October 27, 2004

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Palo Alto Online

Four candidates seek two seats on Ravenswood board

by Alexandria Rocha

The four candidates vying for two seats on the Ravenswood City School District's Board of Education agree on one thing -- it's time to move away from "trouble town" for good.

The candidates, two incumbents and two fresh faces, have different priorities --from improving school facilities and test scores to enriching the curricula and providing immigrant parents with health care.

All, however, want to move on from the law suits and funding fiascos that plagued the district during the past two decades. With a new superintendent and test scores on the rise, the district seems to be moving forward.

The two incumbents, Jacqueline Wallace Greene and M.F. Chester Palesoo, hope to follow through with issues they've taken up over this past four-year term. For Palesoo, that's making the school lunches better and focusing on health care. For Greene, it's reestablishing a district middle school and improving facilities.

Antonia E. Brass and Mary "Maria Elena" Varela want to bring new ideas and a fresh start to the board.

Brass, 39, left Texas 10 years ago to join her family in East Palo Alto. She doesn't have any children -- "of my own," she emphasizes -- attending Ravenswood schools, but she is a "very active auntie" with a host of nieces and nephews within the district.

"When the parents can't make it, I fill in," said Brass, who works for Child Development Centers out of San Jose, providing academic support to teachers and students. "I believe extended family is just as important in the schools."

For Brass, running for the board is a case of "stop talking and do something." She said the district's parent involvement is too low and would like to see it increased. She wants to improve test scores and the district's graduation rate.

Brass, who has served a slew of committees, also wants to improve the district's track record of retaining quality staff and teachers.

"If there is or was a buddy system in hiring, let's get rid of that. Let's hire the people who are best fitted," she said.

Incumbent Greene, also 39, is concerned about teacher retention as well. She said teacher turnover is a problem throughout the state. She has toyed with developing a housing benefit for teachers, so they can "educate our students and not worry about finding housing."

Greene is running for her second term on the board. She is a graduate of the Ravenswood district and now has three children who attend its schools.

In her first term, Greene, an administrator at Stanford University in biomechanical engineering, chartered a district high school. She also helped the district levy tax measures for facilities and teacher salaries. Greene wants to focus on creating a district middle school.

"We now need to concentrate on better preparing our middle school students for high school and beyond," she said.

Varela, 56, is most concerned with student achievement. She admits that it's somewhat personal. In the 1980s, Varela took her three daughters out of Ravenswood schools and put them in private school because of the "substandard education," she said.

"The curriculum wasn't complete. My oldest child who really needed a challenge was getting into a lot of trouble because she didn't have enough to keep her busy," said Varela, a retired administrative assistant for an international airline. "Since then, changes have been made but they've been gradual changes, and there continues to be drawbacks."

Varela, a former board member for a local cultural dance school, is a strong arts activist. As a Ravenswood board member, she would focus on bringing back art programs that were cut because of the state budget crisis.

Palesoo, 44, who is running for a third term, has specific issues he would like to continue pursuing.

This last term, he wrote a nutrition policy passed by the current board. He said a committee has just now been formed to follow through with the policy's guidelines on healthy school food. He is also hoping to continue his work on helping immigrant parents find health insurance.

"I strongly believe the district is moving forward," said Palesoo, whose daughter does not attend a Ravenswood school. "We have a new superintendent and we need some experienced people on there to avoid mistakes and potential lawsuits.

Staff writer Alexandria Rocha can be e-mailed at arocha@paweekly.com.

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