Issue date: October 20, 1999

Seven vie for community college board seats

Mr. Bertini aims to regain a seat on the college district board two years after losing to challenger Richard Holober, who waged an aggressive campaign, financed heavily by organized labor.

Mr. Bertini said his return to teach electronics part-time at Skyline College caused him to see how much needs to be done to improve physical facilities on the campuses and to give staff new and proper equipment to do their jobs. Board members, he said, are shielded from the reality of what's happening on the campuses. Funds, he notes, sometimes don't filter down to the students where they are needed.

All candidates agree that funding for community college districts is low on the state's priority list, and that this needs to change. Mr. Bertini proposes alternatives to a bond issue: look to the state to fund new construction; appeal to industry for assistance; sell or lease surplus district property; and keep a critical eye on managing the district budget.

Mr. Bertini favors changing the way college trustees are elected. He said candidates should run in a sub-district rather than the county at large. This, he said, would ensure diverse geographical representation on the board, which now is tilted toward south San Mateo County.

John L. 'Jack' Hickey

Mr. Hickey, a staunch opponent of tax measures, started campaigning for the college district board as soon as trustees voted unanimously to put the $148 million bond measure on the ballot. He said the amount is "too much." He would immediately defer almost $10 million earmarked for asbestos removal and another $12 million for earthquake safety upgrades. The bond measure, he said, would be a tax on property owners that is above the Gann limit.

Mr. Hickey suggested the district pay for its proposed high-tech buildings with matching funds from high-tech firms and pay for classroom renovations by having groups adopt a classroom.

More of his ideas: Sell off a portion of the Canada campus (which has the lowest enrollment) for a compatible research facility, or sell the entire campus and close Canada. One way to increase revenue, Mr. Hickey said, is to raise tuition from $11 per semester unit to $18. "If students paid more of their fair share, we would get better students," he said.

He also favors expanding on-line education.

Mr. Hickey criticizes spending for marketing to attract more students. The district could fix leaky roofs with the $250,000 that went to a public relations firm, he said. Mr. Hickey maintains a Web site at: http://users.cwnet.com/jackhick.

Karen Schwarz

Ms. Schwarz said she is passionate about providing quality education for a diverse student population.

Since elected to the board four years ago, she has worked, she said, to assess district needs, develop ways to increase enrollment, and reach out to more students through off-campus sites. She supports the bond measure, she said, to pay for long-overdue maintenance and keep up with technology.

"It's not an overnight process," she said. "We really need $200 million to make the three colleges state-of-the-art, but the board scaled back the amount to $148 million with an eye to receiving voter support."

Board members and staff studied the prospect of selling surplus property, which, she said, isn't feasible at this time.

The district "absolutely needs more state support" than the $3,400 per student it receives each year, said Ms. Schwarz. She cities the inequity of the state's funding model: an average of $6,000 per student for K-12 districts in San Mateo County; $9,000 per student at a state university; $18,000 per student at the University of California campuses.

The community college district, she notes, is solvent with a $130 million budget this year, of which 85 percent goes for employee salaries and benefits.

Among her high priorities, Ms. Schwarz said, is continuing to open communications with the community, students and district employees, and listening to various points of view. She supports the new Middle College program for high school students at College of San Mateo and Canada, and off-campus sites in downtown Redwood City and Menlo Park, and soon in South San Francisco.

Margret Buckley Schmidt

Ms. Schmidt said she's philosophically opposed to bond issues and taxes, and thinks school districts should be guided by a "pay as you go" model.

Deciding to run after learning about the bond measure, she said she can contribute to the board her problem-solving skills, fresh ideas and creative thinking.

Admitting she doesn't have "all the answers" to how the district can pay for overdue maintenance and new facilities, she suggested the district seek donations and reach out to corporate donors to build, for example, an Oracle Computer Science Building, following the precedent of the Bill Gates building at Stanford.

She suggested the college district establish a maintenance account similar to condominium association funds. If enrollment doesn't support keeping Canada College open, she would consider selling the valuable property.

Ms. Schmidt said her personal experience taking classes at College of San Mateo has been "great." She thinks the district has been well managed and meets the needs of a variety of students, but she doesn't want to saddle taxpayers with an additional burden.

Patricia Miljanich

Ms. Miljanich spearheaded putting the college bond measure on the ballot after encouraging board members to look at ways to raise funds other than selling land. She is the chairman of the citizens committee supporting Measure A.

Community colleges are short-changed by the state's funding model, she said, and she vows to work to change the situation, including taking a leadership role with the Community College League.

One of Ms. Miljanich's concerns is meeting the needs of students who haven't graduated from high school. "Statistics show that when we get kids to school, they do well," she said. She encourages partnerships with high schools and elementary schools and expanding outreach programs for these students and their parents. She cites as examples the extra reading courses offered at Canada and the new Middle College at Canada and College of San Mateo. Middle College enables students who "aren't connected" at area high schools to receive both high school and college credit through this program.

With the prediction of an influx of new students to the community college district in the next decade, Ms. Mijanich endorses a "caretaker" responsibility for the Canada lands, instead of selling the land.

Thomas L. Constantino

Mr. Constantino, the senior member of the college district board, said he hasn't lost his passion for education and community service as he seeks his fourth term on the board.

He urges voters to invest in lifelong learning at the district's three campuses by voting yes on the bond measure to improve labs, renovate spaces and update technology. He has supported a nursing program at College of San Mateo, an automotive industry partnership at Skyline, and Canada's downtown center in Redwood City.

Mr. Constantino said the district's biggest challenge is meeting the needs of an increasing number of Latino students in South San Mateo County. Young people can no longer succeed in a high-tech world with only a high school education, he said. The district must play an even larger role, he said, in encouraging students to raise their sights and gain skills to earn beyond the minimum wage.

Among programs he supports are "College for Kids," a summer academic and sports program; concurrent college enrollment for high school students who can earn transferable college credits; and earning college credit while viewing KCSM-TV at home.

Robert Bentley

Mr. Bentley, a longtime teacher in public schools and a lifelong resident of San Mateo County, said the bond measure is necessary to preserve a viable community college district.

He understands the strengths and weaknesses of students coming into the district and has a "good vision" of the types of nurturing and reinforcement that would benefit them, he said.

Mr. Bentley said he would focus more on strengthening the mastery of the English language for speakers of English as a primary language as well as for those acquiring English skills. He wants to require students to take a course in ethics in the workplace because, he said, America is torn apart with strife in the workplace, including sexual harassment.

Another priority for Mr. Bentley is safety on campus, in view of violent incidents at schools around the country. He suggested having one security system for the entire district instead of independent security forces at each campus.

Mr. Bentley said he would never support the sale of district property but would consider leasing the Half Moon Bay site with the revenue being used to buy buses to transport coastside residents to the district's campuses.

"There's a tremendous need in today's world to step away from the electronic computer and revitalize the skills of the most wonderful computer in the world, the human brain," said Mr. Bentley.



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