Election 2016 Candidates Questionnaire: Cruz Vargas

This year there are three candidates vying for two open seats for School Board of trustees for the Emery Unified School District.  The three Emeryville residents are Barbara Inch, Cruz Vargas and Ken Bukowski.  Next up in the Tattler rotation is Cruz Vargas.  We ask five questions:

Tattler:  Do you see yourself primarily as a representative of the community or as a representative of the school system?

Cruz Vargas:  I believe an effective School Board member should be a representative of both sides so i don’t see these being mutually exclusive. So I see myself - and will continue to be -  a representative of both families and teachers alike.

Tattler:  What is your own experience with public education?

Cruz Vargas:  As a student, my experience dates back a generation as my own parents were very involved in my school’s parent associations. When I was 8 years old, I asked my parents to transfer me to a private school. To which my dear mom replied "honey, a school doesn't make students. It's the students and their families that make the school". Needless to say, I’ve only attended public schools: from kindergarten through International Baccalaureate in Mexico to my degree at UC Berkeley.

As a parent, our experience with public schools has also been very positive. The best example I can provide is that my daughter is the product of our district’s ESL program - allowing her to quickly and productively integrate into our educational system.

Tattler:  What are your priorities for the district in the coming year? Why and how did you select these issues.

Cruz Vargas:  For a more detailed view, I recommend visiting my website: www.iloveEmeryville.com.

I believe the first priority is to bring all of us together around the shared common ground: the education of our children. Second, we’ll empower our teachers by providing the tools and resources required so we can transition quickly to the full utilization of all our new resources and technology. I believe our third priority should be to focus on our curriculum to further incorporate enrichment programs including STEM, arts/music and to evaluate programs such as International Baccalaureate.

To build this view of priorities, I have met with - and I’m endorsed by - our teacher’s association and both current and former board members; and have met with many of the families that have the drive to move our district forward.

Tattler:  In 2012 more than 90% of teachers at Emery signed the 'Teachers Resolution' expressing no confidence in the former Superintendent of the Schools.  The teachers asked the Board for their support with the Resolution but the Board refused and ignored the request of virtually the entire teaching staff (please see the Tattler for details).  More recently the teachers were united in their voices to delay the opening of the ECCL citing student safety and lack of curriculum reasons.  Again the Board ignored the teachers request. The teachers at Emery have felt their voices are not being heard by the Board of the Administration.  Please explain what you think broke down in these two cases.

Cruz Vargas:  As the only registered candidate endorsed by the Emery Teacher’s Association, I do not take this responsibility lightly. The past is behind, let’s learn from it. I encourage the other candidates to meet for the first time with our Teacher’s Association and to pledge their support to our wonderful teachers, administrators and supporting staff regardless of the outcome. We are here to move forward together, for the sake of our children.

Tattler:  Parents too felt ignored by the Board during planning meetings for ECCL when they requested hearings into the wisdom of closing Anna Yates Elementary School.  The Board refused to entertain holding even a single meeting to gauge public concern or hear the parent's and citizen's ideas.  Please explain what you think broke down when parents and citizens were not listened to.

Cruz Vargas:  As a parent, I attended multiple sessions and hearings regarding ECCL aimed to gather input from parents and from the community. More importantly, I believe we should focus on moving our beautiful, state-of-the-art school forward. We will only achieve this together with your vote and your support. Thanks. Cruz J Vargas.

Election 2016 Candidates Questionnaire: Barbara Inch

This year there are three candidates vying for two open seats for School Board of trustees for the Emery Unified School District.  The three Emeryville residents are Barbara Inch, Cruz Vargas and Ken Bukowski.  First up is Barbara Inch.  The Tattler asks five questions:

Tattler:  Do you see yourself primarily as a representative of the community or as a representative of the school system?

Barbara Inch:  I consider the office of School Board Trustee to be a representative of the community and together they make up the school system. They should not be seen as separate entities. It is very important for the board to be seen as open, accessible, and representative of the community. Transparency and trust in a governing body is critical to building a functional community built around the schools.



Tattler:  What is your own experience with public education?

Barbara Inch:  I attended public schools in California and my son attends a public (not charter) school in Oakland. My husband has been a public school teacher, administrator, and board member. I volunteer in my son’s classroom and am active in his school.

Before my son entered kindergarten, I began following the Emery School Board, met with the administration, and  toured the school. I am a member of the Parks and Recreation Committee which has allowed me to see how the City-School partnership works first hand.

Tattler:  What are your priorities for the district in the coming year? Why and how did you select these issues.

Barbara Inch:  
-Improve leadership. I plan to take a very active role in refocusing administration on supporting teachers and staff development. The leadership needs to empower students, parents, and teachers.

-School messaging and outreach is out of date on inclusion and equity. Schools must be the model of positive engagement on ideas and issues of race, gender, LGBTQ, religion and religious attire. I will work to create an school environment that is welcoming to ALL families.

-Improving our schools’ academic performance. Emery has some of the worst test scores at the middle school level. I believe parents leave the district before this critical time because of these struggles.

I have adopted these issues as my top three priorities because I feel they will have the biggest impact on student performance, creating a positive educational experience, and preparing our student for their futures.

Tattler:  In 2012 more than 90% of teachers at Emery signed the 'Teachers Resolution' expressing no confidence in the former Superintendent of the Schools.  The teachers asked the Board for their support with the Resolution but the Board refused and ignored the request of virtually the entire teaching staff (please see the Tattler for details).  More recently the teachers were united in their voices to delay the opening of the ECCL citing student safety and lack of curriculum reasons.  Again the Board ignored the teachers request. The teachers at Emery have felt their voices are not being heard by the Board of the Administration.  Please explain what you think broke down in these two cases.

Barbara Inch:  I remember watching a clip of the Teachers’ Resolution on video and I was at the September 14, 2016 board meeting. Too often the board has been unmovable. This has been the norm over the years. The breakdown is that the intention of the board is decided in advance. On these occasions it was clear that no matter what the teachers said the outcome would be the same. Their valid  concerns have been dismissed by the board president. I understand that it takes courage to speak up and when you stifle  their voice and discourage them from participation, you create an atmosphere of mistrust.

Tattler:  Parents too felt ignored by the Board during planning meetings for ECCL when they requested hearings into the wisdom of closing Anna Yates Elementary School.  The Board refused to entertain holding even a single meeting to gauge public concern or hear the parent's and citizen's ideas.  Please explain what you think broke down when parents and citizens were not listened to.

Barbara Inch:  When people attend a school board vote they come with a certain exception that public comments will not only be listened but truly considered. They want to have an impact of the board vote. That is how it is suppose to work.  But the majority of board member too often stands united and dismiss the public. Although the community is humored with the option for public comment there seems to be little expectation or hope of impacting any decisions that has already made.  As you already know there are two open seats on school board. John Affeldt has resigned effective in December. When Christian Patz wins his bid for City Council, his seat will also be open. Now that the new site is open and 3 or 4 new board members starting fresh, I hope to see a lot of progress in the board responding to families, teachers, and community feedback and improving the quality of education in Emeryville.

Ken Bukowski: School Board Candidates Statement

Emeryville resident Ken Bukowski is running for a seat on the School Board of Trustees for Emery Unified School District.  Mr Bukowski noted the $900 fee required by Alameda County to print a candidates statement was beyond his means.  Given the Tattler's pledge that no longer will appointed School Board members undemocratically slide into that body without public consent and the fact that the $900 barrier to entry for candidates is not reasonable and in recognition that unexpurgated democracy is vitally important for a functioning civic polity, the Tattler presents the candidate statement of Mr Bukowski (at no charge):

KEN BUKOWSKI

            Candidate for Emery Unified School District Governing Board

* I served on the Emeryville City Council for 24 years.

* I was the council member responsible for merging our city fire department with Alameda County Fire Department. As a result, the city saves over a million dollars each year, and the consolidation provides more equipment, and more personnel to do the job.

* We should examine the feasibility of merging the Emery School District with another district. To maintain a separate district for such a small number of kids must be impacting the amount of available funds the district has for programs and services.

* Many parents are paying to send their kids outside the district when they would potentially send them to our school. As a result, the district is importing students from outside the district. This means those parents have no voice in electing members to serve on the school board.

* I believe the school board needs to open more dialogue with parents and teachers. I propose the creation of a live broadcast event to discuss issues in the schools, including an opportunity for parents to call in during the broadcast.

Background:

* Co-founder of City-School Committee (regular joint meetings of the City Council and School District Board).

* Co-founder of Emeryville Child Development Center

* Founder of the Emeryville Chamber of Commerce.

* Volunteer provider of links to video record public meetings and events. This includes providing video links to all the school board meetings, many city meetings and meetings of regional agencies.