District, and I am concerned about the quality of the board members that will be joining the board – though I’m excited at the possibility of Evelyn Gonzalez winning the at-large seat. Still, I have great confidence on the Superintendent, and I know that my actual strengths lie as an activist. I work better outside the system, not inside it. And that, I will continue doing.
Thank you to everyone who encouraged me to run.
Jul. 18, 2014
I’ve Pulled Papers to Run for School Board
I have just pulled papers to run for the San Leandro School Board Area 4 race. At this point, it’s not my intention to file to run. But I want to make sure that there is at least one candidate in that race I can get behind. So far, I’m not impressed by the other candidates that have puled papers – if for no other reason that they have not reached out to Mike Katz-Lacabe, the incumbent. In general, the first thing you do when you think about running for a seat is to reach out to the incumbent to learn about their experiences and challenges on the seat. Anyone who runs blindly, will likely serve blindly as well.
As I wrote in my letter to the San Leandro Times, I’m looking for a candidate who understands technology and can be a champion for turning the 9th grade campus into a High Tech campus. I want someone who is intelligent, analytical, and makes data and research-oriented decisions. But I want more.
I want someone who will fight to educate our students, rather than have them score well on standardized tests. SLUSD’s focus on testing at the expense of education has pushed many high-achieving students away from our schools, I want to have them back and I want us to provide them the educational challenges they deserve.
I want someone who will also fight to embrace the diversity in our student body and make sure all students have the same opportunities to thrive without compromising their own selves.
I want someone who is forward thinking, who has a vision for the district in five and ten years, but also someone who is accessible to the community and who can act as a true representative for the concerns of parents /and/ students.
In other words, I want someone great – or, at the very least, better than me (not too hard, eh? 🙂 I think our kids deserve that.
My plan right now is to meet with any declared or potential candidates to this office. If you are one, I urge you to contact me to arrange a meeting/conversation. If I find I can get behind one or more candidate, I won’t file. Otherwise, you’ll see me on the ballot 🙂