Schools:
bringing in the new guard

Palo Alto district to add at least two new faces to already fresh-faced board

by Charlie Breitrose

No matter who wins next week's school board election, one thing is for sure: Palo Alto's schools will be governed for the next few years by a rather inexperienced group of board members.

Two veteran school board members, Don Way and Susie Richardson, each with eight years of experience, have decided not to seek re-election. With those two out of office, John Tuomy will be the board's elder statesman, with four years of experience--if he's re-elected. The two members not up for re-election--John Barton and Cathy Kroymann--are just finishing their second year in office.

So, once all the ballots are counted Tuesday, the average experience of the board members will be just a year and a half, assuming Tuomy is re-elected.

The six candidates vying for the three seats have engaged in a polite, low-key campaign featuring little friction or disagreement. In fact, the race has been so well-mannered that candidates often give each other an assist. Earlier this month, for example, Shelby Valentine asked a campaign forum moderator to direct a question to fellow candidate Mandy Lowell, because Valentine thought Lowell was being left out of the discussion.

"I think that's just the kind of people we are," Valentine said. "And we know three of us are going to have to work together on the board after the election."

The six candidates--Gail Price, Katherine Rudolph, Barbara Spreng, Valentine, Lowell and Tuomy--have similar views on all the major issues. Their qualifications are the main differences.

Tuomy is the only candidate with professional education experience. He is a former teacher in the district but has been working in high-tech for more than a decade. Spreng and Valentine have been involved in the PTA for years.

Price has experience working in government as a planner in Sunnyvale and has worked with the Palo Alto Community Child Care for years. Lowell recently retired as an attorney and has become very involved in the schools the last two years. Rudolph, the only candidate without children, graduated from Gunn High School just five years ago.

Despite the lack of disagreement among the candidates, several major issues loom for the new school board. In interviews and a questionnaire given to each of the candidates, the Weekly asked them to offer their viewpoints on the following issues:

• The importance of the district's new 90/50 plan--which sets the goal of having at least 90 percent of the students at each school performing at or above grade level--and how they would seek to implement it. The plan places a particular emphasis on low-performing students.
• Ensuring a safe and secure learning environment on school campuses.
• Recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers at a time that enrollment is surging and in an area where housing prices are unaffordable on most teachers' salaries.

The candidates' positions on these issues are summarized in the biographical sketches that follow.

School board candidates

Mandy Lowell
Age: 42
Occupation: Retired lawyer
School attended by children: Duveneck Elementary
Background: Three children--a son in fourth grade, a son in second grade and a 3-year-old daughter; worked for law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom; PTA Council's director of legislation, 1998-99; delegate to California PTA Convention.
90/50 plan: "I support screening in kindergarten and first grade so we can intervene early for certain learning problems. I would focus resources on being able to read by the end of third grade. Summer programs, particularly for older students, may be more effective than requiring the student to repeat the grade."
Safe and secure schools: "Problems are often the result of kids who feel alienated. I support having a variety of programs, from art to robotics, that encourage students to find a niche for success. The district should continue programs and workshops on mutual respect, tolerance, harassment prevention and conflict resolution. The district's procedures need to incorporate a clear message of what behavior is wrong, a clear way in which victims can report problems, and tracking of reported problems to detect patterns."
Recruiting and retaining teachers: "I support the City Council's exploring some form of set-aside housing, or first-option housing, for teachers and fire and police personnel. I would also devote energy to working with the banking and business community to support loans to teachers who have been in the district for a certain number of years."

Gail Price
Age: 51
Occupation: City planner
Schools attended by children: Juana Briones Elementary, JLS Middle, Gunn High
Background: Three children who go by the last name Salzman--a son in sixth grade, a son in 12th grade and a son in college; works for the city of Sunnyvale; co-chair of the Gunn site council, 1998-99; board member of Palo Alto Community Child Care, 1994-99; helped establish the pre-K program for children with no preschool experience, a partnership between the city, the district and PACCC; co-authored the district's Schools for the 21st Century report, which recommended a recent school bond measure of about $150 million.
90/50 plan: "To meet the needs of lower-achieving students at all levels, the district must provide high quality, rigorous training of teachers and provide resources to support teachers and students in the classroom." Some strategies Price supports are providing reading specialists to work with children in grades K-2, supporting homework clubs and parent education, and focusing on targeted skills improvement for all grades.
Safe and secure schools: "The district should use proven strategies to address school violence, such as school improvement teams, classroom instruction, student discipline initiatives and parent involvement. I would direct staff to conduct a survey of students regarding perceptions of school safety and elicit their suggestions regarding appropriate strategies."
Recruiting and retaining teachers: "A focus on competitive compensation for teachers and principals should remain an important priority." Price supports continued study of providing housing on district sites currently used for other purposes or on the high school campuses, as well as developing a housing assistance program to defray housing costs.

Katherine Rudolph
Age: 24
Occupation: Software releases and sales representative
Schools attended by children: No children
Background: Graduated from Gunn High School in 1993; also attended Nixon Elementary School and Pinewood School; graduated from Stanford University in 1997 with bachelor's degree in communication; works for software start-up Marimba Inc.; volunteers for YMCA and Red Cross.
90/50 plan: "To help students who are struggling, we need to understand why. I put a lot of faith and responsibility in teachers to identify these students very quickly and take active steps to work through the problems. I also look to parents to have open channels of communication with teachers about their observations of their children at home."
Safe and secure schools: "I am a strong supporter of open dialogue and encouraging students to express their feelings and concerns constructively, especially in times of tragedy, stress and confusion. Our administration should have the authority to set boundaries clearly for students and act quickly and firmly when boundaries are violated."
Recruiting and retaining teachers: "There are initiatives in the community right now to build affordable housing for teachers. I would support that. We can be creative and generous in our offers to staff beyond strict salary discussions." Rudolph proposes training program for teachers with outside employers, such as allowing someone with and interest in technology to work temporarily with a high-tech company.

Barbara Spreng
Age: 44
Occupation: Nonprofit director and mother
Schools attended by children: Duveneck Elementary, Nixon Elementary, JLS Middle, Gunn High
Background: Three children--two sons who have graduated from high school and a son who is a first grader; member of the Palo Alto Foundation for Education, 1991-99; co-chair of the Kids Count fund-raising campaign, 1998-99; PTA Council president, 1989-91; board member of Leadership Midpeninsula; board member of Adolescent Counseling Services, 1991-97; member of Schools for the 21st Century, Superintendent's Finance Advisory and the Middle School Reconfiguration committees.
90/50 plan: "First, parents must be involved. We should explore ways to more fully utilize community volunteers. In addition, we must focus attention on thoroughly evaluating standardized test results to more fully understand where deficiencies exist. Research curriculum and materials to support effective teaching and learning should direct our policy making."
Safe and secure schools: "It is essential that the district consistently address the social and emotional developmental needs of all our students. Placing a high value on a sense of community and healthy self-esteem is the first step." She also proposes a community service program for students as a way of learning social principals.
Recruiting and retaining teachers: Spreng proposes convening an educational summit to explore the needs of teachers and students; and collaborating with public and private organizations to develop a strategy for providing housing for teachers.

John Tuomy
Age: 53
Occupation: Computer network security consultant
Schools attended by children: Fairmeadow Elementary, JLS Middle, Gunn High
Background: Two children--a daughter and a son, both graduated from Gunn; school board member, 1996-99, president, 1997; co-chair of Measure B school bond campaign and Schools for the 21st Century Committee; former educational technology director for the district, 1979-81; teacher in grades 4-6 in Palo Alto, 1972-1977; teacher in the gifted and talented program (GATE), 1977-79; graduated from Palo Alto High School, 1964; president and CEO of LeeMah Datacom Security Corp., 1988-99.
90/50 plan: "Goals and expectations are not enough. We must commit the resources necessary to achieving this goal. By setting this goal for each school, rather than for the district as a whole, we help identify where we need to provide extra help. Preschool programs are another form of intervention that enable students to begin school better prepared to learn. Parent education is an essential requirement to success for students who are struggling."
Safe and secure schools: "Students must feel safe and secure at school if they are to succeed. To combat alienation, we must identify and obtain support for students whose problems could lead to violence. We can do more to develop an attitude of mutual respect in our schools. We must identify and obtain support for students whose problems could lead to violence."
Recruiting and retaining teachers: "Our staff deserves highly competitive salaries and excellent working conditions. We must expand our opportunities for experienced teachers to share their knowledge and for all teachers to expand their knowledge and techniques. We should engage the local financial community, major employers and other public agencies in developing programs that would help teachers and principals to qualify to buy homes in our community."

Shelby Valentine
Age: 52
Occupation: Artisan and community volunteer
Schools attended by children: Escondido Elementary, Hoover Elementary, Ohlone Elementary, Palo Verde Elementary, Walter Hays Elementary, JLS Middle, Jordan Middle, Palo Alto High
Background: Three children--a daughter in sixth grade, a daughter in 11th grade and a son who graduated; member of the steering committee for Community Action Committee for Special Education, 1986-99; member of the PTA Council, 1986-99; school board-appointed representative for Special Education Local Planning Area I, 1996-99; board member of the Friends of the Palo Alto Library, 1997-99; former flight attendant for Pan Am.
90/50 plan: "By making the 90/50 goal (having 90 percent of students at each school learning at grade level), the board is acting to fulfill its responsibility for providing sound policy on curriculum. The board of education will have the opportunity to participate in the hiring of a new administrator to oversee curriculum, one who will continue to fully support this goal."
Safe and secure schools: "The district's administration has to have clearly defined policies in order to do its job. The district must be prepared to act in any emergency and have effectively communicated and coordinated with parents and local agencies--hospitals, police and fire departments. An emergency to-do list should be made that defines limits on tolerance for certain activities, identifies known areas of potential concern and clearly allocates staff responsibilities at each site."
Recruiting and retaining teachers: "Useful partnerships with Stanford, the city, and Silicon Valley industries could yield creative solutions."